Garden box baby bunnies

[reible]

A short while ago my wife was weeding one of our garden boxes and came across what looked like a glob of fur and weeds. When she was pulling things she heard something and the pile would jerk.... When I looked I thought of rabbit fur and surmised we had a rabbit nest.

They were so covered up that you could not see them but what else could it be? Well today they are starting to be so crowded and or they didn't get covered back up after mom left that you can see them. I have spotted at least 3 which I think is all of them. The third one is still quite covered and would be down in the picture. They are so cute, about the size of tennis balls, they are in a depression that mom must have dug, then covered in her fur and matted weeds.

We have been worrying if mom has been visiting as we have not see her but since it has been a while and they are growing she must be feeding them. We think during the night but the camera we set up for 3 nights did not show her so I have to check the settings to make sure it is working.

The ultimate worry is having something that likes rabbit finds them, raccoons, skunks, coyotes, even owls, hawks, crows, and domestic cats and dogs would eat them up. Not sure how soon they will be off but as of now they just stay very still as in you can't see me if I don't move.

We are not trying to spend much time or get to close as to alert others to there presents but I do peak in about once a day. Today it was a second time when I took this photo. I was about two feet away and not even a twitch.

IMG_7216sc.jpg (192.39 KiB) Viewed 2943 times

Ed

[algale]

We had a similar nest at the base of a tree in our backyard last summer. One day my wife was working in the yard (not at the tree) and she hears "screams." The next thing my wife knows, bunnies are running out from the base of the tree in all different directions and it is the bunnies that are making the screaming sounds. What happened next was the mother bunny came tearing across the lawn at full speed toward the tree. That's when my wife saw a large Black Rat Snake climbing up the tree from which the bunnies fled. The mother bunny got to the base of the tree and started to jump up and bite at the snake's tail two or three times. Then she turned around, looked at my wife, gnashed her teeth a couple of times, as if to say "you want a piece of me," and then ran off again. We saw those bunnies all summer long. Very cute when they are small.

[Ed in Tampa]

A short while ago my wife was weeding one of our garden boxes and came across what looked like a glob of fur and weeds. When she was pulling things she heard something and the pile would jerk.... When I looked I thought of rabbit fur and surmised we had a rabbit nest.

They were so covered up that you could not see them but what else could it be? Well today they are starting to be so crowded and or they didn't get covered back up after mom left that you can see them. I have spotted at least 3 which I think is all of them. The third one is still quite covered and would be down in the picture. They are so cute, about the size of tennis balls, they are in a depression that mom must have dug, then covered in her fur and matted weeds.

We have been worrying if mom has been visiting as we have not see her but since it has been a while and they are growing she must be feeding them. We think during the night but the camera we set up for 3 nights did not show her so I have to check the settings to make sure it is working.

The ultimate worry is having something that likes rabbit finds them, raccoons, skunks, coyotes, even owls, hawks, crows, and domestic cats and dogs would eat them up. Not sure how soon they will be off but as of now they just stay very still as in you can't see me if I don't move.

We are not trying to spend much time or get to close as to alert others to there presents but I do peak in about once a day. Today it was a second time when I took this photo. I was about two feet away and not even a twitch.

IMG_7216sc.jpg

Ed

As long as they are not squirrels they are okay. Never had a rabbit gnaw it's way in an attic and eat the wiring off the wires.
Don't get too close the odor you leave behind may attract other critters to them. Dogs especially will track human odor because it is often associated with food or something they can eat.

[reible]

This is in one of our garden boxes that the wife has adopted for growing other things like flowers but it is right between two active garden boxes so there are plenty of walking in that area. Don't see how a dog would or could distinguish between normal traffic and bunny viewing especially since like I said we try not to visit more then once a day.

I expect to see them out and about any day now. Never did get the camera set up to get night pictures, too much rain the last couple of days. If they are still there tomorrow I will try and set up the game camera again to see what it sees.

Ed

[Ed in Tampa]

This is in one of our garden boxes that the wife has adopted for growing other things like flowers but it is right between two active garden boxes so there are plenty of walking in that area. Don't see how a dog would or could distinguish between normal traffic and bunny viewing especially since like I said we try not to visit more then once a day.

I expect to see them out and about any day now. Never did get the camera set up to get night pictures, too much rain the last couple of days. If they are still there tomorrow I will try and set up the game camera again to see what it sees.

Ed

I meant like holding back foliage with you hand to get photo shots. Or even walking near the nest where an investigating dog or predator would see or even hear the little ones. The babies are pretty well protected (little or no odor) but the mother has to enter and leave the nest. This concentrates her odor in the area so you don't want to get your trail to the point it overlaps the concentrated mother rabbits odor trail.

Do you have any clover growing? Rabbits LOVE sweet clover. Plant some and you will have bunnies running all around. Also watch for cats they love to torture and kill rabbits of course a large wild rabbit can turn the tables on most cats.

Here in Florida we don't have many cotton tails but we do have swamp sliders. They run using their back legs to slide their chest along hence the name.

[reible]

The nest is empty and they made it that far at least.

This is a picture of who we think the mom is. No DNA test to prove it.

IMG_7245sc.jpg (201.48 KiB) Viewed 2758 times

Plenty of clover for there needs and then some.

IMG_7246sc.jpg (230.33 KiB) Viewed 2758 times

Again we take our sign seriously.

IMG_6864sc.jpg (151.71 KiB) Viewed 2758 times

Ed

[Ed in Tampa]

She probably moved them, in fact they might have been in the picture just not seen. They hid really good.
From the pictures your bunnies should be ecstatic over the clover!

I protect animals that come into my yard, except squirrels that want to run up and down the screened pool enclosure, get into the attic and chew everything in sight. I also don't take kindly to Muscovy ducks. They kill native ducks, drive away other wild life and crap everywhere constantly. People mistakenly feed these and then spend the rest of the summer trying to get them and their crap off their property. https://www.google.com/search?q=muscove ... B250%3B262

[ddub]

I live in the country and try and let animals do what they do. They are just trying to find a home and survive just like us. I don't see a lot of large animals, but have seen deer, moose, wolves etc. I do have pheasants, hawks many birds, rabbits, squirrels, gophers, raccoons, etc living on my property.

But, I have had more troubles with rabbits than squirrels or any other animal for that matter. Much more.... They have destroyed countless plants and small trees. This year seems to be a good (or bad depending on how you look at it) year for them. I have seen lots of babies. I have one adult that will let me get within about 4 feet of it. If a hawk doesn't move in and take a few, I might have too. When winter comes if there isn't enough food readily available for them, they get destructive.

[reible]

Yes the rabbits do trim a lot of our bushes and shrubs and we do have to have wraps on things like the apple trees to protect them (dwarf trees grafted on more then likely cherry tree). The really strange thing is they will eat rose bushes! Thorns and all!

Saw one of the baby bunnies this morning when I went to get a picture of my router sign (another thread on ink). He/she was pretty quick and ducked under the fence and in to the maze of day lilies. If I had not had my arms full I would have gotten a picture.

Now all they have to worry about is the the rest of the wildlife that would still like the taste of rabbit. They also have to worry about running across the road in front of our house, a few have perished that way over the years.

Ed

[reible]

The bunny is getting brave, he/she came to visit me while I was working in the shop today. Here it is peaking in on me.

IMG_7287sc.jpg (146.92 KiB) Viewed 2607 times

Note the white star marking on the face, looks a lot like the one in the first picture I think.

It wasn't to concerned about me and went about looking for another spot to enjoy some grass or what ever it was looking for.

IMG_7292sc.jpg (189.84 KiB) Viewed 2607 times

They are growing like rabbits!

Ed