Magical Cat's Corner

You Can't Stop Nature

For the past few springs, we've had at least one baby bunny nest in our yard. Today I was working at my kitchen table, and I noticed a big crow flying around near the nest that is currently in our backyard. I went out there to shoo it away, and I saw that the nest was empty. A bunny was lying nearby. It was still breathing, but it was on its back. I don't think that one will make it, but I put it back into the nest, which was empty. Then I saw another bunny that unfortunately was killed. I looked around some more, and I found three more bunnies hiding in the tall grass. I put them back into the nest. I hope I found them all. Poor things. I don't know what animal found them or if it is going to come back, but there is not much else I can do short of keeping an eye out for predators. If I cover the nest, the mother will not be able to get to the babies. I am not sure if she will continue to care for them now that the nest has been disturbed.

For anyone who has wild rabbits around their house, here are a few facts about them:

* Nests are generally located in the middle of a grassy area. They are not usually concealed by bushes or trees. The mother rabbit digs a shallow hole, births her babies there, and then covers the hole with her own fur. You can usually find the nest by looking for a mass of grey fur in the grass.

* The mother rabbit will visit her babies for only 5 minutes at a time once or twice a day/night. She will nurse them, replace the fur over the nest, and hop away. She does not stick around the nest because she does not want to attract predators. Many people find bunny nests and think that they have been abandoned because the mother is not around, but that is more than likely not the case. If the bunnies are warm, they are being cared for. Just leave the nest alone.

* You should handle the baby bunnies as little as possible, if at all. If you find them outside the nest, either they are old enough to leave the nest or something has disturbed the nest. A good rule to go by is that if the bunny lets you pick it up, it is not ready to be out of the nest. Gently place it back into the nest. If the bunny is scared of you and hops away, it is ready to venture out on its own.