Guess what the stork left in my front yard: Bunnies!
You'd think a 49-year old man who has lived the bulk of his life in small, rural towns would know more about how nature works; Unfortunately, that person is not me.
The first thing I did was freak out and pull all five of them from the nest, as my first thought was "I do NOT want a family of rabbits living in my yard!" Then again, I didn't want to kill them. So I put them in a box and took them to see my friend Travis, who is a small animal vet. He gently suggested that I might have left them alone, as the chances of wild bunnies surviving bottle-feeding are quite slim. At any rate, I bought a can of Kitten Milk Replacement and a tiny little bottle and decided I'd give it a try.
Right. They didn't want to drink from it. Then it began to dawn on me: How am I going to feed them for the required 3-4 weeks when they get bigger and don't want to be held? They are, after all, not a domesticated breed.
So, last night around 8:00, I put the bunnies back in their hole and covered it with the same grass their mother had used and hoped she would still care for them some time during the night, which I learned from the internet is when the mother generally shows up for feeding/caring.
I happened to look out around 8:30 and saw mama rabbit sitting on the nest. I could see her for about 20 minutes, but then darkness fell.
This morning I lifted the grass over the nest (now covered by a stick, as well; what a resourceful mom!) and they were all sleeping soundly, tucked in the hole just-so.
Anyway, here's a photo. I'm hoping their mother will continue to care for them and that one of marauding neighborhood cats doesn't discover the nest. But I've decided to let nature do its thing, and whatever happens, happens.
They are just too cute, I'll say that for them.
You'd think a 49-year old man who has lived the bulk of his life in small, rural towns would know more about how nature works; Unfortunately, that person is not me.
The first thing I did was freak out and pull all five of them from the nest, as my first thought was "I do NOT want a family of rabbits living in my yard!" Then again, I didn't want to kill them. So I put them in a box and took them to see my friend Travis, who is a small animal vet. He gently suggested that I might have left them alone, as the chances of wild bunnies surviving bottle-feeding are quite slim. At any rate, I bought a can of Kitten Milk Replacement and a tiny little bottle and decided I'd give it a try.
Right. They didn't want to drink from it. Then it began to dawn on me: How am I going to feed them for the required 3-4 weeks when they get bigger and don't want to be held? They are, after all, not a domesticated breed.
So, last night around 8:00, I put the bunnies back in their hole and covered it with the same grass their mother had used and hoped she would still care for them some time during the night, which I learned from the internet is when the mother generally shows up for feeding/caring.
I happened to look out around 8:30 and saw mama rabbit sitting on the nest. I could see her for about 20 minutes, but then darkness fell.
This morning I lifted the grass over the nest (now covered by a stick, as well; what a resourceful mom!) and they were all sleeping soundly, tucked in the hole just-so.
Anyway, here's a photo. I'm hoping their mother will continue to care for them and that one of marauding neighborhood cats doesn't discover the nest. But I've decided to let nature do its thing, and whatever happens, happens.
They are just too cute, I'll say that for them.
