login
Baby bunnies taking up residence in our front garden
-
No new posts
 2013-05-30 9:06 AM |
Master  3195     Just South of Boston |  Subject: Baby bunnies taking up residence in our front gardenDiscovered over the weekend that some momma rabbit has 4 babies living in our front flower garden. They've dug a small den (? not sure what to call it) under some ground cover plants growing there. Nothing ruined, and my 2 daughters in particular are very excited about all of this. They've even named them (Fluffy, Sparkles, Junior, & Bob) and get excited every time they see any movement. We're taking the approach of letting nature take its course and not getting in the way or trying to intervene in anyway. We've seen momma bunny around a few times so we know they're not orphaned. Our dog is a total pain in the butt about it, but she is getting the hint to stay away despite her likely instincts to check it out. Anyone know how long it takes bunnies to get big enought to move out? |
| 2013-05-30 9:58 AM in reply to: Mike_D |
Champion 5117 Brandon, MS | Subject: RE: Baby bunnies taking up residence in our front garden Chances are good they'll become a meal for some predator, which means you'll get to make up a sweet story about why Bob isn't there one morning. |
| 2013-05-30 10:37 AM in reply to: Mike_D |
Regular 5477 LHOTP | Subject: RE: Baby bunnies taking up residence in our front garden Originally posted by Mike_D Discovered over the weekend that some momma rabbit has 4 babies living in our front flower garden. They've dug a small den (? not sure what to call it) under some ground cover plants growing there. Nothing ruined, and my 2 daughters in particular are very excited about all of this. They've even named them (Fluffy, Sparkles, Junior, & Bob) and get excited every time they see any movement. We're taking the approach of letting nature take its course and not getting in the way or trying to intervene in anyway. We've seen momma bunny around a few times so we know they're not orphaned. Our dog is a total pain in the butt about it, but she is getting the hint to stay away despite her likely instincts to check it out. Anyone know how long it takes bunnies to get big enought to move out? In my garden? About as long as it takes me to grab a flashlight and a gun;) I used to think they were really cute, but now I'm just a stone col killa. But you have kids who love the bunnies--and named them--there will be no spotlighting for you. I think sesh is right, the likelihood that a predator is going to snack on your bunnies is very high. You may want to prep your kids for that. You may also want to prep yourself for the sound of dying bunny--it's really quite awful. "Move out"? Well, wild rabbits will wean in 3-4 weeks, but if Mama's happy she may just start over with a new litter. |
| 2013-05-30 10:53 AM in reply to: switch |
Veteran 622 Roll Tide!! | Subject: RE: Baby bunnies taking up residence in our front garden Originally posted by switch Originally posted by Mike_D Discovered over the weekend that some momma rabbit has 4 babies living in our front flower garden. They've dug a small den (? not sure what to call it) under some ground cover plants growing there. Nothing ruined, and my 2 daughters in particular are very excited about all of this. They've even named them (Fluffy, Sparkles, Junior, & Bob) and get excited every time they see any movement. We're taking the approach of letting nature take its course and not getting in the way or trying to intervene in anyway. We've seen momma bunny around a few times so we know they're not orphaned. Our dog is a total pain in the butt about it, but she is getting the hint to stay away despite her likely instincts to check it out. Anyone know how long it takes bunnies to get big enought to move out? In my garden? About as long as it takes me to grab a flashlight and a gun I used to think they were really cute, but now I'm just a stone col killa. But you have kids who love the bunnies--and named them--there will be no spotlighting for you. I think sesh is right, the likelihood that a predator is going to snack on your bunnies is very high. You may want to prep your kids for that. You may also want to prep yourself for the sound of dying bunny--it's really quite awful. "Move out"? Well, wild rabbits will wean in 3-4 weeks, but if Mama's happy she may just start over with a new litter. X2 .... there is no dying bunny sound if it is quick and painless...just sayen... |
| 2013-05-30 11:05 AM in reply to: Meljoypip |
Expert 2180 Boise, Idaho | Subject: RE: Baby bunnies taking up residence in our front garden Bunnies are wonderful.... especially when you crisp the skin and season with herbs. deeelisshhhh |
| 2013-05-30 11:09 AM in reply to: jeffnboise |
Champion 5117 Brandon, MS | Subject: RE: Baby bunnies taking up residence in our front garden Originally posted by jeffnboise Bunnies are wonderful.... especially when you crisp the skin and season with herbs. deeelisshhhh My other comment was going to be raise and braise, but any delicious options go out the window when the kids see them. |
| 2013-05-30 11:09 AM in reply to: Mike_D |
| Subject: RE: Baby bunnies taking up residence in our front garden |
| 2013-05-30 11:16 AM in reply to: DanielG |
Regular 5477 LHOTP | Subject: RE: Baby bunnies taking up residence in our front garden Originally posted by DanielG Get your girls to read Watership Down Daniel! WTH? These garden bunnies are going to go down, and it ain't gonna be pretty, and you're recommending Watership Down? Dude! Such a great book, btw. One of my favorites:) |
| 2013-05-30 11:24 AM in reply to: switch |
| Subject: RE: Baby bunnies taking up residence in our front garden Originally posted by switch Originally posted by DanielG Get your girls to read Watership Down Daniel! WTH? These garden bunnies are going to go down, and it ain't gonna be pretty, and you're recommending Watership Down? Dude! Such a great book, btw. One of my favorites Dogs, cats, silver wire... There are reasons behind the suggestion  |
| 2013-05-30 12:08 PM in reply to: Mike_D |
| Iron Donkey 38643 , Wisconsin | Subject: RE: Baby bunnies taking up residence in our front garden For a couple of Springs, at least a couple of baby bunnies haven't survived after my Simplicity 46" deck rider mower finds their nest hidden in our yard. You'd think they wouldn't build nests in the open area, wouldn't you?? |
| 2013-05-30 12:29 PM in reply to: 1stTimeTri |
Master 2946 Centennial, CO | Subject: RE: Baby bunnies taking up residence in our front garden Sad story... Last year, wife and daughter found an abandoned baby bunny. Take it in and care for it for about 2.5 weeks. Gonna release it at the end of the week as it was getting pretty healthy and strong by then. And then it happened. Wife left the gate to the back room where the bunny was being kept open. Later found my 120# bloodhound in the backyard with the bunny between her paws, eating it like a Popsicle. Needless to say you can't blame the dog for doing what is instinctual. Daughter (5 yo crying, wife crying), not a fun scene. |
| 2013-05-30 8:57 PM in reply to: velocomp |
 Bronze member | Subject: RE: Baby bunnies taking up residence in our front garden Originally posted by velocomp Sad story... Last year, wife and daughter found an abandoned baby bunny. Take it in and care for it for about 2.5 weeks. Gonna release it at the end of the week as it was getting pretty healthy and strong by then. And then it happened. Wife left the gate to the back room where the bunny was being kept open. Later found my 120# bloodhound in the backyard with the bunny between her paws, eating it like a Popsicle. Needless to say you can't blame the dog for doing what is instinctual. Daughter (5 yo crying, wife crying), not a fun scene. Cringing to the end of that story |
. I hate it when I see my dogs act like the animals they really are.| 2013-05-30 9:08 PM in reply to: trigal38 |
Regular 5477 LHOTP | Subject: RE: Baby bunnies taking up residence in our front garden Originally posted by trigal38 Originally posted by velocomp Sad story... Last year, wife and daughter found an abandoned baby bunny. Take it in and care for it for about 2.5 weeks. Gonna release it at the end of the week as it was getting pretty healthy and strong by then. And then it happened. Wife left the gate to the back room where the bunny was being kept open. Later found my 120# bloodhound in the backyard with the bunny between her paws, eating it like a Popsicle. Needless to say you can't blame the dog for doing what is instinctual. Daughter (5 yo crying, wife crying), not a fun scene. Cringing to the end of that story :(. I hate it when I see my dogs act like the animals they really are. Dogs? Plural? Do you have a puppy update for us?! |
| 2013-05-31 7:41 AM in reply to: switch |
| Bronze member | Subject: RE: Baby bunnies taking up residence in our front garden Originally posted by switch Originally posted by trigal38 Originally posted by velocomp Sad story... Last year, wife and daughter found an abandoned baby bunny. Take it in and care for it for about 2.5 weeks. Gonna release it at the end of the week as it was getting pretty healthy and strong by then. And then it happened. Wife left the gate to the back room where the bunny was being kept open. Later found my 120# bloodhound in the backyard with the bunny between her paws, eating it like a Popsicle. Needless to say you can't blame the dog for doing what is instinctual. Daughter (5 yo crying, wife crying), not a fun scene. Cringing to the end of that story Dogs? Plural? Do you have a puppy update for us?! Ha ha ha, nope. I'm speaking of all the dogs I've cared for past and present |
| 2013-05-31 11:52 AM in reply to: trigal38 |
Master 3195 Just South of Boston | Subject: RE: Baby bunnies taking up residence in our front garden Update -- It appears one of the bunnies has succumbed to something or other (not killed) but the others are still there likely wondering what is going on, and why is it so darn hot? Wife wants me to remove the deceased one, but I'm not exactly sure what to do here. I think I'll leave it for a bit. |
| 2013-05-31 10:05 PM in reply to: Mike_D |
Pro 5011 Twin Cities | Subject: RE: Baby bunnies taking up residence in our front garden "Bunnies aren't just cute like everybody supposes... They got them hoppy legs, and twitchy little noses And what's with all the carrots? What do they need such good eyesight for, anyway????" That aside, we have two dogs (techincally, 1.75 dogs), and they will kill and eat as many as they can get. Some seasons, it's...well, a lot. One year, I tried to keep a nest alive after a dog adventure. Here is an actual conversation with the wildlife rehab guy: "Er...well...ah...so...rabbits?" "Yes. I have what's left of a nest. Like 4-6." "Well. You know, there are a couple of sayings about rabbits that are actually kind of true..." "??And those are??" "Mmmm...'dumb bunny' and 'fvck like rabbits'" Basically: moving the nest does nothing--the mom will have no idea where they went, even if it's only like 12 inches away. She will, however, go make more baby rabbits to fill that gap. Rabbits are dumb enough that they will have like 97 litters in your yard, no many how many up to that point get hit by lawn mowers, eaten by dogs, etc. |
| 2013-06-01 6:22 AM in reply to: mmrocker13 |
Champion 5376 PA | Subject: RE: Baby bunnies taking up residence in our front garden We have them all around the neighborhood and they definitely use our landscaping to make homes for their babies. I have two dogs and they get excited over the babies but they have never hurt one. In fact, one morning I heard the squeal of a baby rabbit, only to have my big Shep/Rotty mix bring it to me. She (Bama, my dog) never hurt it. She just investigated and brought the baby to me. So far the rabbits have not hurt my garden but I believe it's because I have the dogs in the yard. I look out for them to an extent. When a neighbor got a cat from the SPCA and kept it outside, it began killing a lot of the rabbits. I had my son set a trap and we took it back to the SPCA. My son asked to shoot one with his bb gun once and I did not allow it. I am a hunter but I refuse to kill or injure just for kicks. I told him that as long as we had at least 3 in the area, he could take one with his bow while they were in season. Quite honestly, they are delicious when you know how to prepare them correctly. |
| 2013-06-01 8:40 AM in reply to: Pector55 |
Master 2642 Bloomington, MN | Subject: RE: Baby bunnies taking up residence in our front garden We have a lot of bunnies in the neighborhood.....or had. A fox had some kits in the neighboring woods and well, it seams the bunnies have begun disappearing. No tears from me. |
| 2013-06-01 2:35 PM in reply to: switch |
Pro 5755 | Subject: RE: Baby bunnies taking up residence in our front garden Originally posted by switch Originally posted by Mike_D Discovered over the weekend that some momma rabbit has 4 babies living in our front flower garden. They've dug a small den (? not sure what to call it) under some ground cover plants growing there. Nothing ruined, and my 2 daughters in particular are very excited about all of this. They've even named them (Fluffy, Sparkles, Junior, & Bob) and get excited every time they see any movement. We're taking the approach of letting nature take its course and not getting in the way or trying to intervene in anyway. We've seen momma bunny around a few times so we know they're not orphaned. Our dog is a total pain in the butt about it, but she is getting the hint to stay away despite her likely instincts to check it out. Anyone know how long it takes bunnies to get big enought to move out? In my garden? About as long as it takes me to grab a flashlight and a gun I used to think they were really cute, but now I'm just a stone col killa. But you have kids who love the bunnies--and named them--there will be no spotlighting for you. I think sesh is right, the likelihood that a predator is going to snack on your bunnies is very high. You may want to prep your kids for that. You may also want to prep yourself for the sound of dying bunny--it's really quite awful. "Move out"? Well, wild rabbits will wean in 3-4 weeks, but if Mama's happy she may just start over with a new litter. [/QUOTE We were hanging out on my friends deck, having a drink, enjoying the evening while the kids ran around. They had baby bunnies too. Anyway, their cat got out and within 5 minutes we heard that horrible sound of a baby bunny getting killed. Next thing we know there's a headless bunny on the deck and my friends daughters are hysterical crying. My boys, on the other hand, thought it was pretty cool. |
| 2013-06-02 12:03 PM in reply to: Mike_D |
Veteran 200 Gatineau, Quebec | Subject: RE: Baby bunnies taking up residence in our front garden Rabbits in the neighbourhood have never touched my garden, and the kids love them. Last winter was pretty bad and they most have ran of of things to eat. One morning I noticed one of them had eaten most of the branches of my Blueberry plants. Found the youtube video and started playing the Bugs Bunny episode of "Kill the Wabbit". Told the kids, sorry, but this means war. I guess he ran out of things to eat in my backyard too, haven't seen him since. |
| 2013-06-10 6:32 PM in reply to: Mike_D |
Regular 5477 LHOTP | Subject: RE: Baby bunnies taking up residence in our front garden Doing some yoga out on the back deck this afternoon, and I heard that sound. Good cat, Bobby.
They're especially good hunters if you don't feed them. |
| 2013-06-12 5:11 PM in reply to: switch |
| New user 87 | Subject: RE: Baby bunnies taking up residence in our front garden Originally posted by switch Originally posted by Mike_D Discovered over the weekend that some momma rabbit has 4 babies living in our front flower garden. They've dug a small den (? not sure what to call it) under some ground cover plants growing there. Nothing ruined, and my 2 daughters in particular are very excited about all of this. They've even named them (Fluffy, Sparkles, Junior, & Bob) and get excited every time they see any movement. We're taking the approach of letting nature take its course and not getting in the way or trying to intervene in anyway. We've seen momma bunny around a few times so we know they're not orphaned. Our dog is a total pain in the butt about it, but she is getting the hint to stay away despite her likely instincts to check it out. Anyone know how long it takes bunnies to get big enought to move out? In my garden? About as long as it takes me to grab a flashlight and a gun I used to think they were really cute, but now I'm just a stone col killa. But you have kids who love the bunnies--and named them--there will be no spotlighting for you. I think sesh is right, the likelihood that a predator is going to snack on your bunnies is very high. You may want to prep your kids for that. You may also want to prep yourself for the sound of dying bunny--it's really quite awful. "Move out"? Well, wild rabbits will wean in 3-4 weeks, but if Mama's happy she may just start over with a new litter. That's what I was going to say. I also have a Beagle so rabbits aren't much of a problem in my yard. There are a lot of them around town though, and I can't seem to find any when I take the dog out to the country to find them... |
|
|
|
| what's your easter bunny name? Pages: 1 2 | ||
| |||
| |||
| |||
|
| ||||
|
|
View profile
Add to friends
Go to training log
Go to race log
Send a message
View album
CONNECT WITH FACEBOOK