Mama bunnies usually stay away from the babies during the day, so as not to attract the attention of predators. And also so my dog can “rescue” them from their nice comfy, safe holes. We came home one day and he had 3 of them lined up on the back porch, hovering over them like a mama hen. His expression was like “Mom, Dad, you won’t believe it. Somebody put these kittens in a hole! Can I keep 'em, huh, can I? Pleeeeeeeeeeze.” Their eyes weren’t even opened yet, and their ears were just little nubs.
[Elmer Fudd] Wabbititis! [/Elmer Fudd]
We had Yard Bunnies one year, and my mom mowed over them.
Astoundingly, they were blown all the way across the yard, but they were completely uninjured. She gathered them up and stuffed them back in the hole, and they grew up and moved away to wherever it is that bunnies go.
IDBB, there are bunnies in North Texas. One lives in my back yard. And she’s very cute.
Fascinating bunny facts, from Leonard Lee Rue’s 1967 book “Pictorial Guide to The Mammals of North America.”
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The breeding season is from February to September and the females can have as many as eight litters a year. The female frequently mates within 24 hours after giving birth.
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5-7 young are typically found in a litter but sometimes litter sizes run as high as 12.
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The babies can leave the nest and fend for themselves by the time they are three or four weeks old.
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Rabbits can eat almost every type of green plant, including poison ivy.
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85% of the rabbit population dies each year from predation, accidents, or disease. It’s up to the remaining 15% to replenish the population. Now you know why the little suckers breed like they do…
Turek–I know that. My MIL has reported some yard bunnies of her own out on her property but there are no bunnies where I live. Too ‘developed’ for bunnies. Had some mice one time…but no bunnies. Just cute little brown house sparrows, mockingbirds, and the Evil Bluejays from Hell.
IDBB