Yesterday I didn't have time to upload my photos and post. We spent most of the day with Andrew's family in Ann Arbor but before we left we took some pictures. The three rabbits were all snug in the nest. No real changes other than being a little bigger.
When I got home from work today we went out to the nest. It looked like the grass and fur weren't packed down as tightly as usual. We wondered if any of the babies were in the nest. We looked and only found one. His or her eyes were open and it didn't want to stay in my hands very long. And once it was back on the ground it didn't want to go back into the nest.
We're not sure if a predator (cat or bird) got the other babies or if they were off exploring. I did see the mom go to the nest this morning before I went to work. We didn't see any signs of another ground animal or a bird landing near the nest. But we also got some heavy rain today so marks could have been washed away.
Perhaps the lonely bunny was late with eyes opening so he or she was late leaving the nest to explore. I've read that that the babies will come back to the nest on their own for a couple of weeks. Who knows if we'll see them again. We'll keep checking each day to see if they're there for a while.
We didn't see any big changes today other than the baby rabbits are a little bigger. Their eyes are still closed, but I suspect that they'll open any day now. Once that happens it'll start getting harder to get photos!
Sadly we discovered that one of the babies had died. We wonder if he or she was dead yesterday and we thought he or she was just trying to hide in the dirt to get away from the light. All four were still alive on Day Four. Who knows if the rabbit suffocated by trying to go too deep and got covered by the other rabbits, if somehow all of the rain we got had something to do with it, or if it was just too weak and wouldn't have survived anyway.
The remaining rabbits look healthy. We had to take them out and place them next to the nest as we took out the dead rabbit. We didn't want the dead rabbit to start smelling or for the mom to neglect the other babies. Hopefully with one of them missing she won't wonder what happened. When the three babies were on the ground near their nest they were crawling around trying to find some shelter. They looked pleased to be back in the nest.
The babies continue to get bigger. Their ears are starting to get longer, stick out, and open up. Their eyes are still closed. I've read that they'll open between day six and ten, so we must have found the nest when they babies were just born or a day old.
Today Andrew held one of the babies for a photo. They look smaller in his hands compared to mine.
Today is Day Five of Operation Baby Bunnies. Andrew took today's photos.
I've been reading and learning a bit about cottontail rabbits. Only 15% of them live more than a year (mostly due to all of the predators). A three year old is considered lucky to still be around. They usually have 2-4 litters each spring/summer. Their development is pretty quick (it has to be if their life expectancy isn't that long). A female can have a litter and then mate the next day!
I'm sure that once the babies are old enough to be out exploring that taking photos will be much harder. And I'm not sure we'll want to be around them too much and have them not be fearful of things they should be. But for now it's fun seeing how they grow and develop.
Today was the first day that we picked up any of the babies. They didn't like being out in the light. They're still small. Their fur is soft and they feel fragile.
I didn't have time last night to post photos from yesterday. And actually my photos from yesterday didn't turn out very well, but I do have a video.
The photo below is from after posting on Day Three. We've been seeing mom coming around 8:30 to check on and feed the kids. Here she is leaving. She heard me exit the screened in porch and quickly left the nest.
Yesterday we were out checking on the babies between severe thunder storms. We got around five inches of rain! Roads were flooded, trees down, etc., but no harm at our house. We were both out driving in the stuff at different points. I had to go various ways in order to get home and avoid flooded roads. I still had to drive through some flooded spots but was able to avoid the really deep stuff. We also battled mosquitoes while we were out checking on the nest. With the crappy weather and mosquitoes my camera wasn't interested in focusing. At least the video came out okay.
The babies are looking even more like rabbits now with their brown fur and ears growing.
The babies' brown fur is definitely coming in now. It's sort of amazing how quickly they're growing and changing. Of course with a lifespan of less than a year they've got to get a move on things.
Today we each petted a couple of heads. They still look too fragile to attempt picking up. Maybe in another day or two. As we uncovered them they started moving around right away. But when the discovered that we weren't their mom they calmed down a bit and even tried to hide. It still looks like there are four of them unless there are more hidden deeper in the burrow.
Andrew and I have decided to check on the rabbits we're growing in the vegetable garden once a day. That also means daily photos until they don't want to be near us. I have a feeling vegetable names will be given to these rabbits at some point!
In just a day the litter of kits has grown. Their ears are bigger as well as their bodies. They were more active today as well. I'd really like to know exactly when they were born so we knew how old they are.
We even saw who we assume is mom. A rabbit went into the garden area and was there for a while. So it's good to know that she doesn't care that we've been peeking at her kids. And here is a picture of the replanted weeds strategically placed by Andrew to protect the nest.
The area where we've had a vegetable garden in the past has nothing in it but weeds. Some of them are pretty tall. Some don't even look like weeds. I have some tomato plants, which should have been in the ground a long time ago, to plant so we decided to pull some of the weeds out to make room. We've seen rabbits go into the garden, which isn't currently closed off, so we wanted to leave some of the weeds up. We like seeing the rabbits. Haven likes seeing the rabbits.
We're pulling away clearing out a spot in the middle of the garden. Andrew finds fur. He wonders what it was and thinks that maybe a rabbit nest was once there. Turns out a rabbit's nest is currently there! He uncovered what looked to be four baby rabbits.
After doing a little searching online I'm thinking that they're less than 10 days old. Their eyes are still closed and they have no fur. I've also read that mom comes back twice a day to feed the babies. Hopefully our disturbing the nest won't deter her from that. The one site I was reading suggested touching the rabbits to see if they were hydrated and being cared for by mom so I'm hoping this means she won't freak out if things look different and a bit disturbed. Andrew even "replanted" some of the taller weeds he pulled out so that the nest area has some more protection.
A little more than a week ago Andrew and I ordered shoes from Simple Shoes. They arrived last Thursday. I love the ones I got (in the color cub) and have two or three more pairs of shoes that I'd like to eventually get!
The shoes are comfy and eco friendly! Sure, they're more expensive than getting shoes from Target, Payless, or some other discount store. But they're comparatively priced with other similar shoes that aren't from a bargain bin. My feet are stylin' today in my new shoes.
We knew that we'd be outside in the yard working today. Last night I took two Kongs and put chicken broth in them and placed them in the freezer. The dogs would get a treat while we were outside working. They like hanging out there when they can see us.
It was sunny and a little humid. Haven didn't mind. She's the treat dog. Anything treat related will get her excited. She got working on her pupsicle right away like it was the greatest prize ever. Beacon was more concerned with what I was doing. Eventually he settled down near Haven. But he would try to chew the Kong and turn it over seeing if anything would fall out. He knows that things fall out when tips it over if it's stuffed before we leave the house. He would also nose bump the Kong, perhaps annoyed that it wasn't giving him what he wanted.
In the end he did start licking the inside. But he got bored with it and at some point Haven had his black Kong and he had her red one. He wanted to fetch. Haven wanted more pupsicle.
