5 Homeless Baby Bunnies

Fired up the tractor for the first time this year, and I ran over a bunny nest in a hole-in-the-ground near the road. I only found it because I nearly ran over one of the little buggers. I've now got 5 baby bunnies. It's near the property divide, and I foresee the neighbor having the lawn mowed any day now--so sticking them back in the uncovered hole might not be a good idea. We've got infrequent fox and raccoon sightings here.

Any recommendations? Can I dig them a nice little hole in the back yard under a bush, and hope they make it on their own? Or will I need to feed them for a few days with formula mixtures and feeder tubes?

For your enjoyment:

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1000arms wrote in post #12449747
This might help: http://www.squirrelwor​ld.com/RabRehab.html

Thank you, that's a very helpful looking guide. I tried taking care of a baby rabbit twice before, and the last time it died after a few days--now I know why. I'm thinking of building a little brick-hut over the open hole and putting them back in. Is this a good idea, or is it unlikely that the mother will now care for them? Anyone have experience with this kind of thing?

This looks promising:
http://www.rabbit.org/​faq/sections/orphan.ht​ml
Looks like I should try to put them back. Time to build a little brick house in the dark!

If you didn't run over mom, I would not touch them. Let the mom take care of them. I used to have this situation almost every year on a prior property. When I stayed out of it, all went well. If I or others touched the babies or relocated them, it never worked out.

At that age they can eat grass quite well (had some last year). They love dandelions too, so feed 'em lots of them! I'd protect the nest and let them go. Had to relocate several last year with my landscaping job.

Quizzical_Squirrel wrote in post #12449870
I would give a licensed wildlife rehabilitator in your area a call and ask their advice.

Are you in Flint, Michigan? i just googled and saw a listing for someone called Genesee in Flint
http://www.michigandnr​.com/dlr/

Awesome link for future reference. Wish I'd seen this yesterday when I found a fawn curled up in a ball crying for its mother in the back yard.

Genesee is a county. I'm not going to call anyone at 11pm And since the previous guide says that rabbit mothers come back and feed their young in the dead of the night, I have no choice but to put them back, and check tomorrow to see if they've been fed. If their bellies are full, no worries.

frankk wrote in post #12449936
If you didn't run over mom, I would not touch them. Let the mom take care of them. I used to have this situation almost every year on a prior property. When I stayed out of it, all went well. If I or others touched the babies or relocated them, it never worked out.

A big hole in the ground affords little protection. I did what I could to place some cover around it. I'll check their condition tomorrow. If they're okay, then I wash my hands of it.

Jill-of-all-Trades wrote in post #12449956
At that age they can eat grass quite well (had some last year). They love dandelions too, so feed 'em lots of them! I'd protect the nest and let them go. Had to relocate several last year with my landscaping job.

Yup, almost ran over one that was munching some grass. Apparently they stay in the nest for 4 weeks, so they'll still need milk, unfortunately.

For any who are curious about the liters well-being, they all seem to be well and accounted for. Unfortunately I saw no evidence that the mother was there last night. I surrounded the hole with a large pile of grass, which would have left some indentation had a larger rabbit been sitting on it for a period of time. I checked one bunny, and he did not appear to be emaciated (belly seemed full enough). I'll check again tomorrow--if they aren't doing well, I'll have to give a rehabilitator a call.

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you'd be surprised how quickly they mature
I think they leave the nest when they are about 4-5 inches long and the little diamond on their forehead is almost gone.
Odds are that mama will come back if she hears them and sees no threat hanging around so that she can safely get back to them.
If not, they might be just fine on their own, they look old enough to be eating grass and whatnot.
You are a kind soul for worrying, I wish more ppl were like that!

crazy. i hit a nest yesterday mowing too. sadly mine werent as lucky and one was shreded, others looked fine but took off running i've been worried weather they wil be ok or not.

Accessoire wrote in post #12452299
you'd be surprised how quickly they mature
I think they leave the nest when they are about 4-5 inches long and the little diamond on their forehead is almost gone.
Odds are that mama will come back if she hears them and sees no threat hanging around so that she can safely get back to them.
If not, they might be just fine on their own, they look old enough to be eating grass and whatnot.
You are a kind soul for worrying, I wish more ppl were like that!

What! Don't tell that to anyone I know--I'll deny it up and down!! It's kill or be killed--as it says in my location status field

The Outlaw wrote in post #12452335
crazy. i hit a nest yesterday mowing too. sadly mine werent as lucky and one was shreded, others looked fine but took off running i've been worried weather they wil be ok or not.

Well, at least that would have been a quick way to go. I almost ran over part of a rabbit with a tractor wheel. I would not have enjoyed seeing a flattened rabbit. I've seen squashed turtles--not a pretty sight.

I don't know what it is with this past week. A few days ago I discovered 4 birds living in the garage, and they won't leave!! And then I found and had to deal with a fawn that was hiding in the flower patch:
https://photography-on-the.net …/showthread.php​?t=1044186

i'd take a fawn any day over the bitds. we had a storm a couple weeks ago that ripped the little peices of metal out from under the overhangs on the roof and a bunch of black birds moved in and had babies. waiting for the insurance people to politic with the repair people is driving me nuts.

The Outlaw wrote in post #12452549
i'd take a fawn any day over the bitds. we had a storm a couple weeks ago that ripped the little peices of metal out from under the overhangs on the roof and a bunch of black birds moved in and had babies. waiting for the insurance people to politic with the repair people is driving me nuts.

Could be worse--you could be this guy:

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I checked one of the bunnies a few hours ago--the stomach area felt rather full, so I can only guess that they've been feeding. They didn't look overly sick or malnourished. The white fluff on his head had mostly disappeared. They burrowed themselves some nice little tunnels in the grass-pile I made.

1000arms wrote in post #12458400
Has the mother appeared yet?

mine has but i only see it i havent seen the survivor babies out running around but then again i wont go near the nest to look either, i just dont want to ruin it if the mother is still taking care of them like people do by touching baby birds then the mother not wanting them. i usually am not bothered by dead animals or gruesome things or emotional things but i still feel absoloutly horrible about this. i took photos right after it happened but havent even had the guts to upload them and look at them.

The Outlaw wrote in post #12458699
mine has but i only see it i havent seen the survivor babies out running around but then again i wont go near the nest to look either, i just dont want to ruin it if the mother is still taking care of them like people do by touching baby birds then the mother not wanting them. i usually am not bothered by dead animals or gruesome things or emotional things but i still feel absoloutly horrible about this. i took photos right after it happened but havent even had the guts to upload them and look at them.

That whole mother-bird thing is a myth, and has been proven to be a fallacy. Mother birds do NOT abandon their babies after being handled by humans. I've been checking the nest 1-2 times a day, and the one I checked has a full belly, and appeared to be vibrant. Word of mouth is how this misconception has spread as far as it has. I only wonder how many baby what-evers didn't make it because humans were too afraid to step in thanks to an old wives tale. The cottontail population will go on if these guys don't make it, but they ain't dying on my lawn!

If you feel like checking, check. They're either dead or they're not. If you're really worried about your scent, wear gloves when handling them or the nest. I've learned lots about caring for wild animals during the last few days.

Now to plug up that hole in the garage... tired of cleaning poo off the cars.

1000arms wrote in post #12459926
Have you seen mom go into the nest? Hopefully the survivors are OK.

I know you're asking Outlaw, but a few things I learned: the mother stays far away from the nest, and only shows up in the dead of the night, before sunrise. She averages 5 minutes per baby for feeding.

I was briefly thinking of watching for the mother, but with the moon not showing itself recently, I'd need to rig up a nightvision cam to record. That's entirely too much work It would seem equally effective to check a bunny each morning by making sure their bellies aren't empty.