# Rabbits



## Maggie-NC (Jun 22, 2005)

For several years we were blessed to have a lot of baby rabbits in our yard to the extent that neighbors strolling in the afternoon would comment on them. They would graze on clover and generally just lounge around. Well, a neighbor got a cat and the rabbits moved on. I don't think the cat got them or many of them, they just left. The poor cat got run over by a car a few years ago but the rabbits didn't come back until last year a baby showed up and stayed all summer and fall with us. He left and came back a couple of weeks ago, just as friendly and cute as ever but we believe it brought its baby with it this time. There is a little baby that stays under our cedar tree and comes out in the early am and late aftenoon and frolics all over the yard.

The grown rabbit stays at the foot of our back steps a good portion of the cooler parts of the day, with us sitting and talking to him, and he's only about two feet away. Never saw anything like him but he was that way last year. 

This afternoon we caught him eating bread out of the crow's food bowl.


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## Reti (Jul 20, 2003)

Oh Maggie, how cute.
Rabbits are just adorable beings, so sweet and innocent.
Too bad the cat got run over by a car, but at least you've got "your" rabbits back. I wish people would keep their cats indoors.

Reti


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

Hi Maggie,

How nice that she is back to visit you, and good size too. We get them in our back yard also, but they are too scared to come too close. We used to have several visit our yard and munch on clover, and they didn't mind me coming out once they got used to me going out to the coop every morning.

My sister would work out in her back garden every day early morning, and the rabbits and squirrells would visit and wouldn't mind her busying about just like she was part of the scenery. They would come up and sit right next to her and eat.


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## AZfiddler_1996 (Jul 13, 2005)

Today I went out to a man's house who goes to our church. He has tamed the wild rabbits out at his place and he now has over 100 cottontails and 50 jackrabbits! He feeds between 150 and 200 lbs of carrots every week!  It was wonderful! You can get about 3 feet close to most of the rabbits and most of the babies will let you do anything but touch them. They're adorable!! I'm going to attach a picture of one of the babies.
~Alice


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

Great picture, Alice! I hope carrots are cheap there .. Alfalfa or oat or timothy hay is good also .. might be cheaper to get a bale of hay than all those carrots .. in any event .. still a great picture and a very nice man to care for the rabbits as he does.

Terry


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## Pigeonpal2002 (Jul 27, 2002)

Hi Maggie, Treesa, Alice and all, 

Yep, bunnies are EVERYWHERE it seems these days. Nab has them all over his property and they really do seem to be very plentiful in all parts of North America. My yard seems to be a great haven for the cottontails...it's a tad overgrown and a bit "wild", but the animals LOVE IT because it's so seldom disturbed...it's a small patch of refuge and paradise in the city 

Maggie and Alice: your pictures are great...I'll try to get some of my backyard bunnies too


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## kittypaws (Sep 18, 2005)

Rabbits - I love em too being once the proud owner of two who sadly have departed for the bunny hutch in the sky. The pictures of those bunnies are lovely - they are such cuties. 

In the UK in the countryside there are loads of rabbits - sometimes too many - not in my eyes I would add, but in the eyes of councils, farmers etc. Its a shame they are such a prolific breeders - perhaps if they had just one breeding season it would be OK, but there you go - you can't change the world just like that.

Thanks for posting the pictures I always like a bunny picture. 

Tania xx

PS - had a small rescue to do this morning. Colin, my partner, calls me out of bed ( I have a lie in on a Sunday) - he has lifted the drain cover off the drain and there is a big toad there. So I lifts him out ( my what slippery, strong beasties they are) and have placed him in the vegetable garden which is predator proof ( though I think toads taste horrible...) as there is a fence and netting, but the fence has holes in it - big enough for a toad to pass through, but not a cat. Just going to do a bit of a surfing on the net to see if I should be doing more for the little fella!!


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## AZfiddler_1996 (Jul 13, 2005)

Terry, he does feed them hay, and as far as I know, a lot of other stuff, too. 
He used to rehab the bigger birds like crows, hawks, eagles, and owls. He's got some really funny stories.  They've had a few rescued pigeons too and virtually anything, I guess. 
They have a little cactus wren that they just recently rescued. He and his sibling had jumped out of the nest that was about 5 feet in the air when they still had their eyes closed. The ants were eating them alive in the nest but jumping out didn't help that situation much. Willie's sibling disn't make it but Willie is still alive. Willie can't stand up on his feet? They aren't sticking out to the sides, I'll post a picture.



> I'll try to get some of my backyard bunnies too


 I'm looking forward to seeing them, Brad!

Alice


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

He sounds like a wonderful man, Alice. It's so kind of him to help all the birds and animals. Perhaps the leg on that little bird was broken at some point and healed improperly. 

Terry


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## AZfiddler_1996 (Jul 13, 2005)

That very well could have happened when he fell out of the nest. Is there anything that can be done for it now?


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

AZfiddler_1996 said:


> That very well could have happened when he fell out of the nest. Is there anything that can be done for it now?


Probably not unless a vet could confirm that it is a badly healed break and one that could possibly be rebroken and then set in the proper alignment/position. Even with vet intervention it sometimes works out that trying to fix such a problem results in an even bigger problem, so I think I would just do the best I could for that little one.

Terry


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## Pigeonpal2002 (Jul 27, 2002)

Hi Folks, 

I had promised Alice (AZfiddler) that I would get a picture of one of my backyard rabbits and I finally got one I just haven't had any opportunities before this and they haven't been around as much lately.

Excuse the lawn, it's a little overgrown as I've shucked my lawn mowing duties lately as well


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## AZfiddler_1996 (Jul 13, 2005)

AHHH! How cute!! He looks very content in the sun and all that _green stuff_.  Thanks, Brad, I loved your bunny pic!! 
Alice


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## Pigeonpal2002 (Jul 27, 2002)

AZfiddler_1996 said:


> AHHH! How cute!! He looks very content in the sun and all that _green stuff_.  Thanks, Brad, I loved your bunny pic!!
> Alice



You're welcome Alice I think this might be a female (doe). The females are said to have a longer face than the males. The yard is very overgrown generally and there are lots of bushes and shrubs. The bunnies are quite comfortable in my yard and have raised lots of babies over the years.


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## AZfiddler_1996 (Jul 13, 2005)

lol _She _looks content, then. I think that if I were at your house I would probably fall down into all that grass, it looks _soft_.


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## Lin Hansen (Jan 9, 2004)

Brad, your yard looks like bunny heaven! What an adorable girl. Thanks for sharing.

Linda


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## mr squeaks (Apr 14, 2005)

GREAT bun bun pics Licha and Brad! 

Brad...your grass sure looks healthy! 

Licha...that is one BIG baby...a Jack?


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## AZfiddler_1996 (Jul 13, 2005)

Oh, Shi, he wasn't big!! He was itty-bitty! About the size of 1 1/4 of my fists (don't go chopping to see how big) when he wasn't stretched out. The babies are soooo cute and tiny! 

I _think _it was a jack, but I can't tell the difference while they're babies.  -- ask Brad.  
Licha


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## AZfiddler_1996 (Jul 13, 2005)

TAWhatley said:


> He sounds like a wonderful man, Alice. It's so kind of him to help all the birds and animals. *Perhaps the leg on that little bird was broken at some point and healed improperly. *
> Terry


 Terry, I don't know what was wrong with the leg, but Willie is doing fine now. The last report that I heard was that he was running all over the house. I'm sure by now he's flying.  
Licha


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## mr squeaks (Apr 14, 2005)

AZfiddler_1996 said:


> Oh, Shi, he wasn't big!! He was itty-bitty! About the size of 1 1/4 of my fists (don't go chopping to see how big) when he wasn't stretched out. The babies are soooo cute and tiny!
> 
> I _think [/*I]it was a jack, but I can't tell the difference while they're babies. * -- ask Brad.
> Licha_


_

I noticed the EARS...Jacks has such loooong ears and then tend to be long and lean when they grow up. Tails may be different than cottontails too.

If Brad strolls in, he may be able to send more light. I've only seen adult Jacks around here. They are something else!_


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## Pigeonpal2002 (Jul 27, 2002)

Hi Shi and Alice, 

Yes, jackrabbits are long and lean for sure, but the babies would seem more "chubby" or "fat". I am not certain what that is in the picture Alice, but my guess is a cottontail. You guys have different subspecies of them as well in your area. There is a desert cottontail and another species which I forget the name of now.

I'm also not sure if Jackrabbits are considered hares or not. When baby hares are born, their eyes are open and they are capable of running around shortly after birth. Baby rabbits are born blind and helpless.


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