Den Mother

Just in time for Mother's Day, I bring you the story of our backyard rabbits.

Yesterday, Sam and Amos were very intent on digging up something in the backyard. I sent my daughter out to investigate, thinking it was a bee's nest. I am allergic and thought I would follow up with the bug spray if it was. Instead she called for help as she tried to hold the dogs back.

I ran out to discover an underground rabbits nest and newborn rabbits crawling around. They couldn't have been more than a few hours old--about three inches long, yet with unmistakable signs of big, floppy ears. There were bits of fur scattered around the nest and twigs, but no sign of the mother.

We hastily improvised a small white garden fence to ring off the nest from the dogs but quickly determined that this wasn't going to keep them out indefinitely. After experimenting with an old dog crate with the bottom removed, which was the perfect height and strength but didn't have holes large enough to let the mother come and go, we opted for an old plastic folding play yard that we found in the basement. We left the opening where you attach the two ends together, slightly open so that the mother could come in and out but the dogs couldn't.

That's the picture below. The one above is the nest itself with twigs crossed to let us know if the mother returns.

So far so good. When I checked them yesterday morning, there were still signs of life. The most amazing thing was that when we first found them, the fur was scattered all over. When we checked them again before dark, they were covered with it. It was possible that the mother had already come back once.

According to the Internet, the mother rabbit is nesting about 20 yds. away, guarding her babies from predators. She only returns, once every twenty four hours. In the meantime, we need to keep these babies safe for the first two critical weeks.

As they say, never a dull moment. Can we get two golden retrievers and a collie to peacefully co-exist with a nest full of rabbits? Stay tuned.

And happy mother's day to everyone who lobbies for peaceful co-existence
everywhere!