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Moral dilemma

ctenidae

Active member
Joined
Nov 11, 2004
Messages
8,959
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Location
SW Connecticut
So, here's one for consideration.

A local rabbit has deposited a litter of kits in the middle of our back yard. Not a good place with lawnmowers and two small children.

Should we:

A) Leave them alone. Cycle of life and all that, and what happens, happens. It's not our fault if she had them under the hammock, which moves regularly for lawn mowing and grass preservation purposes. Bonus is, potentially 5 fewer yard-digging-up, tomato-eating hawk baits running around.

B) Put some sort of marker around the nest to keep small children and lawnmowers out of the way, and let nature run its course, unimpeded by man-made obstacles. Call it 50/50, what with hawks, rain, and cooler temperatures, that we have a new crop of yard- and tomato-destroyers running around.

C) Move the nest a short distance to be under the kid's slide, protected from rain and hawks, and build a miniature campaign tent to provide additional protection from rain, wind, and small children, as well as an added layer of protection from hawks and larger predatory animals that may be around. Downside, virtual guarantee that our tomato crop will be decimated next year, and our back yard will look like NASA's new lunar rover testing ground.

I'm sure you can guess what we've already done...
 

Edd

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Nov 8, 2006
Messages
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Location
Newmarket, NH
If those are the options, I guess I'd split the baby and take B.

Is a complete uprooting a possibility? Just take the entire brood 10 miles away?
 

ctenidae

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Apparently you can move them 10+ feet away and the mother will find them. The nest we dug out is very similar to the one they had, and we moved bunnies and grass all at once.
 

deadheadskier

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Mar 6, 2005
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Build inescapable enclosed shelter. Feed produce ends / leftovers from home. Bring to local butcher come winter time. Braise to your hearts content.
 

hammer

Active member
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Apr 28, 2004
Messages
5,493
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Location
flatlands of Mass.
This year, we had a bird's nest in our back yard inside where we keep our dogs fenced in. Baby birds tried flying out a few months ago while the dogs were in the yard...didn't end well for the baby birds.
 

bvibert

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D) Move out of your house so that the bunnies can thrive unimpeded by human intervention. Be sure to leave the door open a bit so they can get in to use the bathroom if needed.
 

Savemeasammy

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Mar 20, 2013
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S. NH
I'm glad that hasn't happened to us. We also have 2 young kids. We would probably have a bunch of pet rabbits...!


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