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Thursday, June 25, 2015

What To Do When You Find A Baby Bunny In Your Garden

Baby bunnies are definitely nature's most adorable garden pest.  My heart melted when we found this little guy hopping around in our fenced-in garden, cozying up in our strawberry patch.  I almost made him a permanent bed and let him stay, but something inside me urged me against that thought. 

You may remember Peter Rabbit and his run-in with Mr. McGregor.  He was destined for dinner, but that lucky bunny escaped his fate.  As much as Farmer McGregor wanted some rabbit dinner, I wanted to feed and raise this sweet tiny fluffball.  Believe me, those cute dark eyes...
 tiny feet...
  ...and little long ears have that effect on you. 

Despite my daughters' and my initial heart-ties to "Little Hop" (that's what I named him), I knew my garden would not fare well with this little guy around.  We had to do something with him.  But what exactly? 

I did some internet research and got my answer.  I thought there may be someone out there that would benefit from the simple facts that I found, so I'll share the two I found most helpful.

  1. If you must touch it, use gloves and wash your hands thoroughly after.  They can transmit disease to humans.
  2. Although tiny, baby bunnies are on their own after 3 weeks, and they do not need your help.  If he is fully furred, eyes open, ears erect, can hop, and is about the size of a chipmunk, he's ready for the big world.

Those facts helped me introduce Little Hop away from our garden and still feel like I didn't just steal him from his mother and send him off to die.  It was his time to grow up, explore the world, discover rabbit life, and be free- away from my garden. 

I'm not gonna lie, the next morning I was hoping to find Little Hop back in the strawberries.  I woke up and peeked out the back window to discover my7 year old daughter out there already, with her gloves on, searching the strawberry bed, and then scanning the farmers field behind our property for the little guy.  But to no avail.  He wasn't there, and that's for the best.

Follow this link for more advice on What to Do About Wild Rabbits.

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