Found babies in hole in lawn. Bunnies?

[Kristin Ward]

My husband was mowing the lawn and heard crying. He found 2 babies in a shallow den in the middle of the lawn. They are not injured. Their eyes are shut.
They look like they have bunny tails and ears. There is grey fur around them. They screamed their heads off. We aren't sure what they are. Bob put them back in the den and covered it w/ grass. They're quiet now. Should we leave them? Will the mother come back?
I don't know why the nest is in the middle of the grass? I was gonna do yard work out there today but maybe I should stay away and watch. I don't know how long to wait before bringing them in. I feel completly clueless. I'm only a squirrel/ dog mom. Help.:dono
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[Milo's Mom]

yes put them back in the nest and place an "x" of string over it. If the string is disturbed the mom came back and if it is not, then they will need your help.
Hopefully the bunny experts will be on soon.

[Jackie in Tampa]

awe...baby cottontails..
the mom will not go to the den during the day.
She leaves them alone until night time...
I would put them back and watch for her at dusk.
If she returns and does not stay, you will have to bring them to ME!!!!:D
okay, well you don't have too, but you can!:D

I bet she stays...I hope she stays! I really do...:Love_Icon

aren't they cute!!!!!:Love_Icon :jump

[Kristin Ward]

Great idea. Thanks Betsy. How long should I wait to remove them? The nest is in the sun.

[Milo's Mom]

I think you are safe in doing yard work today...mom bunny's do not spend daytime hours in the nest....only nights. If you do the yard work it may help prevent predators from finding the nest.

I am forever and always finding bunny nests smack dab in the middle of my yard...why do they do that right out in the open??:thinking

EDIT: The sun will keep them warm...otherwise mommy would not have built it there. Since moms only come back to the nest at dusk/night, I'd wait until it's been dark for several hours or tomorrow morning. Again, this is something that the bunny experts really need to comment on.

[Kristin Ward]

Well Jackie, I will be seeing you tomorrow you know. :D
What time should I get there tomorrow to pick you up?

[Jackie in Tampa]

yes put them back in the nest and place an "x" of string over it. If the string is disturbed the mom came back and if it is not, then they will need your help.
Hopefully the bunny experts will be on soon.
THE STRING!!! great idea/tip!!!
I am not bun bun person...I have rehabbed only two.
It was scarey but a nice change..
they smell so wonderful! :D :Love_Icon

[Jackie in Tampa]

Well Jackie, I will be seeing you tomorrow you know. :D
What time should I get there tomorrow to pick you up?
appointment is for noon...you know how close it is...so whenever..
hoping the bunnies are back on their hole though...
but if she leaves them or never returns..
let me know tonight or first thing in the morning, I will have a container set up!
I will never understand a momma bunnies thinking...
why do they pick these places...:peace

[squirrelsrule&bunniestoo]

The mom will only come at night, so wait until the next day to check to see if the string is disturbed. If it is, then mom came back, if it is not the babies need help. They should be just fine, they look healthy. They will not get too warm in the sun, just be sure to put the fur and dried grass back over them and they should be fine.

The reason the mom puts the babies in the middle of the yard is because watch the cats- they prowl around in the bushes and along fences and such, not right across the middle of your yard. Bunnies try to pick a safe spot. The middle of the yard they risk hawk attack when they start exploring, but that is a small threat compared to cats sadly. Bunnies will also often make a nest in a fenced in area for dogs, which people think is stupid but is actually a good plan. Think about it, the dog or dogs are out occassionally, but the fact that they are there discourages cats and other predators from entering the fenced area so the mom only has to worry about a dog instead of cats, fox, coyote, coons, etc.

The middle of the yard isn't as dumb a spot as it looks.

[Jackie in Tampa]

very enlightening..makes sense..

[Kristin Ward]

I don't know. The den is so small. I don't know how the mother would fit in it with them. They look healthy. Should I leave them undesturbed until morning?
The sprinklers come on tonight. Should I turn them off? The bunnies may need a drink though.
Jackie, you have enough to do w/o baby bunnies too.
My Mom suggested taking to our vet in a.m. What do you think?
I've never raised bunnies before. I'm working from home this week, but after that I'm away for at least 8 hours at a time. I wonder how old they are? I think the nest is new. Maybe they were flooded out of an old nest after last week's rains.

Jackie,
How about I show up 11:30-11:45? Traffic shouldn't be too bad that time of day.

[Kristin Ward]

Thanks for the insight. I wish you were closer than Ohio.:D

[squirrelsrule&bunniestoo]

Just have to see things the way the bunnies do and it all makes sense :crazy

The mom does not go in the nest with the babies, she comes and pushes the nest material off and stands over the nest and the little ones come up and nurse. They actually lay on their backs when they nurse, it's pretty cute. Then when they're done she puts the fur and grass back over top of the nest and heads off. If you saw it from a distance, you wouldn't even know she was feeding babies.

The little tykes look like they are 4-5 days old.

I wouldn't take them to a vet because the vet might euthanize, unless you know they're a good wildlife vet. They need to go to a rehabber. You're already gonna be seeing Jackie :D hint hint. Hopefully their mom comes back tonight though, I think she will.

[Kristin Ward]

I hope the Momma comes back tonight too. Poor bunnies. They were so cute. Don't rabbits usually have more than 2 babies? I've got the string over the nest. I was out trimming palms (and taking the Christmas lights off them). Nothing like Christmas in July.:D Anyway, they never made a peep while I was out there.
Baby bunnies are big if they're only 5 days old. They are about the size of a FL squirrel at 5 weeks. Of course rabbits are bigger than squirrels. I'm afraid to even ask how often they need to be fed. Do they eat upside down for people too?
Well, I learned alot from you guys. Thank you for the quick responses.:thankyou

[Jackie in Tampa]

http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?t=33008&page=2

I had my bun buns for 4 weeks exactly and they were released where they were found..
it was groovy and I loved it..
everyone scared me...it was simple and I would not be afraid ever again...
After I researched and others gave me their methods, it was pretty smooth.
They stayed wild...I did not cootchie coo them like I do sqs..

HOWEVER..I have faith your little ones mom will come back for them... :Love_Icon :Love_Icon
the guys I had were saved from drowning during wicked rains..
their hole filled up with water.

[Fireweed]

Wow, SR&BT! :bowdown Thanks for all that info. :thumbsup I never knew... And MM, the string! Great idea.

KW, hopefully mama comes back tonight. Good luck. :)

[Milo's Mom]

Wow, SR&BT! :bowdown Thanks for all that info. :thumbsup I never knew... And MM, the string! Great idea.

KW, hopefully mama comes back tonight. Good luck. :)
The string idea was not mine originally, I got it from reading SR&BT's posts about bunnies over the past 3 years. But thanks anyway!! :thumbsup

[Kristin Ward]

I'm still waiting for Momma. I want to sit watch, but I won't. Willie got his nightly massage before heading up his tree to bed & Honey is about to get hers. I'm praying bunny Mom is o.k. & coming back. I'll check the den in the a.m.:)
Thanks again everyone for the info. Ya'll are the best.:thumbsup

[Uno's Mom]

I had the same thing happen 3 weeks ago only my terrier found the nest. Fortunately he was on the leash.

My momma bunny was very adept at avoiding the string...she never moved it. The bunnies were always sound asleep in the morning when I checked, never crying, and awake by nightfall so I figured she was getting to them.

I had to stake off that section of the property from all kinds of activity for about 2 weeks and left a large portion around them unmowed. Had to put a fan and shade on them a couple days when they were big because they were panting in the full sun mid afternoon. Last week they started venturing out on there own and one morning they were gone.

There were three of them. Cute little things.

[Kristin Ward]

Hi Gayle,
So I'm assuming you moved the nest material to check on them periodically?
I'm afraid to assume Momma has come back if X is in place, but I don't want to do anything that would make her abandon them either.

They are way cuter than the 6 foot diamond back rattler the police shot in our yard last week.:D Had it not been for the bluejays' alarming, we would have never known the snake was there. One of our dogs would have been bit for sure. We wouldn't have listened to the birds if we didn't have a squirrel. The bluejays sound off when hawks are near. They're like fighter pilots. They escort the hawk out of the yard.

Nature is amazing when we pay attention.:)

[Kristin Ward]

Yes! I'm so happy.:) The string over the nest was defintely moved and there's more grey fur on top. Momma came back.:wahoo

[Skul]

Oh Boy!! Little buns are so darn cute.
Happy that mom came back.:wahoo

[CritterMom]

That's great! Can you protect the spot and let some stuff grow up there?

[Kristin Ward]

I'll make sure Bob doesn't mow that area. Anyone know how long it takes them to grow up?:)

[Fireweed]

OH, YAY! Great news! :multi

[squirrelsrule&bunniestoo]

That is fantastic news! I was hoping mom would come back.

They usually leave the nest at about 2 weeks old. Your guys are probably 6-7 days old.

[Kristin Ward]

Do the bunnies stay in their mom's nest for awhile? They can't be out on their own that soon, can they?
I turned my sprinkler system off for fear of drowning the bunnies. Do you think it's safe to turn back on? They'd obviously get wet if it rained.
I couldn't tell if momma was back last night. I think I'll do the string test tonight to check up on them.:D

[Uno's Mom]

I'm sure SR&BT will be on with the correct answer soon (which is probably don't do anything:thinking) but for now...

Umm :shakehead , I actually made a little cover for them when it rained. You can use a plastic crate turned upside down placed over the hole. I had a rubbermaid container lid on top of that held down with a rock. I took it off early in the evening before dusk. Maybe that would keep them dry while you water the lawn.

My guys used the nest for about 2-3 weeks. The grass had gotten so tall around it from not mowing that they could kind of forage in the immediate area for a little while. Then one day....gone.

[Kristin Ward]

Gayle, a tiny umbrella. Perfect.:D

[squirrelsrule&bunniestoo]

I'd continue doing everything like you were before you discovered the nest. If you were using a sprinkler before you discovered the nest, keep doing it, the mom made the nest there after observing the area for a while and deeming it a safe place for the little ones, so she knew you'd be watering the yard. It might actually help the little one's because the grass can grow and give them some shelter when they come out of the nest. I wouldn't worry about it.

The babies stay in the nest until they're about 2 weeks old.