Bunnies In My Backyard
Editor’s Note
Here is a link to a more recent post listing 5 things you should be feeding wild rabbits.
Starting this past spring, I’ve started seeing rabbits when I take Maggie out late at night or early in the morning. We’ve seen rabbits at various times in the nearly ten years we’ve lived here but not as consistently as we’re seeing them now. They’re usually just eating the various grasses and weeds we have in our backyard. We don’t spray or use noxious chemicals back there because we have so many creatures that depend on clean soil, grass and water. We’ve seen them raise a couple of young and show them the ropes in our backyard. It’s been very entertaining and hasn’t required really any effort on our part.
Winter Feeding
Normally, there is very little snowfall here in Nashville so the rabbits always have some access to grass to sustain them. This year, we’ve had an inordinate amount of snow so far this winter and we’d like to help these guys out.
I’ve googled the title of this post and gone to yahoo answers and a few smaller sites for ideas. It looks like dark leafy greens(not iceberg lettuce because it has almost no nutrients), hay, rabbit pellets if they can be kept dry,carrot tops, carrots if they’ll eat them,apples and some other fruit and vegetables.
As far as why they’ve hung around, I found a list of things they look for during the summer to eat. It includes grasses and weeds, such as goldenrod, wild strawberries, dandelions, and clover.
That’s pretty much our backyard! LOL! No wonder.
What I’m Going To Try
I’m going to put out some kale and some pellets out at night when it’s going to be dry. I’ll probably put out the kale first because it’s relatively inexpensive and will keep well during the winter. I’ll put it out on our patio because that is the place they typically visit looking for food. We don’t have problems with mice or rats but I will be bringing in the food in the morning and will monitor the patio for any suspicious droppings.
Are You Feeding Bunnies?
If you are we’d love to hear from you about what you’ve tried, what’s worked and what hasn’t. I believe you can read until you’re blue in the face but that experience is the best teacher. It would help us a bunch to get some solid feedback.
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We have bunnies in our yard too, and today I saw one eating the bread I threw out for the squirrel. When I’ve threw some pair halves out earlier this week nothing ate them.
I know what you mean. Believe it or not, I can’t get them to try the baby carrots I’ve thrown out. Maybe a full size would work. In the mean time, they seem very happy to eat various grasses in our fenced in yard. Thanks for stopping by.
Noticed a wild rabbit in our backyard at night. We live in the city..so I’ve just started with a variety of things for it to eat. Last night it ate carrots..wouldnt touch the celery (dont blame him,lol) and it ate some spinach. Im gonna put a few strawberries out tonight for a treat. Guess I have to get some hay for digestion? I would like to make something for the rabbit to make a home, since Ive seen where he is trying to dig under my house, which has a basement, so he wont get too far. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thanx.
Naturelover,
Carrots, spinach and hay all sound good. I honestly don’t know about the strawbs. The ones I had in my yard up until the cold mostly ate my different grasses(I don’t spray or treat because of all the little ones that share it), the squirrel mix I mentioned(loves the dried corn of all things)and mini carrots.
As far as housing is concerned, I don’t know much about that or if you can really help them. This last year I believe they nested in a hole in the woods behind my yard. Two years ago, it was at the foot of my neighbor’s huge oak tree. I wish I could be more help. If they can nest next to your house they won’t hurt anything I’m sure.
Jeff
Thanx for responding Jeff!
So..the rabbit loves WHOLE BIG carrots! It leaves the cut up carrots alone. It actually ate a large whole carrot over 3 nights and all the spinach I put out. The iceburg lettuce was eaten as well, which I know doesn’t have a lot of nutritional value, but probably provides liquid. Notta on the green beans, or the strawberries! (I read that rabbits may like strawberries for a treat, so I thought I would give it a try since I had some in my fridge). I’m going to pick up some hay at the pet store, which I read is necessary for digestion.
Question-I’ve noticed a hole in my garden, but it looks so small, do you know what a rabbit hole looks like? I’ve never seen one, so I have no clue as to it’s size or anything else. Anything I should be looking for?
Thanx again!
-Betsey
Betsey,
I can see why they’d do the whole carrots because it is something they’ve maybe seen in the wild. Definitely get the hay. Do you spray or treat your lawn? Are they eating it?
Rabbit nests are very small. Here are a couple sites you should check:
http://www.indianahrs.org/rabbit-care/wild-rabbits.aspx
http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Care-for-a-Wild-Rabbit-Nest/
Hope this helps. I know one of the toughest things for identifying rabbit nests is that the mother is rarely seen near it to prevent predators from getting them. My neighbor found one and she has an outdoor cat(my pet peeve)that had no idea it had built a nest. If you can identify the nest as being a rabbit’s leave it alone.
Jeff
Hey Jeff,
Nope, the lawn doesn’t get sprayed…and yes the rabbit IS eating my grass..that’s why I decided to put out other food sources for it to eat. I live in Canada, and we’ve had a VERY mild winter this year and with a privacy fence, the grass has actually managed to stay green in the backyard. I noticed this rabbit at night sitting there and in the mornings the grass was eaten and the rabbit had been digging at it..leaving dirt and bare spots, so I thought rather than trying to get rid of it, I would feed it something else.
There are no outdoor cats around, it’s actually illegal here to let your cat run around outside, just like it is with dogs. I have a small, privacy fenced backyard with a small garden..so it’s very secluded.
I grew up in a small farming community, so I know better than to touch a nest or disturb it….that’s why I asked what to look for, so I WOULDN’T disturb it when spring rolls around. No worriez! (Mmmm..now I want springrolls, lol)
Thanx for the info!
-Betsey
I should mention that my backyard opens to a beautiful quiet tree-filled park with woods at the back…it may be nesting there…I just wondered cuz I saw a hole in my garden in the midst of my long grasses left over from last summer..and wondered what a rabbit hole would look like. =)
Betsey,
Glad to hear you don’t spray or treat. My bunnies last year spent the majority of their time eating one type of grass(weed)or another. My squirrels would compete during the day for the wildlife mix the bunnies would eat so I started putting it out after dark. I know I had a mating pair and actually saved one of their youngsters who had fallen into the entrance to our crawl space. I was so glad I paid attention to what goes on back there because it would never have gotten out by itself. As it happened, he/she was only down there an hour or so.
My bunnies didn’t do any digging in my yard. My yard backs up to a wooded common area of about 4 acres. They easily could have had something back there.
It’s technically illegal around here too (Nashville,TN USA) but it is not enforced like it is with dogs. If only people understood what a horrible life they are sentencing them to they wouldn’t do it.
What part of Canada do you live in? Here in Nashville we’ve had a very mild winter as well as have many locations in the US. My wife and I plan on visiting and possibly moving to Canada and I’m always keeping my eyes open for different locations.
I’m afraid I don’t know what springrolls are. Sorry. Are they like what we call cinnamon rolls?
Jeff
Ya, I tried explaining to my neighbour that his cat shouldn’t be running around loose a few years ago…(his cat was using my garden as a litter box) his explaination was that his cat was ‘old’ (like that made it ok??) and he hasn’t spoken to us since! Isn’t that always the way, though?
We live in the Toronto area.
Nope…not cinnamon rolls, lol. Spring rolls are the same as egg rolls, but instead they have a crispy, light, flakey wrapping on it instead of the traditional doughy wrapping! Yummmmmy! =)
Our neighbor’s cat also uses our flowerbeds as a toilet. Especially, since we use pine bark mulch. We have had some success with the cat repellant granules but they need to be re-applied way too much.
I’ve heard a lot of nice things about the Toronto area. I’m originally from Cleveland, OH so, even though it’s not from across Lake Ontario, we were used to being across the water from Canada. What’s your favorite thing to do in Toronto?
You’ll have to send me a link to a site that pictures springrolls-LOL!
Here’s a website I found describing spring rolls, there’s tons of websites though. http://chinesefood.about.com/od/dimsumeggrolls/r/spring_rolls_vg.htm
I see. They just call them egg rolls here or at least what I’m seeing and what you’ve described is all we have here under that name-LOL! Thanks for the link.
Ur welcome!
Really?? Exactly like egg rolls…only diff is the wrapping on them..they have a very light FLAKEY (pastry-type)wrapping instead of the traditional doughy stuff. Order them and see what happens, lol!Actually Caesar’s Windsor has THEE best spring rolls ever..with a sweet chili heat sauce! Hmmm…now I need a spring roll AND to gamble!! lol!!
=)
The wild rabbits that live in our back yard love almost anything we give them…their favourites are fresh corn, carrots, apples, peaches and bread. We love watching them frolic and interact every day and find it so amusing when they chase each other around the yard trying to steal whatever tasty morsel the other one has found. They are such a delight!
Hello and thanks for stopping by and commenting!
We got a lot of enjoyment from our rabbits last year too. We don’t treat our lawns with chemicals so there were all kinds of different grasses and weeds and plants for them to enjoy. I used to put out squirrel mix(they loved the corn)some leafy greens and baby carrots. What was funny about the baby carrots is they didn’t know what to make of them because that’s not how they are in the wild. Eventually, they figured it out and enjoyed them. I speak in the past tense because for some reason, just before winter, they seemed to disappear. I’ve only seen one or two very early or very late. I’m hoping they’ll do as they did last year and spend the summer with us. I had one of them that would just lay under a bush about 30 feet off of our patio and stay there while I took food out to the birds. Then, he’d come to the patio to see what I’d left him. I never disappointed him either.
What part of Australia do you live in and what type of rabbits are they?
Jeff
Hey Jeff!
Just thought Id drop you a line and tell you that I think the rabbit that was coming in our backyard was hit by a car. Hubby called me from work to tell me he saw a dead rabbit at the end of our street that had been hit by a car. I just KNEW it would be ‘my’ rabbit… Anyways, it stopped coming immediately and my worst fears were realized. =(
Hows ur bunnies?
Betsey,
I’m so sorry to hear that about your little bunny. I don’t think mine met with that fate but I’m pretty sure I’ve lost some of my squirrels that way. My bunnies disappeared before winter and I’ve only had a brief glimpse of one of them rarely in my back yard. I do hope they return for the summer again..
Jeff
Thankx Jeff, ya we were getting so used to getting up in the morning and seeing him/her in our backyard, what a shame…
I’m glad to hear from you and to know ur rabbits are still around. No worriez! The way you feed them and are considerate of their surroundings, I’m sure they’ll be back in NUMBERS! =)
-Betsey
Hi Betsey,
I hope you get some more in your yard as well. They’re just too much fun!
I think last year they started appearing after they had made a nest somewhere near. With our mild winter and early heat maybe that will speed them up as well.
Don’t be a stranger.
Jeff
Hey Betsey,
I just wanted to drop you a quick note to say I spotted my first little bunny in my backyard yesterday. It’s very young but quite capable of feeding itself. I hope that means the parents are nearby and will be visiting soon as well. In the mean time, I’ll keep my eyes open for hawks and such. Strangely, when he/she runs away for safety, it goes under the exact same part of the fence they other bunnies did. My neighbor has a garden right up against that fence which I assume makes a great place to birth and raise bunnies. Stay tuned as I’ll be posting about it soon.
Hey Jeff!
Yay!! I’m so happy for you! They’re so adorable, aren’t they? That’s cool that the new bunny knows exactly where the ‘path’ is. I hope ur neighbour is a rabbit lover too.
I’ll be watching for ur future posting on the bunny situation! =)
-Betsey
Betsey,
Quick update. I woke up this morning and who should I see on my patio but Papa bunny. He’s not one of the ones from last year but he was definitely much bigger than the little one running around in my back yard this past week. I’ll be posting about the whole thing this week.
Jeff
The mother rabbit was attracted to the bird seed that
we put out out patio and she ate alot of it. We did not know that she was a mother, but she was very fat and the next time we saw her she had lost the “fat”. Then we saw a baby rabbit. He was small enough that he would fit in my husbands hand – he was so cute.
The baby also ate the bird seeds.
The baby sometimes lays on our potted flowers and eats the seeds that have fallen there. He loves a purple plant and has stripped it of its leaves.
Have any of you heard of rabbits eating bird seeds?
I’m curious if it is good or bad for them.
Hi Sue,
I’ve had my bunnies getting seeds from time to time underneath my feeders. That is, when the squirrels let them. Most of the time they’re content to find various plants/grasses/flowers/weeds in our backyard. We don’t chemically treat it for this reason. The other place they’ll park is underneath my squirrel corncob feeder. They absolutely love the dried corn the squirrels drop.
As far as I know, sunflower seeds are fine for them to eat. Anybody else know differently?
Jeff
I have one little bunny that moved onto my patio recently but whenever I try to give him a treat I see ants. Can’t get rid of the ants really so what’s a good treat that ants won’t get to first? I certainly don’t want an ant habitat on my patio so I need to stop feeding them.
Hi June,
I don’t know where you live but you can get what’s called Squirrel or Wildlife mix relatively cheap that is mostly corn, some seeds and nuts. Mostly corn. We have a huge problem with ants in my part of town and they don’t seem to bother it. Plus, the little bunny will love it! Believe it or not, you can train them to know when you’ll put stuff out. Two of my adult bunnies know the patio gets “restocked” around 4 in the afternoon and they usually come by to remind me if I haven’t done it by then. Once you have them trained, then you can put more perishable stuff out in small quantities with their mix.
Jeff
Wild Rabbits love Endive or Red leaf lettuce.They love matchstick carrots, apples cut up into small slices like french fries. Spinach and the bagged spring mix lettuce. Timothy and alfalfa hay. Sweet harvest wheat bread and oatmeal from container, not cooked. Hard corn cobs u can buy @ Lowe’s for wild animals.
Hi Nadine,
Thank you so much for adding some ideas for my backyard bunny feeding. I had no idea they would eat apples and I can’t wait to try uncooked oatmeal. My biggest challenge right now is that it’s so hot here. I have to make sure I put it out just before they come looking for it in the afternoon or at night. Luckily, we don’t have a lot of trouble with other animals coming to our patio so I can leave stuff out for a while. The oatmeal and hay interest me because they’ll stand up to heat.
What seems to be your bunnies’ favorite?
Jeff
We had rabbits nest in the middle of our bare lawn, just a small hole but covered with a plug of dried grass as camouflage. I moved the dried grass away a little to check…we dont want to run over them with the lawn mower! I saw at least 3 sweet little babies noses in there, covered it back up and left it alone, they were gone in a week or so and never used that nest again. Its been a hard year for them here with the drought then the bitter cold and snow in WI and I got them pellets and orchard grass, they ate the pellets until they found the dried corn we put out for the squirrels now that seems to be all they want. I wish we could get them some water, it would freeze in moments though.
Thanks for stopping by. I was surprised at how much our bunnies took to the dried corn as well. I’ve taken to putting some out after the squirrels go to bed and have noticed it gets eaten. Not all of it but some. I’ve actually seen one of them on my patio munching. I wouldn’t worry that much about water. They’re really good at using grass during the summer and snow in winter to get water. I didn’t try the pellets because I couldn’t find where they were recommended for wild rabbits. Domesticated bunnies are fed the stuff as soon as they can eat it. I don’t know how wild rabbits’ digestive system would like it. Remember that domesticated bunnies also learn to drink from the water bottle so dehydration from a food source is not an issue. You could solve both problems by putting either carrot greens or other leafy greens you’re not going to use or are close to their expiration. Since it’s bitter cold there, they would essentially freeze until the rabbits were ready to eat them. Establish a place you know you’ve seen them and just leave them and see what happens. Great to hear somebody else takes their backyard friends’ welfare seriously. Let me know how it goes.
Hi Jeff!! How’s everything?? It’s Betsey from Canada! Long time no chat, lol.
Well, the rabbits have disappeared…I noticed a small baby rabbit last Spring in the neighbours backyard (he would sneak under the fence and eat my grass for a few ours..then go back under the fence). Once summer came around, I didn’t see him anymore. =( I have been feeding the squirrels since Fall. It’s cute, they hear the back door unclock, the click..and they come running!! There are 3 small ones that are almost black and light greyish-brown one with blonde ears. I know they’re not rabbits..but they are cute…and I love watching them bound across the park from the woods in our backyard when they hear the door open!
Needless to say, our backyard is covered with peanut shells! lol
Take care,
Betsey.
Hi Betsey,
Make no mistake about it…I love my squirrels! I know they are way smarter than people give them credit for and that’s one of the reasons birders get so frustrated. They underestimate them constantly. Anyway, I have been checking in on your blog from time to time to see what’s new so I haven’t forgotten you. Your cam is excellent! At one point, I had my squirrels from a few years back come bounding down the yard to me as well. I haven’t had as much time to spend with them so the latest bunch is a little more wary of me. Except, of course, the little guy who comes down in the afternoon and will wait at my door for me to toss out a peanut. I’ll have to get that one on video and post it.
Thanks for stopping by again and I’m glad you’re taking care of your buddies. I was a little worried that with the small size of your yard that you would get mad at them way more than enjoy them. Good for you!
Hope you’re keeping warm. I know your backyard friends are better off for you being there for them.
I have seen one of my bunnies at night but rarely now.
Talk soon,
Jeff
Hi Betsey,
I apologize for the confusion. I should have gone back to earlier comments to refresh my memory about you. I just got you mixed up with another reader from Canada. I hope you’ll forgive my oversight!
I’m still really glad you stopped by again and caught me up on your bunnies and squirrels. Have you ever tried rabbit pellets with your bunnies?
Jeff
I tried feeding the store bought mini carrots to the bunnies in my yard. They would not touch them. I found out that in processing, they dip those carrots in bleach. That is probably why they won’t eat them and most likely best if they don’t.
Hi Mari Anne,
Thanks for stopping by and contributing to this discussion. I have heard about the chlorine soaking from various sources. We feed only the organic baby carrots but, as it turns out, the non-organic processing is not as bad as we have heard. Here is an article by a respected blogger who actually contacted Grimmway, the producer of the Cal-Organic carrots I buy at Whole Foods: http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2012/12/11/the-truth-about-baby-carrots/
It’s an eye opening but reassuring investigation that gets to the core of the issue. I was particularly surprised to hear that even the producers of non-organic baby carrots (who basically reshape the big carrots that break) don’t use chlorine any stronger than the tap water we rinse them with.
My own experience is that my bunnies will eat them after they figure out what they are. Baby carrots are not something they are used to seeing around our neighborhoods. Once they give them a try, they’ll eat them.
Are you unable to get them to even try the ones you give them? What have you had the most success feeding them? I have kale stems I’ve been saving but haven’t given them yet. Do you know if they’ll eat them?
Jeff
Hi. We’ve had bunnies in our backyard for several years now. I started feeding them whole carrots during the winter when it was below freezing for weeks and we had several inches of snow on the ground and I was worried they were using up more energy looking for food than they were finding. Our bunnies mostly live under our pine tree and we don’t mow the grass for about 10 feet around it to provide extra shelter. I mostly feed them whole carrots and strawberry tops. If I run out they will also eat baby carrots and bread. We feed them near our patio and my kids and I and our indoor cat love watching our “bunny show”. I’m glad there are so many of you who enjoy your backyard friends as much as we do.
Hi Karen,
That’s fantastic and cheers to you for helping them out by making a few changes to your landscaping. Also, kudos for having an “indoor cat”. I have had almost no activity until it starts getting warm which I find odd since I live in TN. If you can find it, they will also eat squirrel mix. They love the corn especially. Go figure! I’ve only seen them a few times since it started warming up but I’m sure they’ll be back.
Strawberry tops are not one I knew they’d eat. BTW, where are you located? I’m always curious to know how things work in different parts of the country or world.
Thanks so much for your contribution. Hope to hear back from you.
Jeff
Hi Jeff! We live in a southwest suburb of Chicago, in what used to be a farm field 12 years ago. For awhile with all the disturbance as they were building our subdivision there was no wildlife at all. Now our town maintains tracts of prairie around our retention ponds and have even started burning on a regular basis. They planted trees in the parkway, which are getting pretty large by now and a few years ago we had 10 more planted around our yard, and put in some prairie gardens. Now there are coyotes in the area, and last year I saw our first squirrel. A few days ago I saw an opossum in my neighbor’s yard, and for birds we have mourning doves, robins, yellow finches, cardinals and some kind of a hawk or something. And every spring we’re visited by a pair of ducks who were just in my yard today. This is in an area where backyards were sold in terms of square feet instead of acre-fractions, which made me laugh – but we got lucky and were able to get a larger lot on a culdesac. After growing up in a 4-room apartment in Chicago I appreciate our space and our outdoors. My kids love strawberries and I started throwing the tops outside because I hate to throw things in a landfill and I figured something would eat it. And the bunnies did, which I thought they might after seeing them in our strawberry patch. And yes, they eat some of our prairie plants too which was aggravating but I like to think this world is for everyone. Have a great spring and summer! Karen.
Hi Karen,
Our family lived in Glen Ellyn for a few years growing up. Sounds like you’ve got an excellent environment and a perfect attitude about it all! It’s very rare to hear people talk about the world being for everyone. Keep up the great work providing for your wildlife friends. I wish I could see the ducks. Could you get a shot with your phone and attach it to an email to help@birdoculars.com?
Thanks again for your contribution,
Jeff
Hey can someone help me please, today i found an injured wild rabbit in my yard, he is injured to the two front legs. What should I do!He iis about 15cm long. I put him in a cage in my house and put him on a piece of clothe. what should i do!
Hey Shawn,
You should either look up wildlife rehabilitators in your area or call your closest emergency vet clinic and see if they can tell you what to do. Is it stable?
Shawn,
Were you able to get any help locally with your injured bunny?
Jeff
The wild bunnies on my property in summer eat wild lettuce, lambs quarter, wild carrot, dandelion, the leaf and flower tops of wild trillium (but leave the stems) and today I saw them eating Virginia creeper! They love Broad leaf plantain (Plantago major) it is also a healing plant so I keep some in pots to bring inside for winter and leave the leaves outside when I feed the birds. The wild bunnies eat under the window with the birds so mine fill up on cracked corn and black oiled sunflower seed all winter. Hope this helps
Ea,
Thanks for coming by and letting us know what your bunnies are eating.
Mine are just love the clover with the flowers intact, the plantago major and the cracked corn.
Not so much for dandelion, lambs quarter, carrots, trillium or the creeper. I haven’t tried lettuce at all since it gets very hot here and it would wilt quickly and I’m not growing any. Also have had no luck with either full sized or baby carrots.
Have you had any luck with kale or other store bought greens?
Jeff
I grow my own greens and they will eat spinach but they prefer wild foods, like wild lettuce. You know there is a bunny in the pasture grass when suddenly a tall spear of wild lettuce disappears like a felled giant redwood. I dont mow, I have 8 acres of wild Illinois prairie. The grass in my front yard is so tall now I lost the mail box. Bunnies here love wild carrot leaves (Queen Annes Lace) they wont touch a carrot root although they like the tame carrot tops. I dont eat baby carrots either, they are rather tasteless. I dont blame them one bit for not eating them. I have acres of clover and the favorite of course are the sweet flower heads. In the winter months I put out slices of apple and oranges, dried cranberries and since I have several black walnut trees I collect some for me and some for the birds and squirrels.Even the bunnies like them. Everything eats under my feeders all year. The biggest glutton is my stag stalker, an 18 point buck that rattled his antlers on the window when I didnt have the feeders filled. I noticed several times when I pull off and drop pansy blossoms the baby bunnies come right over. But they eat violets also. Its bunny Nirvana here.
Ea,
You must truly have the “bunny nirvana” you spoke of!
You’ve given me some great ideas to try for my bunnies. The buck that made your front window a drive through is hilarious. We’ve had the baby carrots for our dog that loves them as a treat but we’ve replaced them with real carrots (complete with tops). I couldn’t get mine to touch apples slices. I think they’re just wary of anything they’re not used to. Pansy blossoms are a real find as I’ve got a few “little ones” wandering around as well.
Can you tell me why the family rarely feeds together? Is it just a survival instinct? I’ve got a short video I shot last week of what looked like a parent scolding the baby back under the fence it came from! It’s hilarious!
Jeff
I rarely see the Mommas and young ones eating together. But once the babies loose that little white on their heads they are old enough to be on their own. Wild rabbits eat some of their own droppings also to get any nutrients they missed the first time, kinda like a cow chews cud. My bunnies love to help themselves to my kitchen herb garden so in winter I offer sweet basil, parsley, celery tops are loved greatly and certain types of thyme. They eat the tender new grapes and grape leaves they can reach, even poison ivy wild chicory. Most of these plants are found in spring and summer but as you asked about winter food keep in mind the fresh herbs. I have had tame bunnies and always gave them wild greens which they loved but flat leaf parsley is a favorite. Wild bunnies that dont get bought ‘pellets’ must eat their own droppings see, to get the nutrition they need.
I once observed a momma doing a curious thing in the spring and it made me more fully appreciate my families teachings of how nature works together. Birds build nests in the round, life is a circle, many things in the natural world spiral. We live, in a spiral. So here was this momma bunny what seemed to be munching tall grass. But she pulled it up and held it in her mouth not eating it. She was gathering it. But she pulled and gathered it in a circle. It stuck out both sides of her mouth and she held such a large amount of grass I feared she may topple over. She cleared a perfectly round area of the grass. (very small crop circle) She allowed me to be close enough to observe and I watched in awe. Then she quietly slipped away. I am sure she was nesting but I had never seen this before. My father was a great naturalist and when I told him he was surprised because in his 85 years he had never witnessed this either.
Ea,
The crop circles were indeed very odd! Never heard of that before either.
You’ve given me some great ideas to try with my “crew” and I thank you for that.
Jeff
i was feeding 3 bunnies Cherrios; they would come all day; 3 times a day they would appear. but they have disappeared; any idea what happened; hope they did not eat too many Cheerios.
Hi Angela,
I don’t think the Cheerios harmed them. Right now, my bunnies are spending a lot of time tending to the young somewhere else and feeding ravenously on grasses and plants in our back yard. For the most part, they keep to some kind of schedule but it’s hard to know what’s going on there. Have you tried to put anything else out like squirrel mix to see if they’ll come back? Do you have a large or small yard? Are you close to any woods?
Jeff
Hey Jeff!
I live in St. Catharines, small patio in an apartment Managed by the Kiwanas. Big sign now “don’t feed the Wildlife” kinda aimed at me I think.
My apt backs unto a park that 2 years ago was a 9 hole golf course (too much money I guess to allow so many Seniors to have a central golf course they could manage!)
So now have 2 Hawks having one baby every year. Beautiful but I do NOT want to see you catch and eat your supper, took down the Hawks Banquet errrr mean Bird Feeders.
I have a Slingshot (this is a Seniors Apt LOL) for carrots, peanuts etc. ” who is feeding that Wildlife?”
Now we have a couple of bunnies, one suicidal sitting in the middle of the park with birds flying to their hidey holes from the Hawk.
My sqirrels have disappeared. Maybe 3 or 4 Now? I was told they were eating the underside of new cars because they are now GREENING with Soy undersiding ?
BUT I know too you cannot kill or take squirrels too far away from their habitat.
What happened to my squirrels? Talking about sqirrels and new cars they get “murder” in ther eyes! Also have a gas station, fix it guy on the one end of Apt. I love my squirrels.
Thanks for letting me rant. I have a lil plot of garden. What can I plant for squirrels, bunniee, skunks?
I grew up in Toronto, 10 – 35. Loved it but so glad I am in St. Catharines.
Sadie
Hi Sadie,
Thanks for sending us what you’re up to in St. Catharines. You’ve really got a lot of animal and bird activity considering your setting.
We have resident hawks who raise young every year in my area as well. I find that when there is a good amount of feeding activity the birds watch out for each other. Except for the mourning doves who can just sit there looking around when everybody flies off. No wonder mourning doves have become the favorite meal of the hawks.
I did not know about squirrels eating the soy underside of cars or that it was actually a thing. Doesn’t surprise me though because they’ll eat just about anything they can sink their teeth into.
I do not know which plants are best for squirrels and rabbits because most people find out the hard way that they’ll eat the plants they DON’T want them to eat. Sorry about that.
I love the slingshot idea-LOL!
Jeff
Hey Jeff
Thanks for the info:)
I live in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Suburbs, small, completely hedged yard. I am an avid backyard feeder.. right now I’m looking at 6 black/grey squirrels, 1 red, 2 chippies, 6 blue jays, 2 cardinals, tons of little birds and my sweet baby bunny. I started out feeding seeds to the chippies so my cat had some entertainment….now I have a backyard zoo and a cupboard with a variety of foods. My cat has an outdoor enclosure in the summer and it’s incredible to watch the wildlife flit around her. I’ve learned so much about many species and their likes and habits. Everyone has its own individual personality. I had a squirrel this winter suffer, I think, a head injury. I named it Weebles…he wobbled constantly and could barely stand, he used the hedge and snowbank to hold himself up while eating. We had such a harsh winter I didn’t think he’d survive but he just trooped on and made an amazing recovery…just the slightest wobble now. We were on red alert for a bit this winter, lol, a huge hawk started coming around. One day it took us about ten minutes to vacate him. He sat two feet above our heads on the hedge, very determined…I felt badly, as I said it was a harsh winter, but he wasn’t getting any of my backyard babies! Everybody stayed deep under the hedge for about 2 weeks. A month ago I had a rare encounter with a very young ermine the size of a chipmunk wrestling with a chipmunk right beside me while I was letting my cat out of her enclosure. I just heard horrible squealing so I started yelling hey, hey, the fight broke up, the chippie took off and the ermine hid behind the the cedars peeking out at me. I had no clue what it was so I kept asking it what it was. It kept peeking out at me then boldly started coming to me, maybe got about 6 inches from me, I then realized it was some kind of weasel. The cutest freaking thing I’ve ever seen but unfortunately a predator. So I said go on get outta here and followed it up the side of the house…very slowly because it was so darn curious about me. We finally reached the little wheelbarrow tire resting against the house, he gets inside it and plays peek-a-boo with me for about 2 minutes… I couldn’t resist. Then I gave him one last get outta here and I haven’t seen it since and both my chippies are still here.
My favourite friends are my pair of bunnies who usually have 2-3 litters a season. Such a privilege to watch. They are so trusting of me ( I do not touch them nor encourage to come too close to me). They come out of the hedge as soon as they hear me open the door and are sometimes waiting on the steps.
The following are the things I feed and a few observations:
Pellets on the harsh days of winter. I buy the good stuff at the pet store with Timothy added. Tried the Walmart stuff but they literally put their nose up at it, lol. Usually I go through only a small bag but this winter I had to buy four. This was the first year I noticed them eat birdseed from my ground feeder so I scattered more piles throughout the hedge, which I now do year round. I’ve read you shouldn’t ’ feed them peanuts but they enjoy the ones in the seed mix and will try to eat the shelled ones for the squirrels so I sometimes put out extra unshelled ones as a treat along with unshelled sunflower seeds. They will eat the bread I occasionally put out for the squirrels, but only the sunflower variety with seeds on top…they are kinda picky like cats.
Mine only like carrots in the spring especially during gestation and post labour. And only the whole bagged ones, washed. We eat the fresh ones that come with the tops which they will eat but not with enthusiasm like they do with the bagged.
They don’t seem to like any other veggies even green leafy things but they donenjoy red grapes (most of the animals love these), strawberries and an apple weekly, peeled, cored, washed and quartered. I put out watermelon once and awhile but I’m not sure if they eat or just the squirrels.
All fruits and veggies should be washed.
One thing I do know is that wild bunnies manage their diet very well, know when something isn’t good to eat and will never overindulge.
I have one massive worry/fear, maybe you hav3 some advice. I will be moving next June. My gut says I need to slowly stop feeding them. After we move I picture myself in the winter coming back to do a drive by feeding, LOL.
Again thanks for your page it was fun reading all the comments!? Nikky B
Just to correct myself…when I say unshelled I mean no shell and vice versa;)
I forgot to mention the sexy stretching and dust rolls bunnies do, SO funny. There are a couple bare patches along my hedge where they do huge flips in the air , land on their backs and roll. It’s seeing the babies do it that’s hilarious! They have an absolute blast! They do it so aggressively it looks like they could be hurting themselves. I love my bunnies, they are SO awesome! A few years ago I came home for lunch and saw what I thought was a dead bunny laying on its back on one of these patches. So I went out and got within inches of it then all of a sudden it slowly stretches and turns half his body over to look at me…he had been dead asleep in the sun…the way he looked at me I swear I heard him say sh*t, I’m screwed now, LOL.
Hi Nikky,
It sounds like you’ve got quite an awesome nature park in you back yard. It sounds like you take very good care of them too! Thank you for adding to this post with your experience feeding all your wildlife especially your bunnies.
Jeff
I live in Lindsay, ON, Canada. I have a very beautiful garden, complete with a waterfall and many flowering shrubs. (Our garden is actually going to be included in the local tour of beautiful gardens.) Our waterfall attracts many birds that love to bathe and drink from the waterfall, but we also have other kinds of wildlife, including chipmunks, squirrels, moles (which I don’t like) and the most beautiful little cottontail rabbits. This year, I decided to put out birdseed in two containers on the ground because the bigger birds like mourning doves and cardinals, etc, seem to prefer this. But the other small animals, including my little cottontails, also love eating the birdseed this way. During the isolation caused by Covid, these beautiful little animals have been an endless source of joy. I have photographed each of my baby bunnies, discovered their distinguishing characteristics and given each of them names. Sadly, one little bunny went into a neighbour’s yard and was killed by her dog. It broke my heart since this little one was the runt of the litter and my favourite. I don’t know if these little rabbits will stay in my yard during the upcoming winter, but I’m hoping they will. We will continue to do what we can to provide them with food and shelter during the winter months. It appears that the mommy rabbit has moved on, but we’re really hoping her beautiful little offspring will stay with us for the winter. We’ll have to wait and see.
Hi Susan,
Would I ever LOVE to see your pictures of your gardens, bunnies and birds! I can create a folder on Google drive that you can upload them to if you’re willing. I can set it up and send you the link if you’d agree. I may actually enjoy creating an article around what you’ve done to help others build their own private oases. Nothing that identifies your name and location if that makes you uncomfortable.
Please let me know if we can do this, would you?
So sorry to hear about the runt of the litter, or any creature, being killed. I know we sound like loonies but we know that ALL life is precious. Know that he/she will return to you in spirit where you least expect it.
As for the bunnies staying for the winter it’s a toss up. I have woods right behind my property and my rabbits, when I have them, spend mostly the summers here. I’m also in Tennessee and our winters are not as brutal as yours are.
And mom can fool you. You can think she’s gone but parents are genetically predisposed to NOT be in the yard with them after they get to a certain age. It’s so they don’t attract attention to them. She may very well be watching them closely.
Finally, I know what you mean by wildlife being our salvation now. I spend at least one hour every day sitting on my back step with a chip feeder not ten feet away and some seeds scattered in front of me. I’ve had bluejays, cardinals, titmice, goldfinches, house finches, wrens come down to talk to me and eat. Watching a goldfinch sit on the crook the feeder hangs from chirp at me until he builds up the nerve to feed in front of me is priceless!
Best,
Jeff
Hi Jeff,
Yes, I would be happy to share some photos if you want me to. Just let me know what I need to do to share them on Google drive.
Susan
Hi Susan,
I’ll send you a link through email for your own folder on Google drive I’ll set up for you. You’ll have complete control of what you upload or delete there. After I get the pics, I’ll send another email asking for any info I need to write the article.
Thanks for being a reader and a sport!
Jeff
We’ve been feeding the desert cottontails that live in our neighborhood here in Arizona. One in particular has been coming for three years, others on an off. We have many predators — owls, coyotes, crows, bobcats, and many get run over by cars. We feed them kale, carrots, apples and apple peelings, as well as pellets. Some of them love the pellets, others not so much. They also love dandelions. I’ve tried carrot tops but they don’t touch them. They love alfalfa grass but it is hard to come by here in the desert. I have many pictures and videos that I can send you.
In the past several days the three regular bunnies stopped coming and I’m wondering what could have happened, because I see bunnies in the neighborhood. I noticed that a squirrel is coming to our front yard and eats the kale and the carrots and I’m wondering whether it could have chased them away. I’ve read the squirrels eat baby bunnies but I’ve also seen the squirrel eat together with the bunny without attacking him.
Hi Silvia,
Thank you stopping by and telling me what’s going in with your bunnies in Arizona!
I have no direct experience with Desert Cottontails but I can tell you what I’ve observed with my Eastern Cottontails.
My experience with having bunnies in my backyard is they do just decide to move on or temporarily relocate based on 1.) food availability and 2.) their feeling of safety. While I too have seen bunnies and squirrels eating together it generally doesn’t last long before the squirrel runs them off.
I would consider stopping feeding the things the squirrel will eat and concentrate on those the bunnies love. The squirrels will move on fairly quickly and then your bunnies may return. I know that’s not anything definite but that’s how nature works sometimes.
We don’t use weed killer in our lawns so there’s many different plants for them to eat and they do. I’ve not had to actively feed my bunnies for years. They either decide to nest here and raise their young or they don’t. It makes me appreciate when they do that much more.
My squirrels won’t touch kale or carrots so I have experience with that.
I’d love to see some pics. Send me an email at help@birdoculars.com and I’ll send you a link to upload them if you would. I would not post anything without your permission and would definitely acknowledge you if you did give permission in whatever post they appeared in.
I’m excited because it’s new to me. Desert Cottontails and whatever squirrels you have there are completely new territory for me.
Jeff
I love feeding the wild rabbits…but it can cause conflicts with other wildlife…
Then one has to deal with neighbours that are paranoid… I have not figured
that one out yet…its easier to deal with wildlife….
I live in RI…half country/half city. I have a backyard with a built in pool. I started feeding Ralph, my wildlife squirrel 4 yrs ago. Ralph has now become 30 Ralph’s! I have 60 birds that I feed, half a dozen chipmunks, a possum, two ducks, and this year, 8 rabbits. I have only fed one in the past. Believe it or not, they all eat together. What do my wild rabbits like? Not hay. They love birdseed, Arnold’s multigrain bread and apples! They will nibble on a carrot, but not their favorite. Lettuce? Only nibble on it, same as kale. But they love their birdseed and bread!
Add to previous post! And apples! The rabbits love apples!
Add to my two posts. I said rabbits only nibble on carrots. I buy organic. I cut them, but someone on your post said to leave them whole. Yes! My wild bunnies only nibbled on them in pieces. I left one whole. I am watching a rabbit going to town on a whole carrot, so thank you!
Hi Lori,
I think the key here is giving them something they might encounter somewhere. The bird seed being the exception, possibly. The whole carrot makes perfect sense though.
I would stop the bread because it’s really not good for anything wild regardless of the quality it may be.
Have you tried any rabbit pellets? Others have said they like them. I’m really surprised they didn’t like the Timothy hay if that’s what you fed them.
Jeff
I have wild rabbits that come into my yard at night, and would sit under the bird feeders. Now with winter I’ve been putting out bird seed each night. The mix I buy has a lot of sunflower seeds and other seeds in it but no corn as I don’t think it’s good for the birds. I’ve been trying to read about the different things people use to feed the rabbits so I’m gonna try a few different items such as carrots, fruits, apples, and maybe get some spinach or something. The bird seed is one thing they do eat and come back all winter for. … just hard to keep dry.
Hi Dawn,
It’s really good that you’re trying to mix things up for them! Way to go!
Have you tried Timothy grass? I know it’s easy to find but I’ve had people have mixed success with it. You should at least give it a try.
Jeff
I cut up small amounts of apple carrots spinach greens kale and the bunny’s ate it all. I have never seen this amount of rabbits in the eastern shore of Maryland..
Hi Patricia,
What a feast! LOL! The bunnies must have heard about your diner and beat a path to your door!
Thank you for sharing! Do you have any nests that you know of yet?
Jeff