Posted by gardenergirl on June 7, 2008, at 16:08:26
In reply to Re: I found this about touching bunnies » Deneb, posted by Phillipa on June 7, 2008, at 12:32:39
> Deneb thanks they are hopping out of the den on own now. Just replaced the baby. It was scared but safe with brothers and sisters.
With all due respect, Phillipa, you really can't know whether it's the appropriate time for the babies to start leaving the burrow, let alone whether it's "scared" or not. Picking it up and putting it back is interfering with the bunny's opportunity to learn from experience. I think you'll find if you let them be that they are quite adaptable. Rabbits have survived despite all kinds of environmental effects. I would hazard a guess that they are much better at it than we are, actually, (she says as she curses the high humidity despite the lowered temperature and ponders how much energy she's wasting by using the AC anyway.)
It's true that predators' hunting grounds are shrinking. This year I found the evidence of a bobcat's meal of a rabbit in my yard. Yuck. I confirmed this when I saw the bobcat itself. Sad for the poor rabbit, I suppose, though if it was the one who ate all the rosebuds off my miniature rose, well.... But at any rate, bobcats are endangered in my state, so it's a good thing to spot one that's doing well, even if it did make me nervous for pets and small children. ;) And even if it did eat what was probably a cute rabbit and leave the pickings under my maple tree. (shudders)
But my point is, some rabbits are going to survive, and some aren't. They do this without human interference beyond what we've done with land development and the use of chemicals, etc. They know way way way more about being baby bunnies than we'll ever hope to know. Trust in nature, Phillipa. Try not to anthropomorphize them. Wild animals are not pets. They are not like fuzzy humans despite how cute they are and how much we try to interpret their behavior.
Stay cool. 100 degrees sounds miserable for humans.
gg
poster:gardenergirl
thread:832937
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20080601/msgs/833510.html