Hello, I'm new to this group and will admit that I generally know nothing about rabbits so please go easy on me! My 5 year old son found a rabbit hole in our backyard this evening and we know it is active, as my husband came face-to-face with the rabbit as he stuck his head out of the hole. My husband immediately said that he wants to get a humane trap to move the rabbit to a park before winter (we live in Canada) because he doesn't want the rabbit living in our backyard. My kids and I are voting for the rabbit to stay but my husband's concern is that someone will twist an ankle on the hole or if we step around the hole, it could cause the rabbit's house to collapse. Does anyone know if this could happen? The unfortunate part is that the hole has been made in a very awkward part of the yard, not off to the edge, and my son likes to play soccer in the yard. I am all for some inconvenience on our part if we can leave the rabbit alone and not uproot his home unnecessarily. Could we get some kind of partially roofed enclosure to go over the hole to a) mark the hole for us and b) keep snow from covering the hole in the winter (would the rabbit be able to dig his way out of a huge snow pile on top of his hole?) Any other suggestions? Not sure what to do but just feel it is wrong to re-locate the rabbit now that he has an established burrow, especially with the cold weather coming soon.
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Rabbit hole found in backyard
- Thread starter lunastar
- Start date
William
Wise Old Thumper
Eastern cottontails don't actually dig their own burrows like European rabbits do (they use a burrow that's been dug by another animal) so I'd be concerned that if he were relocated he wouldn't be able to find another burrow and then would get cold in winter.
I see it's been decided that he stays so that's good. It must be cool to have a wild rabbit in your backyard - wish I did!
I don't think snow on top of the burrow hole should be a problem - I assume he'd be able to dig himself out. But it doesn't snow here so I don't really know anything about it. :lol:
I see it's been decided that he stays so that's good. It must be cool to have a wild rabbit in your backyard - wish I did!
I don't think snow on top of the burrow hole should be a problem - I assume he'd be able to dig himself out. But it doesn't snow here so I don't really know anything about it. :lol:
I also don't think that snow on top of the burrow would cause any problems for he/she getting out. The snow would help to block out the wind making his?burrow warmer. Now if the snow were to ice over that could be a bit of a problem. I am also happy to hear that he/she can stay.
Yes, they usually dig sturdy holes so going through elsewhere shouldn't be an issue. You could use a stake/post to mark the hole, I imagine that would be enough to naturally divert you. I wouldn't build a shelter over the top. He'll dig through snow with no problem. Keep in mind rabbit's often have more than one exit so there might be a second hole somewhere hidden away he uses as an emergency.
I don't know which particular species you'd have but generally relocation isn't great for rabbits as they are quite territorial. Where you decide is appropriate may be where other rabbits already live and he'd get kicked out.
I don't know which particular species you'd have but generally relocation isn't great for rabbits as they are quite territorial. Where you decide is appropriate may be where other rabbits already live and he'd get kicked out.
Thank you to everyone for your replies! It's actually a relief to find out that you shouldn't relocate rabbits because it ends any arguments with my husband, as he is an animal lover as well and wouldn't want to cause harm. Tasmin, I will use your suggestion and mark the hole with a stake/post and otherwise, we will leave the rabbit alone and hopefully my two boys will get to see him occasionally to keep it interesting. If I ever manage to get a picture of him, I will post it.
Update
Update: I didn't actually go and look at this rabbit hole that my husband and son discovered but it turns out, it wasn't a burrow but a nest. My son was outside yesterday and came in telling me that a rabbit was sleeping outside the hole which I thought odd so I went to take a look and I'm very sad to report that it was one of five bunnies that had died. Three of them were lined up outside the nest, almost in a straight line with even spacing between them, all looking like they were peacefully sleeping, it was quite odd and no signs of trauma. The other two were still curled up in the nest which had had its top ripped open and exposed. They were all a good size and appeared healthy so we assume it must have been a cat or some other predator. We were all saddened by the discovery. Nature can be very cruel
Update: I didn't actually go and look at this rabbit hole that my husband and son discovered but it turns out, it wasn't a burrow but a nest. My son was outside yesterday and came in telling me that a rabbit was sleeping outside the hole which I thought odd so I went to take a look and I'm very sad to report that it was one of five bunnies that had died. Three of them were lined up outside the nest, almost in a straight line with even spacing between them, all looking like they were peacefully sleeping, it was quite odd and no signs of trauma. The other two were still curled up in the nest which had had its top ripped open and exposed. They were all a good size and appeared healthy so we assume it must have been a cat or some other predator. We were all saddened by the discovery. Nature can be very cruel
