wild rabbit burrow dug up by my dog

Question
QUESTION: My dog would not come in the house and I went and saw that he had unearthed a rabbit den. It was under our picnic table. I saw one of the babies he had drug out of the nest. I then realized the rest of the babies in a hole all snuggled together. I pushed the babe lightly with my fingertips back to his family. Once my husband got home, he fussed as I had touched the baby and he said the mother would kill it.

  We went out and put some straw from the garden and placed over top, I pushed the dirt back in. I did not realize the dog had literally dug out the burrow. My husband placed a wrought iron fence around the picnic table to keep the dog from getting to them.

 I did read that the mother will come back. We she kill the baby that I touched? I did see where the dog had taken a nip on the hind of the one baby. When I had looked, the little babies sitting and looking so sweet at me. I am concerned as it is very cold, we are in Dover, Delaware. A storm is coming. Will they stay warm enough without their mother? Was it okay to put the straw from the garden over them? Is there anything else I can do? How will I know if the Momma came back? Will she still tend the young after the nest has been touched by the dog?

I feel really bad about this. We are going to chain the dog up from now on, at least until the rabbits are gone. We do not want the dog to eat the babies as they are roaming around the yard.

I appreciate your advice, as I will worry myself to death about these babies. Thank you in advance.




ANSWER: Dear Bernadette,

You are very kind to take such good care of the babies!  Mama bunny will NOT likely harm her baby, even if he's been touched.  But you can determine whether she is caring for them with the instructions here:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/wildbabies.pdf

Wild cottontails are well adapted to survive very cold weather, though it's a little early for them this year.  Providing a rain shelter over the nest that mama can easily enter (a yard umbrella, for example) and soft hay that's not too dense or heavy will help protect them.

I'm sure they'll be fine.  I hope the information in the article above helps.  In case you *do* have to help raise them, here are some additional instructions:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/orphan.html

Hope this helps!

Dana

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: I wanted to tell you, I sent my son outside with the camera and he found them all to be okay, they have fur now, their eyes are all open. They look very healthy and happy. I am monitoring the dog. I do not want him getting them when they try to leave the nest area.

I am going to find a large basket or something to put over them to keep them dry. I figure if they made it through that bitter cold spell and the ice storm we had, they can make it though pretty much anything.

I was just really concerned due to the dog attacking the nest and messing it up. I do appreciate your knowledge. I have learned quite a bit about rabbits these past few days. I talked to a Wild life rehaber. She said rabbits could not be born this time of year and that I surely had a nest of groundhogs. Well, I sent her the photo of the 'ground hogs'!! I am grateful you responded. I just do not want to hurt them or let the dog hurt them. It was just so darn cold out when I found them, I felt really bad. The photo shows the nest lined with fur. The nest is just under the sod line. It is a hole under the ground, not a depression. It has been a learning experience.

thanks

Bernadette

Answer
Dear Bernadette,

I'm glad to hear that the wee cotties are doing well.  It really is unusual for them to be born quite this early, but they sound like real survivors!  It is probably partly due to their mother's unusual behavior of actually digging a *hole* and not just making a grass nest.  That's not something cotties often do, either.

If you use a basket or anything else to cover them, be sure mama can easily get under.  It's best if it's not *too* close or invasive, so a yard umbrella would still possibly be your best bet.

Good luck with them, and enjoy their beauty when they emerge and start to romp around your yard!  :)

Dana