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RABBIT NATURAL HISTORY Cottontail Rabbit Scientific Names: Syvilagus floridanus and Sylvilagus transitionalis Common
Problems:
Rabbits
can cause garden damage, especially in the summer months.
They love lettuce, beans, peas, cabbage and carrots. Erecting
a 3-foot high one-inch wire mesh fence (poultry wire) should deter
them, as they are not good climbers. Adding a one-foot extension
below ground can help with burrowing. In winter, they can damage tree buds, twigs & bark in young trees. The same wire mesh can be placed around a tree trunk to protect the tree from rabbit teeth. Description: There are 2 species in Connecticut that are very similar. One species is grayer and the other is a reddish brown.
Breeding: Nests are usually in grass or perennial cover. They are dug in the ground and lined with grass and loose fur. Rabbits typically have 2-3 litters per year (from April through September) with 3-8 babies per litter. This is a lot of rabbits in one year, but keep in mind that rabbits are prey for a lot of other animals, such as snakes, rats, crows and birds of prey. Babies are naked, blind and deaf at birth. Just because you find baby bunnies alone, does not mean that they are orphaned. The mother rabbit tends to her babies only at night. During the day, she does not want to give away the location of the nest, so she stays nearby. To make sure, sprinkle flour near the entrance to the nest and leave it overnight. If there are no adult footprints in the flour by morning, then it is safe to assume that the babies are orphans. Habits & Haunts: The home range of rabbits is about 3 acres. Most cottontails are solitary and nocturnal animals. Food: The diet consists of a variety of plants from many sources. They eat buds, bark, fruit, seeds and the foliage of woody plants. Found an Orphan? Click here |
