Sometimes feeding requires contortions!
A nursing Eastern cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus) in my home landscaping. After finding the rabbit nest, I checked some references to see what I could learn about rabbit nesting habits. Babies are born blind and naked, but grow quickly and are weaned about three weeks from birth at which time they are on their own. The mother returns only once or twice a day to nurse them. The babies spend nearly all their time quietly tucked away in the ground level nest that is covered with fur and surrounding vegetation.
Toward the end of each day, I would watch to see if the mother was hanging around. On two different evenings, she hopped in cautiously, uncovered the nest and stood there for about 10 or 15 minutes while the youngsters nursed. She then covered the nest again with fur and leaves and hopped away. All and all, it was a very short and straight-forward process! Only a day or two after these photos were taken, the bunnies were on their own.
Sometimes feeding requires contortions!
A nursing Eastern cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus) in my home landscaping. After finding the rabbit nest, I checked some references to see what I could learn about rabbit nesting habits. Babies are born blind and naked, but grow quickly and are weaned about three weeks from birth at which time they are on their own. The mother returns only once or twice a day to nurse them. The babies spend nearly all their time quietly tucked away in the ground level nest that is covered with fur and surrounding vegetation.
Toward the end of each day, I would watch to see if the mother was hanging around. On two different evenings, she hopped in cautiously, uncovered the nest and stood there for about 10 or 15 minutes while the youngsters nursed. She then covered the nest again with fur and leaves and hopped away. All and all, it was a very short and straight-forward process! Only a day or two after these photos were taken, the bunnies were on their own.