The One Thing To Never Do When You Find A Rabbit's Nest In Your Yard

Breeding like rabbits isn't just a common phrase, it can be a reality in your garden. Come springtime, you might discover that wild rabbits have been busy in your yard. If you come across a nest with babies, the one thing you should never do is try to move it. Sadly, moving the baby bunnies or the nest could cause the mom to possibly not come back.

These small animals often nest in the most inconvenient of places, like in the middle of your yard, a dog kennel, or even a school's playground. While this might seem to make zero sense to you, it actually makes perfect sense to the rabbit. The predators that like to eat baby bunnies, such as raccoons or skunks, tend to steer clear of these busy places. So, if you're trying to keep rabbits out of your flowerbeds, you might have better luck if you've got a skunk or raccoon lurking about.

Their nests aren't made too complicated. In small divots in the ground, mama bunnies cover up their babies with a little bit of grass, twigs, or fur. You're not likely to see the mother around, so many gardeners make the mistake of thinking the babies have been abandoned. But rabbits actually don't stay at their nests very long because they're fearful that they could attract some of those predators we already mentioned. The moms typically only nurse their little ones once or twice a day at most. 

For anyone who is worried that the mom has already abandoned her young, try the tic-tac-toe test. Just lay a bit of yarn or small twigs out in a pattern, like a tic-tac-toe board, around the nest, and then check it every few days to see if it has been disturbed. If it has, then chances are, the mama rabbit has been back to feed her babies. (And if you're wondering what garden plants rabbits will eat while they're visiting, the answer is almost all of them.)

While you wait for the babies to grow, it's a good idea to keep pets, especially dogs and cats, away from the nest. Don't worry, you won't have to keep them out of the yard too long. Cottontails, for example, mature and leave the nest within just three weeks. They won't be very big when they venture out — just about the size an adult's fist. 

Keep in mind, that may not be the last time you see baby bunnies. An adult female rabbit can give birth four or five times a year, since the gestation period only lasts about a month. Mom may or may not be back to your yard. And returning moms probably won't reuse the exact same nest anyway. If after the bunnies leave, you want to discourage a different nest in a new spot, try using a homemade repellent made of cayenne pepper.