Baby bunny RIP

[Sagesmom]

Hi everyone. I do not have a bunny. I'm a dog mom but I hope you guys will help me out anyway. This is about a wild bunny.

While mowing my yard today 2 little ones ran out of their hole just as my mower was going over their hidden nest in the ground. One was kind of going in a circle and moving oddly like it was having a seizure. As I started to grab it another bunny bolted so I got that one and put it back in the hole. By that time the other baby was no longer moving except its mouth a tiny bit like it was gasping for air. There was no visible sign of injury so I don't think a mower blade got it just scared it too much. Im fairly certain it is dead now its little body was totally limp and I couldn't tell if it was breathing though at that point my eyes were blurry with tears (I haven't killed anything before :cry2.) I left it just outside of the hole facing the entrance and I will check to see if it is alive in an hour or so. If the bunny is still there what should I do?

Should I leave it for the mom to find it so she knows what happened to her baby? I feel terrible about the other bunny or bunnies in the nest with their sibling most likely dead just outside. Should I bury it in my backyard as far away from the nest as possible? I just spent the last week helping a little fledgling with 1 leg survive in my yard (dog's playground) until it was able to fly. It flew away 2 days ago. I thought that was great and now I've killed a bunny. They've had a nest in my yard for the last 4 years that I've lived here and I feed them. I don't think they are going to like me anymore. I can't believe I forgot to check for the nest before mowing today

Thank you for any advice

 

[fantaysah]

I would bury it. It is possible mama rabbit will think her home is no longer safe plus it will attract cats etc. That will et the others.will rabbits don't live with mom for long so its probably won't have adverse effects for her if it just disappeared.... i know how feel though

 

[LakeCondo]

You certainly didn't mean to do any harm, so don't tear yourself up about it [easier said than done, I know]. They really can be frightened to death, but that's part of the natural world, as is dying from confrontations with other wild & domestic animals. And the one that died may have been born with some health problem that would have killed him more slowly. We just never know.

I guess if the body is still there, I'd suggest burying it far away. I imagine this isn't the first baby the mother has lost in her lifetime, & I don't think they get all that attached. It's not like they keep track of what happened to every baby they ever had, about grandchildren etc. They're much too day-to-day.

So welcome, & if you're ever interested in having a pet rabbit, please come back. They can get along fine with some dogs in the non-hunting breeds.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

:yeahthat:

 

[Sagesmom]

I did bury it. Thank you everyone.