Stubbornhillfarm
Attractive To Bees
Very cute! Interesting to me to see how one of the pink ones has the brown patches, and clearly will look like momma. I can't tell on the other one, but they are super cute!
Another litter of bunnies on the way... they're here!
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ducks4you
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D'awww!! We had a couple of rabbit litters when I was a kid and my parents inadvertantly bought me a pair of New Zealand whites!
All rabbits will move around their litter. When does get ready to birth they strip their belly of their fur, specifically to expose the nipples so the babies are sucking fur, as you can see in the pics. THAT's the sign you look for.
All rabbits will move around their litter. When does get ready to birth they strip their belly of their fur, specifically to expose the nipples so the babies are sucking fur, as you can see in the pics. THAT's the sign you look for.
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wsmoak
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I was away visiting my parents and came home to adorably cute week old bunnies!
120403_6418 by wsmoak, on Flickr
Unfortunately, when I checked on them later this afternoon I found THIS in the nest box:
120403_6420 by wsmoak, on Flickr
It's just a rat snake, though it was "rattling" its tail at me. In the straw and cardboard the sound was enough to make me look twice!
Unfortunately it ate two of the little ones.
:::sigh::: With the mild winter and early spring, all the creatures are out already.
The other four are spending the night inside and tomorrow I'll work on reinforcing that cage and/or building another out of smaller wire. The door swings in and is only latched at one point, so Mr. Snake would have had no trouble getting in.
So, that was our excitement for the day.
-Wendy
120403_6418 by wsmoak, on Flickr
Unfortunately, when I checked on them later this afternoon I found THIS in the nest box:
120403_6420 by wsmoak, on Flickr
It's just a rat snake, though it was "rattling" its tail at me. In the straw and cardboard the sound was enough to make me look twice!
Unfortunately it ate two of the little ones.
:::sigh::: With the mild winter and early spring, all the creatures are out already.The other four are spending the night inside and tomorrow I'll work on reinforcing that cage and/or building another out of smaller wire. The door swings in and is only latched at one point, so Mr. Snake would have had no trouble getting in.
So, that was our excitement for the day.
-Wendy
thistlebloom
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That's a pretty exciting day Wendy! Those bunnies are way too cute, too bad about the losses.
Stubbornhillfarm
Attractive To Bees
Gotta say, being that I am from up north and don't see that kind of thing around here. I would have Freaked Out! I can't even imagine....
I am glad that you got there in time to save most of the babies though. They certainly are cute!
I am glad that you got there in time to save most of the babies though. They certainly are cute!
Southern Gardener
Deeply Rooted
OMG!!! 
I would have been so freaked out! I hope you killed it. I've killed 3 already this spring - not very big - but they are DEAD! I hate snakes. 
I would have been so freaked out! I hope you killed it. I've killed 3 already this spring - not very big - but they are DEAD! I hate snakes. 
lesa
Garden Master
Wow!! I was not expecting that! I don't mind discovering a snake in the grass- but I think I would have screamed if I saw that one! Poor buns....
The Mama Chicken
Attractive To Bees
Dare I say it? What a pretty snake. I wouldn't want to find one in my rabbit cages, but I would never kill a snake that I was sure wasn't venomous. They are really important in the environment, plus I would rather have ratsnakes on the property than rats (or mice, or gophers, or other nasty vermin that want to eat my plants!) When we do find a small rattler I have my husband chop the head off and then throw the body into the chicken run.
I wouldn't want to find one in my rabbit cages, but I would never kill a snake that I was sure wasn't venomous. They are really important in the environment, plus I would rather have ratsnakes on the property than rats (or mice, or gophers, or other nasty vermin that want to eat my plants!) When we do find a small rattler I have my husband chop the head off and then throw the body into the chicken run.- Thread starter
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wsmoak
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Oh, I did. I went out and saw that some of the babies were out of the nest box, then looked *in* the nest box, and AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!lesa said:
I made a pouch out of my shirt tail, scooped up the babies and stuffed them in a cat carrier, then went back for mom. (At that point Mr. Snake was rattling his tail at me so I peered more closely at him to make sure it really *was* a rat snake. But the "bad snakes" generally don't climb, and a rattlesnake THAT big would be very obvious.)
TMC, they are pretty. We had an enormous one the first year we moved in: http://www.pbase.com/wendysmoak/image/124309511 (That one cleaned out a nest of baby bluebirds.
)-Wendy
Chickie'sMomaInNH
Garden Master
oooh boy! do we have snakes up here in New England! we actually have a variety or eastern rattler but we don't see it often since it tries to keep away from people. Rattle Snake Island in the Winnipesaukee was named after them. mostly we see garter snakes here and a small tan colored snake i don't see often nor have i heard of a name for them.Stubbornhillfarm said:
sorry to hear about the 2 buns Wendy.
keep moma and her remaining babies safe and warm!
