A Natural History Of The Rabbit.
All rabbits are characterized by the helplessness of their offspring, which are born naked and with closed eyes. They thrive in nearly every habitat provided it offers suitable cover and a ready supply of food. And for rabbits, that's almost anything that's green and grows!
Rabbits will munch on grasses, leaves, flowers, herbs, stems, buds, berries and bark. When green plants aren't available in winter, rabbits turn to browsing the woody stems of plants like dogwood, goldenrod and sumac. Cottontails can derive sufficient water from plant material they eat, and have little need for a separate water source. Of course, your vegetable and flower gardens hold many delectable delights for bunny nibbling, but some studies show that rabbits actually prefer crabgrass over cultivated garden plants! Taste buds aside, there aren't many ways to discourage rabbits from helping themselves to your greenery. Although, you can make your backyard inhospitable by adding a dog, or by removing all cover (dense shrubbery, fence rows, wood piles, etc.). A simpler solution is to enclose your gardens with fencing. The cottontail is a crepuscular (active in the twilight) and nocturnal creature. They do not dig burrows, but instead will establish a form. A form is where the rabbit hides and rests during daylight hours. It is usually a shallow depression that the rabbit has trampled down or scratched out in heavy cover. Typically it will be well concealed in tall grass or weeds, a brush pile, or some other dense growth. Cottontails don't roam far from their forms, although they may us more than one form. Their home range may extend no farther than one backyard, but regardless of the size they will know every rock, weed patch and fence post in their territory. They never know when they'll need to make a mad dash for cover! Rabbits have been known to plunge into water, swimming rapidly to escape danger. Often when a rabbit senses danger, he may freeze in position, relying on his brown coat for camouflage. When flushed, he may dash about in a zigzag pattern flashing his white tail, then suddenly stop running, crouch down, and press his tail low to the ground. The pursuer, zeroing in on the white tail, suddenly loses its target and may give up the chase. The defenses work sometimes, but overall, they are not very effective. In an average year, more than 80 percent won't survive to their first birthday. Cottontails have been successful only because of their extremely efficient and prolific breeding habits. Beginning in March, a mature female, or doe, may produce up to four littears a year, with five or six young in each. Her nest is very simple, really just a depression in the grass or dirt that she digs out to be 4 - 5 inches deep. She will line the nest with grass, dry leaves, and soft fur from her belly, then use more grass and leaves to create a cover that she pulls over the top. The nest site is generally in an open area, not in heavy cover. Once the nest is ready, the doe will leave until the birth of the babies.
Newborn rabbits are hairless, blind, and deaf. When born, their mother will stay with them only long enough to nurse them, then she will return for a quick feeding, then once again cover up her babies and go off to find her own food. She'll return at dawn, and perhaps once or twice during the night, to repeat the procedure.
The babies will open their eyes in about a week. By the time they are 3 weeks old, they have left the nest and are on their own.
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