With Spring just around the corner, the dormant grass is beginning to come back alive and with that being said lawn mowing season is just around the corner and so is Rabbit nesting season!
Rabbits build a shallow nest in the ground and use fur to cover the nest to prevent predators from seeing what’s inside but that’s one of the reasons how they can get hit as well so it’s always a good idea to be on the lookout for a section that looks like dead grass or dead spots while riding on your lawnmower.
Inside the nest contains baby rabbits called “kits”. A female rabbit “doe” can have 3 to 8 kits per each litter she has, and she can have around 5 litters each breeding season! Breeding season begins in mid- March and ends in early September. The gestation period is around 30 days for each litter.
The kits are born with their eyes closed and dependent on their mother, but they are fast learners and growers as they can leave the nest at around 3 weeks of age, and they are about the size of a chipmunk.
A doe nurses her babies once every 12 to 24 hours until they reach the age of independency.
If you do spot a rabbit’s nest in your yard, it’s always best to leave the nest where it’s at and to mow ten feet away from the nest.
Rabbits have also been known to make nests in flower beds, leaf litter piles and underbrush.
Gracie Latrelle 
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