It's been quite a week in Bunnyville!
I took these photos on Monday, when they boys moved the family into a bigger cage. All was well until the next morning, when they noticed that one had been attacked.
We thought maybe the dog or cats had reached in the cage, so they were moved back to their old home.
It happened to another one yesterday and it was discovered that Rosi was, in fact, the culprit. The boys had researched and knew that mother rabbits could attack tiny babies, but we didn't think it would happen at a few weeks old. It turns out that it can! So, with just two babies left, they were moved into their own cage.
The boys don't have bottle calves this year, but now they have 'sort of' bottle bunnies as they put them in the cage to nurse twice a day and keep them on pellets and water the rest of the time. They had been doing this a bit on their own in the other cage already, so they will still be able to get some food and water during the day. (Just like a bottle calf!)
I sure hope this works, as Meet the Parents has been coming to mind and I don't want to have to learn how to milk a rabbit! :)
It is in these lessons of animal life and death, trial and error, that I am very thankful to be able to raise our children on the farm. These times make them upset, frustrate them, and can be discouraging, but they always use their ingenuity and determination to figure out a solution. These lessons teach them compassion, but perspective, too.
Rabbits may come and go, but these lessons will be with them for a lifetime.
No comments:
Post a Comment