Well based on what I read here this just seems to be something that varies, and isn’t a given…. and it is great to know that these bunnies grew up ok as far as we know…. But I used to riase rabbits and one time we had to touch a baby out of necesity and the mother ended up stomping it to death. It was also a runt though and I think mother rabbits sometimes also know the rabbit isn’t likely to survive on its own anyway…

i am so not commenting on what my cat did when he found one of these nests….

Yes I agree, save the cuteness. I have rabbits and birds too. I have handled the babies of both and never had a problem with the parents rejecting them. Usually when animals reject their young, chances are something is wrong with the baby. That’s the way nature works. Animals won’t waste their time on a baby that will not do well if it survives.

What can I say? I found these pics via Google and was enchanted – but then, the very 1st post I saw on this blog was the cookie-stealing bunny. It stole my heart, as did these little ones.

Thanks, Sara and Meg!

ellepenguin – I can assure you, in the case of the bunnies we had in the backyard, the mother rabbit did not harm them. She came, she fed them, and she left. I rarely saw her while she was there, but did see her dashing away a few times, AFTER the handling shown in the pictures. All were still accounted for afterward – no infanticide here.

Then the bunnies got bigger, scattered around the yard, and one by one disappeared into the wilds of suburbia.

There is an enormous difference (I think) between taking a picture of a baby bunny and doing something as foolish as petting a bear. The only bear pictures I’ll ever get will be with a telephoto lens!

um, i had bunnies when i was a kid and we couldn’t resist playing with the babies. everyday there would be one baby bunny less. my mom told us that feral cats ate them. but they were locked in a hutch. in reality what happened was mama killed them because they smelled strange. let’s pop the disney myth, animals are animals–not cutesy fuzzy harmless mini-playthings. don’t pet bears and don’t swim with sea lions, lest you get mauled and be another clip on America’s Unfunny Home Videos.

i like lane’s attitude, SAVE THE CUTENESS, SAVE THE CUTENESS….

yay Sara!