Bunny Sighting

Since we had baby rabbits due July 1, I've been wondering if the mamas were successful this time.  With them in a colony rather than a cage, the mortality rate on the bunnies is quite high...especially since we've had a lot of rain.  I figured that they had lost the kits since we haven't seen a sign of babies yet.  Until this morning...

I'm not sure if there is more than one...but at least there is one!  This little guy made his appearance outside of the den for the first time today.  He looks big in the picture until you see him next to his mama...

He kept darting in and out of the nest....so I don't know if I was seeing the same one over and over again or if they are taking turns.  The hole is so deep both does can go down into it and not be seen from the entry.  We don't know if or how many other babies exist until they make their appearances.  It's been months of waiting for these girls to successfully raise some babies....the nest hole flooded each time.  This time they dug the hole just right and even with bad storms the water doesn't flow into the hole.

Here's a shot of the dark eared mama rabbit in the den a couple of weeks ago to give you some perspective...

We'll breed the does again next week for late August litters, since the deep nest keeps them cool and comfy.  We may get some rabbit in the freezer this year after all!