Mowing your lawn the right way during summer is essential to check the growth of weeds, maintain its health, and enhance its appearance. However, before you arm yourself with a mower and resolve to take out all the weeds, you should walk the mowing path with your eyes peeled for any tiny patches of dead grass. Wondering why? Well, it’s rabbit breeding season from mid-March to mid-September, and mother rabbits build nests of grass and fur in the open near bushes or trees to protect the kittens until they’re ready to leave.
So to avoid accidentally hurting a bunny, you should check the area first for any dead spots. But since not all dead spots on your lawn are rabbit nests concealing baby bunnies, you should exercise patience and gently peel back the grass and fur layer to check if there’s a little hole in the ground with rabbits inside. If you do find kittens inside, it’s best to give the nest and its inhabitants a wide berth.
Protect baby bunnies while mowing your lawn
Since rabbits build shallow nests, you can easily mow over them without noticing. Though your mower won’t harm newborn babies because they’re tiny, it can hurt—kill or injure—the bigger ones. It might even frighten the younglings and cause undue stress. So it’s best to steer clear of the nest. Maintain a distance of at least 10 feet to leave the younglings and their home undisturbed. If you’re worried you might accidentally mow over them, you can place a laundry basket with holes on top of the nest and remove it after you’re done.
Don’t worry. You won’t have to skirt around the nest forever or deal with a dead patch for long. Rabbits tend to grow up relatively fast and leave behind the safety of their nest for greener pastures once they’re two to three weeks old. In case you do mow over the nest by accident or hurt a bunny, contact the nearest wildlife rehabilitation center at once.
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