Chapter 5: Sandra Builds a Nest

Is she expecting bunny babies?

One day on my porch Bibi saw me moving so so fast. I was going to have bunny babies maybe so I built us a nest. There was a long cardboard box on my porch and it was safe and clean.  I pulled out my fur. That’s how they can stay warm until they have their own fur. I moved hay by carrying it in my mouth. I ran around many times very fast and moved hay into there to make a good place they can be.

Did you know that mommy rabbits grow extra fur on their chests just so they can pull it out to make there be something soft when the bunny babies come?

I needed more soft things. I found a red blanket and a blue blanket. I tried to bite soft stuff off of both of them. I also tried to chew off some of Bibi’s sweatpants. I wanted all the most soft things I could find.

Bunny babies need to be safe and they need soft things to be born on.  I went into the most deep corner of my box on the porch where I will take care of my new bunny babies.  That’s where I put all the hay and pieces of blankets and my fur that I pulled off.

Bibi came back with some pieces of socks that she cut up when she saw me making my nest and looking for things to use. I put them in there too.

Bibi said Sandra I never saw you move so fast. You even pulled pieces off the blue blanket. That used to be my mother’s and I know if she can see you she is so happy that you are using her blue blanket for your nest.

When I made my nest I was rushing around so so fast. I only stopped rushing back and forth with my hay so I could pull out more fur off of me to make it soft for them.

This is all the hay before I started. And the black sock Bibi gave me.

This is the hay after I was done:

Bibi said: You would be a great Mama I know it Sandra there are so many babies in the world both rabbit kind and people kind Some ladies just don’t have any and maybe that is OK.

Did you know I could make there be 800 more rabbits even while I am still alive if I had bunny babies and they had bunny babies and they had bunny babies? That is what we are supposed to do.

Bibi was just watching me the race around the porch the whole time. She put out more hay and more hay and more soft things like the black sock. I used everything in my nest. I really want there to be bunny babies. I will take care of them and they will feel good and be warm on my fur.

T

This is my nest when I got done. You can see the black sock and my fur and all the hay I brought in there in my mouth by myself.

Bibi said Sandra I can’t believe you I just want to tell you I knocked myself out just like you did I built my nest and put all the best things I could find in there I went shopping and brought home all the things I made it as nice as I could My mother did the same thing, many many times My sister did too we worked really hard like you did today that is what we women do Sandra we always knock ourselves out building a nest.

But then there were no bunny babies. Too too many days and no one was growing in my bunny belly. I didn’t even care about my nest after that and I never went in there. I’m supposed to have bunny babies.

Supposed to make there be 800 more rabbits. I was sad. But I will be OK.

Love,

Sandra The Free Range Super Bunny

Note from Bibi: This was the first time I saw Sandra experience the first of several “phantom pregnancies”. This happens because rabbits are so programmed to be pregnant that their bodies actually go through the hormonal stages. From RabbitCareTips.com “When a rabbit is pregnant, she’ll be driven by instinct to create a nest. She’ll start pile hay and blankets into a corner of her hutch. Next, she’ll tear out fur with her teeth to line the nest. So, you may see a rabbit carrying hay in her mouth to make a nest. She will engage in the same behaviors as a pregnant rabbit for around 18 – 20 days. After this stage, a phantom pregnancy comes to an abrupt halt and the rabbit returns to normal again.”