What do wild rabbits like to eat?

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I take a walk around the neighborhood almost every evening at 9 p.m. At the far end of the block there are 2 yards that go down into the canyon and there has been a rabbit sitting on the grass every night for the past 5 nights. The first 2 nights it ran away when it saw me, but the last 3 nights it just sat there without moving. Maybe it's getting used to seeing me. Last night I took with me some pieces of Romaine lettuce because that's all I had on hand that would be considered "rabbit food." I threw it on the lawn and it landed about 15 feet away from the rabbit, who again did not run. Today I walked over there to look and the lettuce still there, it looks like it wasn't touched. Any suggestions?

[frogmarch]

1. In the winter

the wild cottontails around our country house in the Black Hills liked to share with the little juncos birdseed we threw out for them. The bunnies got so tame that in the summer we'd have to stop the lawn mower and pick the bunnies up and move them to keep from running over them while they relaxed in the cool grass.

Other than possibly birdseed, I have no idea what the wild rabbits in your neighborhood might like to eat. :shrug:

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13. Aweome, thanks... I have a bag of birdseed that has some seeds too big for the feeder

So I'll set some out tonight and see what happens.

[Haole Girl]

2. It's usually not a good idea to feed wild animals.

I know your intentions are good, but it's not a good idea...for many reasons.

[Kali]

3. the grass you see it sitting on, most any young fresh greens,

especially flowers or garden plants you pay money for:rofl:

they will debark trees during drought or other environmentally stressful times. You new friend may eat romaine eventually, if you keep putting out fresh in the same place every day or so. Root veggies (carrots, duh) alfalfa and some fruits too.

[mcctatas]

4. Geez...

I read "what do wild rabbi's like to eat" :crazy:

[TZ]

11. bits of unleavened bread I think...

:D

[elleng]

18. MATZOH!!!

.

[Fire Walk With Me]

5. Fear.

[rcrush]

6. They'll eat the flesh off your face!

They'll show up in your bed at night and nibble at your eyeballs.

[Inchworm]

7. Wild stuff until they become domestic rabbits

;)

I guess it's good to care for the critters, but, in my head (which may be screwed on wrong), if a momma bunny goes to the same spot to be fed by humans some human accident is bound to happen, and bunny bebbes will miss their mommy.

Like I said, that's just me :)

:hi:

[DS1]

8. Knights

[mainegreen]

17. Riding imaginary horses.

But not in white satin.

[KansDem]

9. Why, carrots, of course!

Here's one really wild rabbit that loves 'em!



Ehhhhh, what's up, Barack?

[carlyhippy]

10. rabbits seem to eat my strawberries in the garden

I am surprised it didn't eat the lettuce. They are scared of everthing, probably didn't realize it was some food, it may be gone the next time you go for your walk.

[suninvited]

12. I am not sure about cottontails, I think they like everything

but I know what jackrabbits love best. Cantaloupes. We grow them out here, and had to build a fence to protect them and then plant a few outside the fence just for the jackrabbits. They really like those vines, and the cantaloupes, when they are ready.

[femmocrat]

15. Maybe they are really jackaloupes?

;)

[Yavin4]

14. Stay Away From The Rabbit -- See Video

"I warned you." "I warned you.":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCI18qAoKq4

[Redneck Socialist]

21. That rabbit's dynamite!

Damn you! I was going to post that clip! :rofl:

[City of Mills]

23. Snakes

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/744069/rabbit_vs_snake/

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

16. Human flesh.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_of_the_Lepus

[MrScorpio]

19. Lady Wild Rabbits

[TreasonousBastard]

20. I tossed a half-eaten...

egg roll off the porch to see if anything would eat it, and it was gone within the hour. Leftover Brussels sprouts, beets and beet greens were also left out and summarily disappeared. Carrots, the only raw veggie in this experiment, were untouched.

Unfortunately, the only critters I actually saw in the vicinity during this experiment were some huge, almost rat-sized, field mice and the squirrels raiding the bird feeders. But, I know we're chock full of rabbits-- I've seen them around and there are more rabbit tracks in the snow than anything but deer tracks.

[struggle4progress]

22. It depends on what you're trying to get to grow

I know from experience that they really like freshly sprouted clover, whenever I try to start a patch

[JVS]

24. Children

[hippywife]

25. Sometimes they don't move

not because they are used to you but out of sheer fear. And I second not feeding wild animals. Please let them do what they are going to do. It really is best for them. :hi:

[Career Prole]

26. The little guy below actually startled the heck out of me.

I was out in the yard barbecuing towards sundown and I caught a movement in my peripheral vision a few feet away on the ground. I started, he started, then he went back to eating the grass paractically at my feet while I scorched dinner. He wasn't much bigger than my fist when he posed for this picture my daughter took.
He lived under a cedar in the front yard and was quite unafraid of people, unlike all the other cottontails around the yard. It became something of a treat to go out and barbecue right before sundown because the little guy would always come out to eat around then and for whatever reason would seem to prefer the grass closer to us.
He hung out with us the whole summer getting a little bigger every day. Eventually he started hanging out with another rabbit who must have bad-mouthed us behind our backs because the pair of them moved on after a week or so, but all last summer this little dude was my BBQ buddy.

And to answer the OP's question this guy who spent the summer with us was just munching grass and clover and seemed to thrive on it, so if you see him sitting on a lawn he should have all he needs right there.