The Drainpipe Bunny Rabbit at the Border Fort
74Dateline Cochise County, Arizona: October 14, 2011
Last spring at the Border Fort, we knew we had a wild girl bunny rabbit living in the discharge drainpipe from our French drain system. I'd never gotten a picture of her going in and out of her lengthy PVC-lined "burrow" (a full 170 feet of bunny abode), but we knew.
Then came the monsoon rains.
Obviously, she'd had to camp elsewhere whenever hundreds of gallons of dirty water were washing down her housing unit on the way to the Big Outdoors, but...had she survived those soggy summer months? After all, we also have coyotes, at least one bobcat, and rabbit eating eagles in the area, not to mention the stray snake capable of stretching its unhinged jaws wide enough to swallow a wee bunny wabbit whole.
Our rabbits live in a rough neighborhood.
Minutes ago, our questions were answered. I happened to be standing at the window next to my desk (actually a cheap table, but hey) when here she came! It was definitely "our girl", spooked by something and running for her rabbit pipe. What happened next was...remarkable is the closest word I can find.
PB (Pipe Bunny) dashed over to the drainpipe...and stuck just her nose inside. I turned away from the window and snagged my camera. Note: The photos were taken through the window screen but are still worth keeping.
The rabbit's relationship with the drainpipe, I was soon to discover, had evolved into something remarkably complex and wonderful. After feeling nose-safe for a little while, she pulled back out and looked around. Got to be careful about all those nasty beasties trying to sneak up on you, you know.
Which of course means any good sentinel bunny has to stand up to get a better look. She did that...and then looked straight at me, or at least toward the window. It was as if she was saying, "Oh, hi Dad, got me covered? It's scary out here!"
Dad or no Dad, though, the pipe is PB's ultimate security spot. She put her nose back in there...and then her entire head plus forequarters.
After wiffle-waffling on pipe entry for a while, she seemed to come to a decision. Turned toward me. Came up closer to the window. Looked around Thought about it. Looked around some more...and eventually relaxed enough to actually grab a few nibbles of yummy greens.
M-m-m, good!
Eventually, PB the pipe bunny headed back to the drainpipe and at one point disappeared into the PVC tube completely. It was looking like she'd grown too big to fit, but by golly, she made it! Had to back out, though.
There might be one place inside where she can turn around, ten feet back in at the tee junction where one section of pipe swings to the left and the other goes straight ahead. Doubtful, but maybe.
Be that as it may, however, today was special. Our bunny rabbit in the Border Fort drainpipe clearly did survive these past five months. For a wild wabbit in coyote country, that's like fifty years in people time.
You go, PB.
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Heh, good thing the fox I ran into going into work this morning didn't see that rabbit. He was clearly lost, and didn't like it at all when people getting out of their cars started making funny noises at him.
Do you all have foxes out there too?
Becky: I wouldn't dare give her a bigger piece of PVC pipe for the simple reason that I might accidentally be setting a trap from which she couldn't escape. Some of the deadliest predators on rabbits go right into the burrows after them.
You know, the road to Hell being paved with good intentions and all that.
Jim: If we do have foxes here, they're canny little buggers and don't even leave tracks. Of course, they can be mighty light-footed, but I can find paw prints for everything else around here and have seen nothing (so far) that could qualify as fox.
Don't apologize for shooting through the screened window. I've done this on purpose to create a canvas painting effect. They're great pix.
We made some rabbit hides out of tree branches and sticks. We piled it all up and put chicken wire over it and then stuck more sticks in the holes. They don't look like anything but a pile of sticks and branches but the rabbits love them and have several entrances and exits. I know you don't have that kind of stuff there but they work great here. We had a dozen living in a pile out by the woods line.
This is why I love the desert. Great Hub, Fred.
Agnes: You're right; it does create a canvas painting effect. Thanks for pointing that out.
Becky. We do have enough sizeable mesquite roots that have been lying around since the trench for the water line from the well (1/2 mile of line) was dug in early 2009. But I wouldn't feel safe about building hides like you describe, either. I can see the rabbits would love them, but (I suspect) so would the snakes. Plus: Fire hazard. Around here, that's always a serious consideration.
Will: Us too. Thanks.
This story also reminded me of the little rabbit I had running around the yard about a year ago. That one favored the two thorn bushes type plants that were growing in the yard. It grew mixed in with wild strawberry and morning glory, two plants that require a lot of weeding if you seek to prevent them taking over their territory. (Passerby told me the thorn plant was a wild blackberry, but I don't know) Anyway, if the eagles were out, it seemed to me the rabbit would stay close to that bush, or to other cover areas. Can't blame the rabbit; weeding that particular area of the yard always resulted in wee bits of blood-letting from of those thorns. How the rabbit knew the eagles were out is something I haven't figured out yet.
Since you've got morning glory running amok around your yard, there might be spots where it would mix well with thorn bushes, wild strawberry or other bramble, forming almost natural havens for the rabbits.
6/6... sweet story and great pics.
the most touching part was where you took on the role of "dad"... you have such a love for life and all the beauty that comes with it.
Jim: A bramble might be worth consideration. I'll have to think about that.
Ama: Thanks.
Fred,
You can make a neat rabbit burrow by having two entry PVC pipes, (one on each end, and the ribbed sewer style works better for traction) connected to a larger pipe section in the middle. I once considered that for raising rabbits in Tucson, to keep the rabbits cool and safe. The second entry is for escape from snakes and such.
I know, do Will's idea and plant Blackberry or raspberry bushes over it. They will have food and a nice dry place to hide out. As long as it has two entrances, it is good. One to go out of while bad guys coming in the other.
Will and Becky: Those are both good ideas. You two have given me something to think about.
Hmmm...maybe a big U shape, (larger section in middle as Will says)...make the "fat section" sit a little higher underground so all drainage from storms stays outside the burrow...make the exit at least 8 or ten feet from the entrance....
Hmmm....
The one I saw had entry/exit pipes at 45 degree angles to the main pipe, so it wasn't too steep, and one pipe pointed one way while the other pointed the opposite way. The mouths of both pipes were an inch or so higher that the surrounding ground and the whole thing was on a slight rise rather than low ground, to prevent flooding. The 'bedroom' was large enough to turn around, and was buried a couple of feet down so as to keep it cool.
Hope that helps.
That does help. Just to the left of the drainpipe in the photos, we have a dirt pile that would be perfect. If I tunneled through that, it would perfectly accommodate the accommodations you describe.
That would be cool and if you planted berry bushes on top, you and the bunny could both enjoy.
Finally, I can relate to an animal story because I have tons of rabbits in my backyard that stat at me all the time!
Cool.
We like the "checking for predator traffic" picture so well that it's being used for my desktop background. Perfect on full screen!
Looks like lunch to me, LOL I really let the ones on me live so I can watch them, I go on the park and hunt, great photos and as Will said, man I love the desert, dust
We had a bit of fried rabbit now and again when I was growing up--whenever I could sneak away from the house with my .22--but not since then. Surely do understand your "watch 'em in here, shoot 'em out there" practice, though.
Gotta admit about the desert, the numbers and complexity of wildlife = absolutely phenomenal.
Becky Katz Level 8 Commenter 7 months ago
Glad your bunny has made it through the monsoon season. Are you going to give her a bigger home? Maybe a bigger piece of PVC pipe?
On another subject. Check out DrJez, very good stories. Has potential.