Hey everyone, I was mowing my lawn today and I spotted two baby bunnies. One scurried out of my fenced yard when I stopped the mower, while the other squeezed between some rocks by my pool. Later on, I discovered two baby bunnies dead near our peach tree. I'm really worried that I might have caused their deaths, and it's making me really upset. I feel terrible if it was my fault, but I also wonder if they were just scared and maybe had heart attacks or something. They were old enough to run, but I can't help second-guessing myself. I didn't see any signs of them being hurt by the mower, and my mower deck is set pretty high. Any reassurance or honest thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
4 Answers
I've heard from a wildlife rehab expert that sometimes rabbits can just die from stress, like if they're startled. You're being really caring by worrying about this, and it shows your heart for animals. Don't beat yourself up about what happened; these things happen sometimes.
It's quite common for rabbits to freeze in situations when they're scared. The ones you saw might have run, but the others could have just frozen out of fear. It happens more than you think; people can unintentionally harm wildlife. Just keep looking for them and remember that they often have multiple litters in a season!
It's tough to say for sure, but sometimes rabbits can die from stress. I know it sounds harsh, but a loud noise like a mower can really startle them. You're not at fault here! Maybe next time try stomping around a bit or making some noise before mowing to encourage them to leave the area.
I'll definitely do that next time! I usually keep an eye out for them since they like to hide in our yard a lot. Just had a bad day trying to keep them safe, you know?
I find going out and looking around before mowing helps. Mowers can be sudden noise that stresses them out.
Don’t feel bad about it; you're not childish at all for caring! I had a similar incident with ducks crossing the road and couldn't shake it for a long time. You're not alone in worrying about animals when it comes to lawn care!
Thanks for the kind words! I really care about animals, so it’s just hard to process.