Here comes Peter Cotton Tail...

Last summer we had a few rabbits in our yard and they were very cute. Jenelle enjoyed the bunnies and she liked to chase them around the yard. I also thought they were cute and cuddly. Flash forward to this summer. Those cute cuddly rabbits have multiplied and now they are eating all my flowers and digging up my yard and garden. I don't think they are so cute anymore.

Here are some interesting rabbit facts for you.

Cottontail rabbits of one sort or another are found in every state in the U.S., as far north as southern Canada and south into Central America. Wild rabbits live an average of 2 years. Full grown, they typically weigh 2 to 3 pounds and are less than 12" long.

In early spring, cottontails begin to reproduce. A female rabbit can produce three or four litters a year, with four to six young in each litter. Over a period of five years, a single pair of cottontails and their kin would number around 350,000. (Yikes!)

Wild rabbits are vegetarians. Their diet is 90% grass. They will eat almost any type of vegetable in the summer. Grasses, broadleaf weeds, garden crops, beans, peas, cabbage and lettuce are all foods of choice. In the winter wild rabbits will eat tree buds, twigs and bark. (There goes the garden.)

This summer I'm on a crusade to make my yard look a little nicer. The front yard is very pretty, but the back yard needs a little TLC. I bought some perennials and they were looking very nice. Until the rabbits ate them down to a nubbin.

I've talked to a few people about our rabbit issue and the responses have been very interesting. One friend thought I shouldn't do anything. Keep the rabbits cause their cute. One friend said she'd lone me her BB gun. She got rid of all her rabbits that way. Grandma Shirley recommended rabbit repellent from Lowes. I decided to go the expensive route and get the $55 live trap.

I caught my first rabbit today. I put in lettuce and apples in the trap. Jenelle and I watched the little guy hop right in. He was a cutie. When we got home later that afternoon, the mommy bunny was hovering near the trap. It was a little sad to see the mommy keeping the trapped bunny company. We decided to release him down by Chatfield arboretum. It's a nice state park. We found an area that was pet free so little bunny won't have to worry about any dogs chasing him.

One down! About 8 more or so to go.

Update: I caught 2 more yesterday.