Resourceful wild animals

[gbk]

Like many of us,we got a big pile of snow.

The snow is creating a berm in front of my house,where my furnace /water heater piping exits then house.Snow is removed though to a safe distance from them pipes.
The two hot air exhaust created a cave .Right beside the cave is a cedar tree,creating overhead protection .

A wild rabbit lives on my property -mostly under my shed.But with the thick snow blocking access to the space under the shed-the rabbit needed housing solution.There is a smallish ledge created by nature (and the rabbit ) beside the cedar tree.So-my friend made this his/hers new home.Day after day,the rabbit spends the night in relative warmth,on a cozy and very much protected snow ledge
Ingenious.

Lets start some conversation.Share your experiences about wild animals being resourcefull and doing thing outside of their natural habits/habitat.

[fishfood]

I left my garden open and have been tossing all my scrap fresh veggies in it. The rabbits poop all over and hopefully it acts as a natural fertilizer lol. What ever is left overit can compost into the foundation when I till it up.

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[finsfurfeathers]

Still have one apple tree that needs pruning. Been holding off till we get these conditions. As now when I drop the branches pretty sure the cottontails will have 'em cleaned up and no need to pickup and bundle them.

[Birdbuff]

Cottontails have been wreaking havoc on my fruit trees and berries. I burlap led them in the fall with 3 feet's worth. Unfortunately for me, we have almost 3 feet of snow, so the rabbits are able to browse the lower branches and upper canes. I have dug moats around and blocked ways into my yard, but they are cunning adversaries and find ways to get in.

I'd appreciate any trapping suggestions.

[dean.f]

I pruned my crab apple tree that's very overgrown and within a day or 2 the rabbits set up residence in the branches and stopped chewing all of my perennials in the front garden. It gave me an idea, so I made a couple of brush piles in the back where the resident coyote has been hunting for them nightly and gave them a bit of sheltered food. I can't believe how quickly a couple of cottontail can devour soft branches, and I think the coyote finally gave up as I haven't had him or the fox on camera for over a week. Maybe just a coincidence though since the last dumping of snow over the weekend.

[swampsinger]

I can think of two examples of

[Bigburndogg]

that rabbit is clever making its own little snow cave! I once saw a squirrel stash nuts under my porch when the snow blocked its usual spots.

[Gilroy]

Snapping turtles and painted turtles, take a last breath in the late fall, dive to the bottom of the lake and dont use their lungs for another 5 months. They breath thru another part of the body, mostly the butt area.