How can I turn my backyard into an animal habitat?
Question:I live in Houston, TX so the weather must be taken into consideration. I have a large, grassed, fenced backyard. I want to make it inviting for rabbits and birds. We already have birdfeeders and bird baths. If I bought rabbits and set them loose in my backard and provided them with tunnels and food, would they survive? Or will they be killed by the neighborhood cats? And its way too hot for them in TX isn't it? I don't want them to be uncomfortable.
Answers:
One of the best ways isn't going to be pleasing to your neighbors, and that is letting the lawn go. In other words don't mow it.
Seriously you can have sections of the back lawn you don't mow and plant dense shrubs. Along with that you'll need a food and water source. If it's rabbits you want you need a type that typical around TX. Grown rabbits aren't disturbed too much by an average cat, but a cat may go after the rabbit babies, but they're rabbits they have lots and lots of those.
I watch a program on satellite about backyard habitat and they say you need food , water shelter and a place to raise their young . Considering getting the rabbits I would not do that because the rabbit's you can buy a not wild rabbits and they would not survive . It would be best to start with something easy like wild birds .Besides rabbits multiply very fast and soon you would have to many rabbits and they would get sick from over population
try to grow any types of fruit trees suitable for your towns weather., some plants, you need cacti, they grow big and it's part of your weather's nature. have a lots of stones on the grown making little caves for animal's refugee also some old unused pipes, get some dry logs and scatter them around, some sand, dirt, lawn, wood chips, pebbles, rocks, as ground. plant some carrots, cabbage, root vegetables, scatter pieces of fruit around, add some rabbits, some birds, you can also add turtles, ... little bit of everything and soon you will have a garden to be envied! good luck
Bless you for caring about wildlife! You have already done many favors for wildlife, including food and water. Do not attempt to introduce non-native rabbits into your backyard; they will either suffer or will become a nuisance. You should work on providing food, water, and habitation for your native wildlife; you will be surprised at what wildlife you already have back there.
Please go to http://www.nwf.org/backyard/index.cfm... to read about making your backyard attractive to both wildlife and your neighbors! My backyard is a certified wildlife habitat and very little time and expense was involved.
Again, thank you for caring about wildlife!
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