Found a bunny in our pen

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annabelle00

annabelle00

Well-Known Member
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Mar 23, 2013
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Location
Auckland, New Zealand
I found a stray who came into our empty bunny pen. I can't tell if she's wild or a bunny that was lost or let loose.

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She looks very much like a wild bunny (pointed face, large eyes, ears and nose) but I'm not sure because of her coat pattern :s and she's really friendly and enjoys being petted but is pretty nervous with noises and movements. Doesn't mind being lifted up as long it's done properly. She even comes to greet me at the front.

I saw this video and am not sure if she is wild or domestic - https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=709286522450046

Should I let her go free? I don't really want to keep her caged if she is a wild bunny. We do have cats, dogs and possums... and if she is somebodies then should I wait for them to come for her and if they don't find her a new home?
I definitely can't take care of her as we're moving and have my hands full with Dusky.

She doesn't eat pellets and is pretty cautious with the veggies (but eats them when we're not there), is fine with hay and grass.

:headflick:
 
She is a domestic rabbit. If she seems to be used to human contact, I'd make a reasonable effort at finding her home or rehoming her. Otherwise, I'd let her go. She may have been abandoned at some point and adapted to that lifestyle.
 
she looks like a pet rabbit, well used to people.

even if she isn't used to people, don't let her go.

You don't need to (or him) to procreate and cause trouble for the people in their houses.

It certainly doesn't seem to be alarmed by you, or being in a cage at all. So I'd find that rabbit a home.
 
The rabbits on that video are on an abandoned island in the Sea of Japan where some domesticated rabbits were left on their own. They did what rabbits do and now it's a tourist attraction.

The rabbit you found definitely sounds and looks domesticated to me. I think if you can't keep it you should try to find it's owners, take it to an animal rescue, or find someone who can keep it. The original owners may have set it free, however, which is not an appropriate thing to do to a domesticated rabbit.
 
I have wild rabbits in my yard and they run like the devil from my rabbit house and pens. There is no way a wild rabbit would be sitting that calmly in a pen letting a human take a pic. She is a domestic one that someone let loose and didn't want any more and looks like a real sweetie.

I would not let her loose. She could get pregnant. I would either keep her, or contact a rabbit rescue in your area. The fact that she is warmed up to you and will let you come into contact and pet and touch her shows she is ok with people and you.
I know you said you have one bunny, but she looks so calm and tranquil in that pen it's almost like a second nature to her. One of my rescues Brooke was tossed out in the street to fend for herself and would go around looking for food until animal control picked her up and was going to put her down. If you cannot keep this sweetie, I would contact a rabbit rescue before animal control and if you are forced to I would make certain it was a no kill. If it's not a no kill there would be no way I would take any animal there. I would keep her until I could get her rehomed. That's just too bad someone probably let her go and she appears to have such a sweet temperament from what you are saying.. it's just a shame how people treat animals.

Good luck and please keep us posted with her and if she gets a forever home!

Vanessa
 
Definitely domesticated, and a former pet. A wild rabbit (or a "wild" rabbit with domestic rabbit parents) would not allow you to touch it or get near it.

Don't release her - she will either become pregnant or become food for something, or succumb to the elements. Like cats, domestic rabbits CAN survive outside but they are not really well suited for all climates and although they can survive, it's hard for them.

I would bring her in and rehome her (or keep her!) so she can be a happy indoor bunny!

Also, I'd take down or (open the door of) the pen when it's not in use. Buckets, pens, traps etc can become death traps for animals who get stuck in them if you aren't checking often.
 
Most o the commenting members are from North America. They may not realize that in Europe (and by extension Australia since that's where Australia's wild rabbits came from), the wild rabbit species is the same as that of our domestic rabbits (whereas here in North America we have cottontails that are a different species).

That said, her color pattern does make her look like she's got at least some domestic rabbit in her and if she lets you touch her I'm inclined to think she's a stray rabbit rather than a feral rabbit.
 
missyscove said:
Most o the commenting members are from North America. They may not realize that in Europe (and by extension Australia since that's where Australia's wild rabbits came from), the wild rabbit species is the same as that of our domestic rabbits (whereas here in North America we have cottontails that are a different species).

That said, her color pattern does make her look like she's got at least some domestic rabbit in her and if she lets you touch her I'm inclined to think she's a stray rabbit rather than a feral rabbit.
Click to expand...

Actually I was aware of the fact that the species was introduced in Australia and other species of animals were imported such as deer, etc.. The fact that she went straight for a xpen and her actions straight away said she was a domestic/ house/ pet rabbit that had either been let loose or been lost.

Vanessa
 
Went straight for an x-pen, comes up to a strange human, is ok with being not just pet but *picked up*... it all definitely says "domesticated" to me. I just can't see any wild rabbit being so quick to allow a human to pick them up!

Since you can't keep her yourself, I would find a local rabbit rescue or no-kill shelter to surrender her to (perhaps put up fliers/ask around the neighborhood first if you think she may have slipped out rather than being abandoned).
 
There is a guinea pig rescue that occasionally takes in rabbits and a rabbit boarding that might help. The SPCA does PTS if they aren't able to treat a bunny. Don't know any others...there's one in Wellington which is all the way down the North Island.
I have checked some of the local vets and one is willing to take her in if I can't keep her.

I am in Auckland, NZ but I think it should be the same with the import from the UK as I've read a lot of that on the breeders pages.
 
She was a pet by her acts and actions that was probably turned out. I had a Dutch mix show up in my front yard that belonged to a neighbor on the street behind us. When I asked them about the bunny I'd seen in their backyard, they told me that one of their friends took it--I didn't bother calling them liars and just kept her. She was really sweet and they were gigantic A--holes!
 
That would be awesome! Thanks!

I had Dusky in it that morning/afternoon and had left the food bowl in it and the pen door open... later I went to get it and found her in it. She might have sniffed out the bunny droppings in the grass. That are neighbours all around so someone would have seen....I would hope.
My sister told me today there was another rabbit she saw in a parking lot nearby with similar marks and colour... my guess is that she might be from a litter that was let loose or a domestic bunny that got out and met a wild bunny. :?

NZHopper Group contacted me said they might be able to take her in.
 
Hopefully (or Hop fully, he he...) you guys can track down the other bunny that is lose and get that picked up by NZ Hopper Group as well. That's such a shame someone might have just set a litter lose instead of doing the responsible thing in setting up homes for them...

At least you are doing your part and that is what matters!

Good luck and please keep us posted! I am interested..

Vanessa
 
Dont let her go! Like others said, find her a home. She defintely looks like a domesticated bunny. She could be possibly crossed with a wild bunny, but if she let you touch her & pick her up, to me it seems that she was a one point a pet. Super cute!
 
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