Unexpectedly fostering 3 rabbits

[Mordecai]

There's someone on our street who has three rabbits. They were kept in a tiny outside hutch until the hutch broke and the rabbits escaped. The people didn't bother recapturing the rabbits and now they run loose, though they prefer to stay near their yard. There's a chainlink fence but it certainly doesn't hold them. There's so many hawks in our area I'm almost surprised they're all still okay. To make matters worse, the family is moving in one week and the rabbits are just going to be left behind. So we're taking them for now. The rabbits aren't socialized and it's not going to be easy to capture them. Yesterday we went over and were only able to capture one. We need to go back today with a trap or net to catch the other two.

They say there's one male and two females and that the male is tamer and more docile. So I'm assuming the one we were able to catch with our hands is the male, though we haven't checked yet since we don't want to stress him/her too much.

We already have a house rabbit, a dutch named Mordecai. He's very spoiled, very sweet, and very rabbit aggressive. We're keeping Rabbit 1 (calling him Ragnar just so we don't have to call him Rabbit 1), in Mordecai's old cage. I'm not sure how many things Mordecai could catch from him, but we're keeping Ragnar seperate and are making sure to wash up well. So the plan is to catch the other two and then start looking for a home for them. Or maybe a rabbit rescue. They're lionheads and their fur is much fluffier than Mordecai's. And there's mud and leaves stuck in their fur so that's gonna be fun to clean up.

Anyway, any advice is appreciated. Thank you.

 

[fluffybuns]

Wow, that sounds about right. Some people really suck! I'd say your definitely within your rights to do what your doing there.
Whatever you decide to do, I would suggest keeping them completely quarantined from your bun until you can be sure they are not contagious.
Are you planning to keep the bunnies? If so you will need to make the necessary accommodations before attempting to bond them with your bun. If you can't find a responsible family for them yourself...
Visit your local humane society and look into the protocol for surrendering rabbits. I know that may sound like a bad thing but humane societies are almost always the better option. They ensure that their animals and all spayed and neutered, vet checked and properly cared for, housing is cleaned daily, nutritious food and clean water daily, and they won't let just anyone adopt, there's a fee and an application process to ensure that these buns are going to a good home.

 

[hamsterdance]

Another option is to contact a small animal rescue if you have one in your area. Even if you would like to be the one to foster them while waiting for their forever homes, the rescue can always post photos/info about them on their websites so that more people are aware that they are looking for homes. If you're in Wisconsin I know a few if you are interested!