wild rabbits

[sirfluffyfluffton]

i live in england,i have 2 rabbits they will be 4 in aug 12 (hopefully)i have a query,i sometimes go 4 a walk same area most times i went at the back of these lakes where an old disused railway track is, i sometimes see wild rabbits,but last time i went i couldn't believe my eyes a rabbit white as snow! can wild rabbits be white as snow?? (it looked young) or could it be some crappy owner who couldn't be a$$ed looking after it & released it into the wild 2 fend 4 itself? ty jason

 

[LakeCondo]

I suppose it could be an albino, wild rabbit; but it probably is a feral rabbit, ie one that some idiot just let go. Why don't you see if you can approach it? If so, it'd be good if you told a local rabbit rescue group about it. If not, maybe you can assume it's a wild albino.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

Most likely it is a bunny turned out by someone who couldn't pour urine out of a boot if the were reading the instructions on the underside of the heel.

 

[Barley N. Hopps]

Dumping bunnies is a common practice in our area because of our mild climate. Fools seem to think that their domesticated buns will survive just fine if let go into their "natural habitat". Well, some do, most don't. If they aren't struck down by cars, caught by dogs or cats, hawks or eagles (which we have plenty of too), they get sick, or poisoned by infuriated gardeners. It's rare that you'll see the same feral bunny in the neighbourhood for a full year.

I agree with LakeCondo in calling a local rescue. A white rabbit won't last long in the wild. It's a very visible target.

 

[sirfluffyfluffton]

we are in a recession in uk,but to think some pos could leave a small rabbit to fend for itself is despicable imo,i must say when i saw the white rabbit it was with a wild rabbit,then next time i looked it was alone,i wouldn't try to catch it cause in uk we have myxomatosis & other diseases which i could accidentally give my pets,,but the white rabbit sticks out like a saw thumb (for hunters etc)i wish it all the best,& i hope the people who discarded it in the woods,rot in hell!! it makes me sick

 

[pla725]

I would let the local RSPCA know about the rabbit. Perhaps they can catch it.

 

[sirfluffyfluffton]

i went up the lakes today around the back saw the same white rabbit (white as snow) he was tagging along with 3 or 4 other wild rabbits,i fear a hunter will shoot him/her hope not but he does stick out like a sore thumb..i will contact the rspca doubt they would be interested , i think they will say its common unfortunately but i'm going to try anyway...i can't catch him cause he might be diseased & infect my healthy pets & kill them..he seems ok around the other wild animals..jason

 

[tamsin]

It maybe a pet, or it maybe a descendant of a pet. The UK wild rabbits and domestic rabbits are the same species and can interbreed. There are a few wild populations with a lot of black or white members - presumably where a pet bunnies has mixed.

Although you do get a bit of natural variation, some places the wild bunnies have white markings on their head/faces. The only way to tell is body type and behaviour. If it's living mixed in with wild, you can't get near it and the body shape is the same it is less likely to be a domestic.

I'd call the RSPCA and report it, that way if anyone is missing a bun they'll be able to track it.

 

[sirfluffyfluffton]

I went up the pet shop yesterday i wanted a soft brush 4 my pet,& looked at the rabbits & said 2 the staff where are the white rabbits (brother & sister) oh she said they were sold 4 wks ago, (2 more cute 1's there now) next day i went up the lakes & saw a white rabbit on its own this time, last time was tagging along with a few wild rabbits,anyway it was about 6-7-8 yds away from me in the foliage,so i had a good look at it,i have a good memory & when the 2 white 1's were at the pet shop they were segregated cause they fought a lot, i'm now thinking that the buyers bought both & they fought a lot then abandoned 1 of them in the woods,the pet shop to the woods is about half a mile,i have 2 pets & i don't want 3,, there's a old saying 2's company 3 is a crowd,but i worry about mixy & other diseases the white rabbit might have,other wise i might try & catch it,theres a chap who lives close to the area i am talking about he says its common 2 see rabbits abandoned here i've lived here 60 yrs,he told me he has seen many times a white rabbit with brown spots near his house (not the 1 i'm talking about) but anyway the white 1 is still ok looks fit & hopefully will stay fit (touch wood) but being white as snow sticks out like a saw thumb..if hunters are around its death but gl anyway..

 

[sirfluffyfluffton]

not seen him lately the uk winter has not been brutal but i fear he/she is dead,i had a good look around the area didn't see him this was last week in fact i didn't see one rabbit wild or tame must be the time of the year..