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The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.
› Forum › HOUSE RABBIT Q & A › Three rabbits in need
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. None of them are neutered and they say the two females gang up and attack the male.
Our own rabbit, a dutch named Mordecai, is a very spoiled house rabbit who would not tolerate the other rabbits at all. Plus we’re not sure what he could catch from these other rabbits. So Rabbit 1 (just calling him Ragnar now so we don’t have to call him Rabbit 1), is being kept in the basement in Mordecai’s old cage. We’re washing up well after doing anything for him to avoid any spread of diseases. If it’s true the females attack the male, we’re gonna need to put them in a travel cage or something. This wasn’t planned and we agreed to take them when we realized they desperately needed somewhere to go. We’re going to find a house or rabbit rescue who’ll take them. They’re all lionheads and their fur is full of mud and leaves. We don’t want to stress them too much so we’re gonna have to take it one step at a time.
Any advice is appreciated. The only rabbit we have any experience with is Mordecai.
These poor buns! They are so lucky you’re trying to get them to give them a better life!
Have you contacted a rescue or humane society yet to see if they have any humane traps? That might be helpful if you can’t catch the other two. If you’re in an enclosed space (you said it’s fenced-in) and have some assistance, you can also try using a very large blanket or sheet to drop over the bunny. They tend to stop when they can’t see where they’re headed, this is part of their prey response.
Keep us posted on how this works out! They will be a million times better than how they are living now!
I really don’t have any advice but to contact a local rescue for help but want to wish you good luck and say wonderful of you to do this!
There’s a fence but there’s numerous places they can go through or under the fence. We set up a havahart trap with some fruit and romaine as bait. The one we do have is doing better than I expected and seems to be adjusting. I’ll post some pictures of him later.
Some pictures of the little guy or girl. Still trying to trap the other two.
He/she does not look very old — maybe 6 month? Any way you could get neighbors to help you catch the other two? Those other two may not last much longer with predators around. Too bad there aren’t more people in the world willing do what you’re doing (sometimes I think all the ones who are are right here on BB). Fingers crossed you are able to save the other two.
The guy says he’s had them 6 months, so assuming they were babies when he got them, they’re probably like 7-8 months? I don’t know how long rabbits usually wean.
Oh he’s a beautiful little baby! Good luck with the other two!
Fingers crossed they haven’t mated yet. This situation could get very bad very quickly with three entire mixed gender buns on the loose. Had a similar situation in a local school recently where a few went to several to many in a short space of time.
I know, yikes! Mordecai’s vet is wonderful and has been giving us advice with these lionheads. He says they could do a pregnant spay, though it’s more complex. I’m crossing my fingers too, hopefully they’re not pregnant. I’ve been putting off examining Ragnar to check his/her sex because I don’t want to stress him/her, but once we’ve caught the others, we’re going to make sure to check so we keep the male separate. If they’re not already pregnant, we certainly don’t want them getting pregnant while they’re with us.
I’ve been involved in rescuing some rabbits, and it’s helpful if you have a few people with you. If you can surround the rabbit and close in on it, sometimes that works. Move slowly and try not to chase it – that just makes it run faster. You need to have enough people to try to close off its avenues of escape, or to grasp him if he runs. It can also be helpful to have a couple of sections of an x-pen or several pieces of NIC squares bound together, to make a portable fence to use to block off his escape. If you can back him into a corner or up against a structure, you may be better able to get him that way. It’s already been suggested to have a blanket to throw over him, which is also a good idea. It doesn’t sound like these rabbits would come up to you if you had treats – apple, pear, banana, cilantro, etc. but it would be good to have some with you just in case. Be sure that you have a carrier very near you if someone does grab one or (hopefully) both rabbits. They will almost certainly resist capture and struggle, so you need to place them in a carrier immediately before they escape the rescuer’s grasp.
Any update on the other two?
The trap isn’t working so far, and we’ve made some more attempts at catching them to no avail. We brought a blanket, but haven’t even been able to get close enough to use it.
Poor bunnies. People can be so horrible. Wishing you luck in catching the remaining 2.
Here’s an article that may help:
http://www.columbusrabbit.org/strays.php
We caught the second one. It wasn’t easy, but at least we got him. Looks like he was attacked by the others, and he’s missing chunks of fur. Haven’t seen the third in a few days, starting to wonder if it’s gone.
So sad. But glad you caught another one.
(((((Vibes)))))) for the second bun to get comfy and healthy.
Glad you were able to catch another one. I know its easy for me to sit here and say this, but please don’t give up on the third one just yet. If its still out there its probably terrified and lonely. Hopefully the neighbors will keep an eye out and let you know if they see it. I know you’ve already done so much, more than most would do, but it breaks my heart to think of the last one.
We’re certainly not giving up, I’m just not getting my hopes up.
Fingers crossed for you Sparky04
They’re both getting checked out by Mordi’s vet today. If we find the third, he/she’ll just go separately. We’re keeping rabbit #2 in a travel cage right now, it’s not ideal for long term, but it works for temporary measures. We don’t want to put the two in the same cage, especially since they were fighting amongst each other when they were with their owners. Plus they’re so fluffy, we’re having trouble checking gender and we don’t want to put an intact male and female together.
They were possibly fighting because they weren’t being fed enough. Add that to hormones and you have conflict guaranteed.
The first one we caught will let you pet her sometimes, I always make sure she can move away if she wants to. Anyway, when I ran a hand down her back, I could feel each vertebrae of her spine, I’m guessing she’s pretty underweight. I read pellets are more fattening, so they’ve been getting more pellets than I would normally offer a rabbit. But we’ll ask the vet today.
Alright, so an update. Both buns were checked out today. They’re in good health considering. They’re slightly underweight, but nothing severe, both are female, vet doesn’t think either are pregnant, no bugs, teeth look fine, ears are okay. He brushed the mats out too. He estimates them to be under a year, which is supported by what the owner said. He said Ragnar (the first bun) is coming into heat and that she might get hormonal. We’re calling the first rabbit, Ragnar, and the second rabbit, Morrigan. Figured even though we aren’t keeping them, it’s better than calling them the lionheads.
Sparky you are so great for doing this! Will you be taking them to a rescue?
We’ve emailed a rabbit rescue, but haven’t gotten a response yet. The vet said if they don’t respond in a week, call him and he’ll contact them directly since he’s had dealings with them in the past.
Sounds like you have a great vet!
Things are going well with the rabbits. They’re eating well, though Ragnar doesn’t like timothy hay much. Might try getting some oat hay or something. She loves pellets and greens though. Morrigan is the opposite, she’ll eat pellets or greens but really likes hay. Their personalities seem to be opposite as well. I think Ragnar’s more adventurous and dominant while Morrigan’s more shy and submissive. And I’m not just saying that because Ragnar’s been here a few days longer.
Our neighbor (who we’re on good terms with) says she has a friend who’s interested in one of the rabbits. We’re going to meet the friend and make sure she’s okay, but she says she has a house rabbit already. Which of course means even if she is a good fit, we’ll have to see how the rabbits get along.
Still no sign of bunny #3.
Good luck in catching bunny #3!
An update; good and bad news. Bad news is there’s still no sign of bunny #3. Good news is Morrigan found a home. We talked to the neighbor’s friend I mentioned before. She has house rabbits and was very knowledgeable. Morrigan will have an indoor pen to run about in away from the other rabbits. We told her if it doesn’t work out with Morrigan, we’ll take her back. Not that it seems like this woman would do that, I just don’t want her to end up dumped again.
As for Ragnar, we’re going to try to keep her. I’ve grown quite attached to her. She’ll need to be spayed and then we hope she’ll get along with Mordecai. I know some rabbits apparently decide they hate each other and never get along, but we’ll take it slow and see. But like I said, that’s a while off. She still needs to be spayed.
Oh Sparky that is such great news! Looks like it could be a blessing in disguise as both of these bunnies have found great homes. I’m still holding out hope for the 3rd guy, but in the meantime, this happy news is exciting!
I’ve been really busy with the end of semester work, but quick update. Never saw the male again after that first day, but at least we were able to save two. The sister who went to a new home, named Nibbles, is doing well and they promise to continue sending periodic updates. Ragnar is officially staying and has quickly made herself at home. I’ll add a more detailed update on Ragnar with some pictures after my semester is over.
Thanks for the update! So glad this was a (mostly) happy ending. Do post pictures, we would love to see!
Glad to hear all is well. Yes, pictures please.
› Forum › HOUSE RABBIT Q & A › Three rabbits in need