Thank you for providing some shelter and hay for him!

I would rescue the poor thing! Like you say, it is in constant danger from predators, as well as the risk of getting ill from being wet/cold/stressed.

It’s very kind that you don’t want to upset the potential child who owns it, but honestly I think it would teach them a good lesson. If you can’t look after your pet appropriately then you don’t deserve it. Of course, ultimately it’s the parents responsibility, but this bunny shouldn’t suffer because of their lack of care.

Not to mention the alternative option of him not even having an owner and perhaps having found a carrot patch or eating seeds left out for birds etc! (I may be giving him Watership Down levels of resourcefulness here )

I’m not very seasoned, but I have been in a similar situation. I captured the rabbit. I had some qualms about it, I even conferred with my psychologist when the rabbit had been with me for a couple of years. He said: What would have happened if you hadn’t captured the rabbit? I said: Oh, he would be dead, of course. My psychologist laughed, I interpreted it as he thought my rabbit was better off with me than dead.

Rabbits don’t live long lives in the wild. A year is normal. Hence the intense baby-making.

The rabbit I caught was named Yohio, he was free roam in half of my apt (the other half belonged to my other bun, because my bonding attempts failed miserably). He passed away before he was 4 years old (he was young when I caught him so his age was a rough estimate). He slept at the foot end of my bed. He made me pet him with my foot when I sat at my writing desk (which I do a lot). I loved him, but did I deprive him of something greater – the ability to roam free and fend for himself in God’s nature (albeit in a town, but with plenty of wild rabbits in it)? Is that in itself an idiotic romantic notion that only humans can think up?

Yohio had misaligned jaws, most likely congenital and a result of thoughtless breeding, according to a good vet, so he needed his molars trimmed. In nature he’d have starved to death if he hadn’t been caught by a predator or run over by a car or fallen victim to one of the rabbit viruses that afflict rabbits in Europe before that. I could never have caught a wild rabbit, meaning Yohio didn’t have the full set of survival skills that wild rabbits have. (He simply wasn’t wary enough).

I hope other members will give you more input. (ETA: Didn’t see S&L has replied, they posted while I was writing my reply).  I’ll ask forum leader LBJ to the thread, she has wildlife rehab experience.

ETA 2: I’m very happy to hear Autumn is well  

I agree you should catch the bunny, at least until you find any possible owner. Try putting it on facebook, or something like that, that you found a rabbit.

The lines become blurred in areas where wild rabbits are the same species as domestic rabbits. Just because a rabbit seems friendly doesn’t mean it isn’t wild or feral. There are feral cats that seem friendly toward people who feed them, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t feral. If this is a wild rabbit, then it is better to let nature take its course. In general, wild animals do not belong in captivity. If they are injured, they can be captured and rehabbed, but then they must be released (or placed somewhere if they cannot be released). That being said, if you feel that this rabbit is domestic, then it is best to capture it because domestic animals do not belong in the wild.

Capture the rabbit, bring it to a vet, assess it, see how it behaves, etc. If at that time it appears to be a wild animal and is healthy, then the right thing to do would be to release it. If it appears to be domestic or has health issues, then it should be placed in a home.

Hi AD

It’s nice to hear from you and im happy to read you are looking out for this stray.

I see you mentioned if you do capture the bun, you intend to get it checked out for viruses etc. One that concerns me is RHDV2 as the incubation period for this is different and there is still a lot that is not known about it. For rabbits that have passed from this, a sample of their liver is sent away to confirm it was cause of death. I do not know if there is a simple blood test to confirm in in a living rabbit.  Some rabbits can survive this version if the virus but onset of disease is more prolonged then we see with RHDV1. So, that said, I would make certain Autumn is protected against Myx, RHVD1 and 2 if she is not already.

My other thought with this stray is there is a possibility it is an intact, lactating female. So if you are sucessful in capturing it, please do check for teats. It should be quite obvious if it is indeed a Mum. If that is the case, i would leave it be incase it is going off to feed kits somewhere. But Id certainly keep an eye on it and for babies that would start appearing, if at all. Id then rally up some helpers to try secure all the rabbits. Fingers crossed that it isnt an lactating or pregnant female! It would be unusual for this time of year in the northern hemisphere, but….rabbits are rabbits!

Do you think you could get a photo of it and start to ask around online or even drop some leaflets to neighbours to see if the owner is around?

Just putting in my 5-cents worth (inflation) but in my experience, if the bun is a domestic breed, it should not be left out to fend for itself. Nuts to the child who might think he own it. Also, nursing moms are rarely plump. But it’s a possibility that should definitely be explored. It was a good kind thing you did, AD, placing the glass & food.

I seriously doubt BB will load again soon, so if someone could message me on Insta with any developments, I would super appreciate it. I recently helped try to catch a fluffle of dumped and very skittish buns here this winter and it just about broke my heart to see what they had been reduced to.