Abandoned group of rabbits in Seattle area!

[ThorBunny]

Hi all,

Long time no post! Does anyone have advice on, or if you are in the area, could help with a bunny rescue?? I was walking near my house today (near the SeaTac airport, Seattle WA) and found a group of domestic bunnies running free in a residential area. I don’t think they belong to anyone there, they are somewhat friendly but won’t let me get close to them. I counted at least 5, 3 adults and two adolescents.

I don’t have any experience rabbit trapping, although I am contacting my local shelters. Any help or advice would be much appreciated! I feel so bad that these sweet buns were dumped, they all look fairly healthy and were clearly socialized at one point.

Update on my bun for anyone who remembers me in old posts! Thor is still going strong 🙂 She is now 8 yrs old, had an episode of head tilt but has recovered and still spunky <3

DM me if anyone is in the seattle area and wants to help! I can give you my contact info

[LBJ10]

Hi ThorBunny! Nice to see you! I don’t personally know anyone in Seattle, but I do know that there are a lot of feral domestic rabbits in Washington State. You can probably reach out to local rescues to see if anything is being done to capture this particular pocket of bunnies. Trapping can be difficult. I think they will often set up a pen with the door open and then get the bunnies used to eating free food inside.

[jerseygirl]

Hi ThorBunny! Great to hear Thor is doing well 😊

It’s always frustrating when to hear of these situations.
I know if it were local to me, I’d obsess over their well-being.
Here’s hoping a rescue there has the capacity to take them if they can be trapped. At least it’s not the post Easter period when a lot of rabbits are re-homed.

Have you tried reaching out on local rabbit Facebook, Discord, Reddit etc groups for advice too?

[tobyluv]

There are 4 rescues in Washington, but none are in Seattle.  I don’t know how close any of these are to Seattle, but maybe one can help.

Rivers Wish Animal Sanctuary, Spokane, Washington

Rabbit Haven, Gig Harbor, Washington

Rabbit Meadows Sanctuary – Best Little Rabbit, Rodent & Ferret House, Poulsbo, Washington

Bunanza Rabbit Rescue Ranch and Adoption Center, Lynden, Washington

Country Road Rabbit Rescue, Gig Harbor, Washington

I volunteer at a rabbit sanctuary and these are the instructions we give about catching a rabbit:

There are 2 methods of catching a rabbit.   The best way is the people method, the other way is using a humane trap.   Sometimes a single person can get a rabbit, other times, it takes a small group.  If you can get the rabbit used to you, by feeding it some treats, such as apple slices, banana slices, other fruits, cilantro, parsley, etc.  Then if you are close enough and can grab it, immediately put it in a carrier and secure it.  Rabbits do not like to be held and usually struggle, causing them to be dropped and possibly injured, then they will likely run away and you won’t get another chance.  That’s why you need the carrier at hand and you need to get a firm grasp on them, without hurting them, of course. It may be with a few more encounters with the rabbit, that he lets you get close enough to get him.  If he gets weaker due to malnutrition or possibly gets injured, that also might make him easier to catch.<br aria-hidden=”true” /><br aria-hidden=”true” />

If helpers are needed, you get a few people and surround the rabbit, never chasing it.  It’s good to corral it up against a fence or building or in a garage, then cut off its means of escape.  Sections of an x-pen are good to carry around to cut off exits and keep it contained until you can get it in the carrier.  You could even throw a blanket or quilt over him to slow him down and hopefully get him.   Here is one article that gives some pointers: https://www.columbusrabbit.org/tips-for-catching-a-stray.html

The other method for catching a stray rabbit is to use a Hav-A-Hart trap, baited with apple, banana, pear.  Some Humane Societies will loan out the traps.  The trap has to be closely monitored.  If the rabbit does go in, it can hurt itself from fear or a predator can come upon it.  So you would need to get the rabbit out of the trap and into a carrier as soon as possible.  If you transfer the rabbit from the trap to a carrier inside a house or building, that would be safer, with less chance of the rabbit getting away. You may also catch possums, raccoons or other animals. That’s why we prefer the people method.

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