Runaway Bun

[HerbGarden]

Alright, I’m new to this site and I’m not sure if I’m posting in the right place, so I apologize if this isn’t the right forum.

My rabbits are in a outdoor pen. About a month ago my mama bunny (daddy has since been neutered) gave birth and the babies just came out of the burrow she dug yesterday. We are sure there are seven because we’ve seen her dig them up to nurse. This morning my step dad saw a baby outside of the pen and put it back. We’ve been having heavy rain and the area around the burrow was flooding, so we had to dig out some dirt to drain it. We thought that all the babies were out except for one, so we dug it up, but mama kept sniffing around and trying to bury the den again. I dug it out and there wasn’t anything in there.
Our property has a lot of plant life and great places for a baby to hide. We’ve searched everywhere and can’t find it at all. I just want to know if there’s anything we can do to encourage it to come back, or if it will at all.

TL;DR: Baby rabbit escaped outdoor pen; looking to see if there are ways to encourage it home or if it’s gone forever

[Deleted User]

I’m not trying to sound mean, but why don’t they have a hutch if they’re outdoors? Especially for weather like heavy rain. Could you clarify if I’m wrong? A predator could have even gotten to it. If it could get out, something could also probably get in too.

[HerbGarden]

They have a hutch It’s not very large since we originally only had two rabbits (thought they were both girls- even got a vet to check them out and confirm- I’m sure the rest is obvious haha).
This morning we dug up the burrow again and shined a flashlight down, the baby was in a tiny tunnel hiding. I guess he’s pretty shy because he won’t come out at all even though the rest are hopping around and exploring

[Deleted User]

Sounds like this bunny is taking his chances in the burrow rather than coming out and being at risk from predators. Isn’t there anywhere a little safer that these bunnies can be. Somewhere that is sheltered from the rain, safely covered from predators and doesn’t allow the bunnies to get outside the pen. Also if your female is digging burrows it would be quite easy for her to dig her way out of the pen. This may put her at risk of escaping aswell as the babies and they may not make their way back. Sounds like there are a number of measures that need to be taken here to keep them safe.

[tobyluv]

It’s much safer for rabbits to be inside. If they are outside, they have to be in a totally predator proof enclosure. That’s a pen that is enclosed on all sides, including the bottom, so that they can’t dig out, and nothing can dig in to get them. A structure like that is not easy for a homeowner to make. If there is a way for your rabbits to dig out, they will, and they will not be safe from all the things that can harm them.

[HerbGarden]

(Really) late reply so not sure if anyone will see, but thanks for responding with info 🙂 We made them a bigger hutch and their pen fence is buried underground. We’re bringing them all in at night so they’re not cold. There aren’t really any predators where we live but they’re still small enough for an owl or something. Fun surprise: We thought there were only seven bunnies, but when the baby came out of the burrow there was a surprise eighth that just sorta appeared.. haha

[Bam]

Thanks for the update!

[Author]

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