Wild or Domestic?

[MimzMum]

Does anyone here know enough about wild rabbits to be able to weigh in on a question I have?

This afternoon, my husband called me to tell me he’s seen bunny tracks around the porch area of our museum, which has been closed down for the winter. This is the same place that Mimzy and his two friends were left over a year and a half ago.

Would wild rabbits choose the underside of a building that they might feel is deserted to live in during the cold months? Or is this more likely another idiot human having dropped off more poor house bunnies to ‘fend for themselves?’

We still use the other two buildings on the property and frequent the area on a daily basis. He is going to watch to see if any domestic looking rabbits should appear and if this turns out to be the case, well, we’re going to have to find some way to catch them and probably they’ll be taken to the shelter. If they’re truly wild rabbits, we’ll just leave them be.

Opinions please?

[bunnytowne]

Hmm you know I really dont’ have any idea.  Yeah I agree with your hubby keep an eye out.  You just never know do you.  Poor buns. I hope no one dumped one again.

[Hedi]

We always have cottontails in our yard almost all the time. We have a small shed that is between our house and garage. It is about 10ft from our back porch and another 20ft from our garage. They actually dug a good sized opening to crawl under our small shed. They typically go from under our shed to our neighbors yard that is a straight shot from the shed. THey have also dug a small opening under the nieghbors strange plastic porch attached to garage.

I have never seen any “rabbit holes” people talk about. We always have bunnies in our yards and it seems to be moms coming to have babies and then the babies hang out and have babies. So they are never the same buns. Their markings are similar but I am so obsessed with them I spend a lot of time “talking” to them when I see them outside. lol Even my husband talks to them. lol

The rabbits probably may or may not know the building is deserted. If it isn’t noisey and free of predators like our yard then I imagine the museum is a great place for them to live.

I truely believe our wild buns know we wont bother them so that is why they keep coming back. They aren’t fearful of us but at the same time if we try to get closer than about 10ft then they will run. But they have no problem letting us talk to them when they are out.

You said that Mimzy was found there. Do you think a domestic bun would know where to go? Typically our domestic buns have no idea how to survive outside unless they have been out for awhile.

[LittlePuffyTail]

Sorry I can’t help you out but be sure to keep us update! I’m really hoping it’s not another abandon case.

[MimzMum]

Okay guys, thanks for the ideas. Yes, when Mimzy and the two REW’s were dropped there, they figure out right away that under the museum was a safe place and they would stay there at night and we’d see them out and about during the day. But that was in summer, with all the snow and temps going below 0 here now, I worry that a domestic wouldn’t survive long and it would be better if I can get them at least to a shelter if necessary.
I would think that a wild bun would be deep in his winter warren by now and huddled up against his mates hibernating. We rarely see the local ferals in the snow, mostly because of their winter pelts, but also because it’s just too cold for a bun to be out there. Does anyone know anything about jackrabbits/snowshoes and how they pass the winters?

Believe it or not, kind of OT, but we actually have a form of toad up here (or frog) that you only see once the temps reach a certain level in summer. The rest of the year they are deep in the frozen mud in some kind of cryogenic coma and only begin to emerge when warm weather hits. It’s the weirdest darned thing to see! 0_o

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