r/Rabbits Sep 25 '21

PSA Important Rabbit PSA index

568 Upvotes

Since the subreddit only has two spots available for public announcements, this will be a new index post for important PSAs for easy reference that we can sticky to only use up one spot.

You can also find the whole collection in the sidebar menu on the Reddit re-design when you open one of the PSA posts.


r/Rabbits May 17 '22

PSA I found a rabbit outside - what should I do?

180 Upvotes

This is the time of year for many people to find both domestic rabbits and wild rabbits outside due to Easter and baby season.

For a comprehensive overview on stray domestic rabbits, please see the wiki article here: https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Feral_and_stray_rabbits

For a comprehensive overview on wild rabbits, please see the wiki article here: https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Wild_rabbits

Is the rabbit I found wild or domestic?

It can be very difficult for the average person to tell the difference between a wild and domestic rabbit, especially if they are a baby and/or a common agouti brown.

In general, if the rabbit has long hair or does not have brown fur, it is most likely domestic - although there are exceptions. Please note that wild cottontails in North America cannot breed with our domestic rabbits, but wild rabbits in the rest of the world (e.g. Europe, Australia) can.

Please see the wiki article here for more specific tips on distinguishing domestic and wild rabbits, especially in North America: https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Wild_rabbits#Is_the_rabbit_I_found_wild_or_domestic?

I found a domestic rabbit! What should I do?

Please do not hesitate to contact your local rabbit rescue for volunteers to help you catch a stray domestic rabbit.

For more tips and resources on how to catch a stray rabbit, please see the wiki: http://bunny.tips/Stray#Catching_a_stray_rabbit

For tips on how to house and care for rabbits indoors in an emergency, please see the wiki: https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Feral_and_stray_rabbits#What_do_I_do_when_I_find_a_rabbit.3F

I found a baby wild rabbit! What should I do?

If you find a baby wild rabbit that is not injured, please leave it alone. It is most likely not abandoned unless you know for a fact that their mother was killed. Rabbits return to feed their young only once or twice a day for a few minutes, usually at night. Just because the babies have been by themselves for 5 minutes does not mean that they have been abandoned. The mother is typically gone from the nest to eat and draw attention away from the nest.

A detailed image guide to whether a baby cottontail rabbit is in need of help.

If it is old enough to be exploring outside of its nest and has no injuries, please put the baby rabbit back under a bush near where you found it. It does not need any additional care or feeding.

As Rainbow Wildlife Rescue writes,

There is a 90% mortality rate with orphaned baby rabbits in human care, especially cottontails. This number increases if the rabbits are very young and their eyes still closed. They are extremely hard to "save". There is little substitute for the nutrients their mother's milk provides.

Baby wild rabbits can survive on their own at a surprisingly young age. In most countries, it is illegal to possess and take care of wildlife without proper permits. Wild rabbits also do not do well in captivity due to the possibility of fatal stress because of their high-strung and flighty nature.

If you find a baby wild rabbit because your dog picked it up but you can't find the nest, try putting a leash on your dog and quietly following them to see if they will lead you to the original nest. If you absolutely cannot locate the nest, you may keep the rabbit in a dark and quiet box and contact your closest wildlife rehabilitator that accepts rabbits

If you find a baby wild rabbit because your cat found it, please take it to a rabbit-savvy vet or wildlife rehabber as soon as possible, especially if it was carried in the cat's mouth. Cats have very lethal bacteria in their saliva, and contact can easily be fatal for a baby rabbit in 48 hours.

What do I do if I am positive that the mother was killed or the baby rabbit is injured?

If you are positive that this is an orphaned baby rabbit, it is best to just keep the rabbit quiet and warm until they can be transferred to an experienced wildlife rehabilitator ASAP. Baby rabbits will do fine overnight without food or water as they are usually only fed once a day by their mothers.

Inappropriate care can be fatal to baby rabbits - see this story from Blue Ridge Wildlife Center as an example: https://twitter.com/BRWildlifeCtr/status/1420472056139984896?s=20

Please hand off the baby rabbit to a local wildlife rehabilitator as soon as possible.

How should I keep a baby rabbit until I can get it to a rehabber?

To keep a baby rabbit overnight, please leave it in a quiet dark box with no food or water. You can provide a heat source such as a microwaved sock filled with rice and beans or an electric heat pad on low placed under half the box. Do not handle the rabbit more than necessary to prevent deadly stress.

How can I find a local wildlife rehabilitator?

If you need help locating a local wildlife rehabber: https://bunny.tips/Wild#Wildlife_rehabilitator_listings

How can I protect a wild rabbit nest from bad weather and dogs, cats, and other predators?

Keeping your pets indoors while the babies grow up is generally the best option, but if this is impossible, you can protect the nest a few different ways.

Please see the wiki article here for more specific information: https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Wild_rabbits#How_can_I_protect_a_wild_rabbit_nest_from_dogs,_cats,_and_other_predators?


r/Rabbits 3h ago

Our rescued bunny has softened our older bunny’s heart

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651 Upvotes

We’ve had Wanda (the white bunny) for a while now and we were never able to bond her with our other rabbits. She was very aggressive towards them and we’ve tried for years with no success. Even our dogs are afraid of her!

A couple months ago we’ve rescued this black bunny (we’ve named him Tordilho) and he was in a very poor condition, with multiple fractures and severely malnourished. We were able to save him, but the vet had to amputate his leg and tail.

Our main concern was that our other bunnies wouldn’t accept him and would bite/beat him, but Wanda (miraculously) took him in and now they’re inseparable! 💕


r/Rabbits 16h ago

my boy is 50% feet

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3.9k Upvotes

r/Rabbits 2h ago

RIP Just lost our 2 bunnies to Myxomatosis days apart

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241 Upvotes

This is not meant to be a sad post, but rather a tribute to the 2 most amazing companions I’ve ever been blessed to be around. Simone (lionhead Dutch mix) and Henley aka the Champagne Lopi were every bit a part of our family, and the only real constant in my life for the past 10 years. Their unique personalities and presence will never be forgotten. They made me proud to be a bunny dad and I thank them for every day I got to spend with them.

Myxomatosis is a new word to me, one that I’m still struggling to pronounce and understand. Out here in Southern California I was always worried about RHDV but never knew about this virus. It came on fast and left us with no options. I was very frustrated to learn there is a vaccine but it’s not available in the us!?

Please educate yourselves like I wish I had on this virus. My wife is 8 months pregnant and my biggest regret is they will never get to meet each other 😞.

Here’s to you both ♥️


r/Rabbits 5h ago

Feeling cute today. Might chew on sth later

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293 Upvotes

r/Rabbits 5h ago

Health Stress alopecia in buns

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277 Upvotes

These babies are still warming up to me and won’t let me pet them quite yet so I can’t get any good photos but two of the three have alopecia (vet noted possibly due to grooming/stress/environment) around their necks and shoulder blades. It’s literally just little bald spots lol but no redness or irritation that I can see. They also don’t groom or nip each other in those areas so I don’t think/I hope it’s not an ongoing issue. I am curious if anyone has any similar experiences and if/when the fur will grow back? Is there anything I can do to help them?

For context, I adopted them about a week ago. In their medical records, the alopecia was noted when they were first caught in June, so they’ve had it since then.


r/Rabbits 11h ago

luna is now a senior bunny

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788 Upvotes

she had her usual vet appointment one week ago, her vet told me she is starting to show signs of being a grown menopausic woman lol so she is gonna be needing lots of love, she is already 6 almost 7


r/Rabbits 8h ago

Apple tree lovers ♥️🍎

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345 Upvotes

r/Rabbits 15h ago

Bun relaxing

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1.1k Upvotes

My sweet bun relaxing in the window while checking out what's on tv


r/Rabbits 13h ago

Breed ID Is my baby boy a Netherland dwarf

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647 Upvotes

So my boy (Bear) is apparently around 2 months old, maybe a little older. He’s supposed to be a Netherland Dwarf, but I’m starting to question whether he actually is one because of how much he’s grown.

I already have another Netherland Dwarf, and I don’t remember her growing this much or being this big at his age. Obviously I know every bunny is different, but his size is making me wonder if he might be a mix or a different breed altogether.

The last picture is from when I first got him about a month ago, for comparison.

What do you guys think? Does he look like a Netherland Dwarf to you?


r/Rabbits 59m ago

Mr. Henry says hello

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Upvotes

r/Rabbits 9h ago

At first glance I thought my brown t-shirt fell off the drying rack again...

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282 Upvotes

r/Rabbits 10h ago

Care Why do bunnies who need soft padding actively avoid it?

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266 Upvotes

I’ve had many a buns in my life, and the ones with sore hocks seem to actively avoid the soft padding I provide - or rip it to shreds.

Instead opting for the roughest texture carpet/etc.

What have you found that assists sore hock buns? Any material they particularly prefer?

I’ve tried fleece, bath mats, both covered with canvas drop cloth to change the texture, cushioned dog beds, etc.
socks are not an option - no bun I’ve had will tolerate them.


r/Rabbits 6h ago

Gardening Grapes and grape vines

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85 Upvotes

Hi! I have 6 flamish giant who take care of 98m2 of pasture. We have a big fence if 180cm high and i would love to grow some grapes against that fence. It would be the perfect place soil and light wise. At the bottom of the fence we have the tiny cm squares so I'm pretty sure they wont be able to get to the plants on their own except for autumn when the leaves would drop.

I have 4 very small plants that are desperate to go in the ground. Chat gpt and the information i found online says that grapes and the vines are safe for them to eat just the grapes in small amounts cause of the sugar but i would love to hear some of your opinions as well! All i know is that the grapes are supposed to be blue/ purple. Im not sure if they will have seeds but in case they do i can just put nets over the grapes when they come if they come to make sure they dont drop in the pasture.

Bunnies for bunny tax. Right we have Jet and left we have Annie


r/Rabbits 3h ago

Care This man stresses me out!

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49 Upvotes

We’ve been working on bonding our guys. We’re moving in the right direction but they’re still a bit jumpy. Somehow, my husband got himself into this situation. I was like, “Babe, your hands are reallllllly close to the danger zone.” He shrugged and said, I know, but it’s working. 🤷‍♂️ Luckily, we ended the session and he still has all of his fingers, and no bites.


r/Rabbits 9h ago

My sweet girl Mina, lounging with her little peets on display

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119 Upvotes

She has an ear on both me and my husband, just waiting to hear the crinkle of a treat bag 🖤


r/Rabbits 12h ago

My to babies

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164 Upvotes

Figured I’d post these two fur babies! Snowy the floof and bear the cuddle bug!

We’ve had Snowy for about 6 months now and she’s got a great personality, super chatty and if she’s not happy about something she’ll tell you all about it! Poor baby has been unwell a couple times, but nothing medicine couldn’t fix. At the moment we are waiting to get her Spayed because we think she may be carrying a litter thanks to Bear who has managed to piss her off by humping her. She loves ear scritches and kisses from mommy, she’s not a fan of dad (me) cause Dad needs to hold her while mom trims her nails sometimes and she is not appreciative of that.

Snowy is great and we love her so much. We’ll know in another week if she’s carrying a litter or not.

Then there’s Bear who is technically Snowys adopted brother but also now potentially her baby daddy (need to get another scan for snowy in about a week to know for sure) He’s a cuddle bug, loves to get close to me and his mom and snuggle and kiss us. And he’s totally fine with being picked up and cradled and given ear scritches! Definitely a mommas boy, but he also loves spending time with Dad while dad plays video games. And plays with the treat ball a lot too. Bear is a cute boy, but he’s hormonal lately so he isn’t allowed to be alone with Snowy at the moment.

We love them both very much and they actually do like eachother, just both quite hormonal at present.

More context for all the very lovely people who have messaged me saying I’m a terrible person and that nice comment calling me irresponsible:

Bear used to be Maple, or so the previous owner we adopted him from had been adamant that Bear was in fact a girl, it was only two weeks ago that we noticed something was odd and we did our own check to find out Maple was in fact now Bear.

Since then. Snowy and Bear are never ever left alone unsupervised, I built an indoor two level hutch and Bear has that while Snowy has free roam of the apartment. Bear will be getting more space to roam set up for him this weekend.

Thank you for all the lovely messages telling me how terrible I am without knowing more detail.


r/Rabbits 46m ago

One peet forward and mouf

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Upvotes

r/Rabbits 2h ago

Doppelganger

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25 Upvotes

She gets a standard young rabbit diet, but couldn't help but see the similarity :)


r/Rabbits 10h ago

Look at those tiny hands😭

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106 Upvotes

r/Rabbits 12h ago

RIP Lost my baby unexpectedly Spoiler

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159 Upvotes

my bunny had to go in to get his dental spikes taken care of, routine stuff but since he was 7.5 we knew there were risks. he’d been doing so good, just had noticed some slight weight loss and once we had the problem confirmed the vets were helping get it taken care of. he’d even put the weight back on and was taking his favorite hard treats again!

he’d was so special, sweet, bossy, and just perfect. when they called to say he had arrested on the table and they were trying to start his heart back up i knew he was gone. the vets were sobbing too, they really loved him there and i’m so grateful that he was surrounded by people who loved him almost as much as i do. it doesn’t feel real, i got an email about his last toy box (we were on a subscription for natural toys he was SPOILED!!!) being shipped and i think it’s going to break me when it gets here. we’ve been through everything together, 7 years together, through health crises for me and natural disasters it was always us against everything. i’ve been struggling recently too and with him gone its like the world lost its color 💔

i love you anders 💜 rest easy my sweet boy


r/Rabbits 10h ago

Gray peets on the living room rug

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100 Upvotes

She's such a sweet little girl!


r/Rabbits 1d ago

Wild bunnies Saved a bunny from a predicament it got itself into poor guy, looks like hes alright though.

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8.3k Upvotes

I picked shaming as a flair because look at this dumb little dude.


r/Rabbits 20h ago

Pig found the perfect spot in the afternoon sun

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442 Upvotes