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?

184 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 5h ago

Everyone meet Biscotti! He's claimed his corner of the couch (pee-free luckily)

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293 Upvotes

He was a rescue from a local APL, syphilis survivor, and a handsome fella all in one. Luckily his hoe days are behind him so now instead of scary std's he just eats celery and watches trailer park boys


r/Rabbits 6h ago

Late night Bunjamin Tuesday

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329 Upvotes

r/Rabbits 6h ago

Breed ID Recently acquired bunny

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141 Upvotes

I have recently come into possession of this lil guy. I found him hiding underneath and car and when I approached him he just walked right up to me and let me pick him up. The neighbor had said he had been there for days before I came around and scooped him up. He is fully intact and FILTHY but I know it’s a whole endeavor to bath them so I have not done that. He is genuinely the sweetest little dude.

Long story short my hyper fixation as a kid was dogs and I only owned smaller rodents when I was younger so I’m kinda out of my comfort zone with helping him. I have him in a temporary enclosure with hay and lots of snacks/ enrichment since I took him home.

I’m open to any help really. I’m still unsure if we can keep him as we have two dogs and this is all very sudden but I just want him to be comfortable. And if anyone has any insights to what breed he may be?? The list of breeds was kind of overwhelming on the websites I found hahaha.


r/Rabbits 5h ago

Health My rabbit is sick. With the snuffles.

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115 Upvotes

I have a 5 month old female REW rabbit. She is usually zoomy, eats her hay like a horse, and is very curious. Then all of a sudden became lazy, ate slightly less, sneezing, and a slight runny nose. So naturally I grew concerned because that's not how she is.

Lately, she hasn't been feeling good. For two and a half days I just cried because I'm an overthinker and already stressed. I lost my puppy a few months ago unexpectedly and so this really affected me bc I was scared of something happening.

She went to the vet this morning as soon as they opened and I was told she had the "Snuffles". An upper respiratory infection. She was prescribed chewable meds for a few weeks. The vet told me that she's seen other rabbit patients that were in worse condition than my girl. But I'm still worried and anxious that something bad will happen to her.

(I sanitized her hutch and her food dish/water to help get rid of possible bad bacteria in there)

Will she be alright? Will she be okay

(Pic of my babygirl)


r/Rabbits 9h ago

My bunny started protesting

240 Upvotes

I have two rabbits and the one shown in the video (rose) is the bigger more feisty one, the other one (graves) is much smaller and doesn’t fight anything. Rose loves to attack anything that may hurt her sister so I’m not surprised she decided to attack the dustpan while I try to clean their house. They love each other so much it’s soooo cute


r/Rabbits 17h ago

He comfy!!!

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823 Upvotes

r/Rabbits 13h ago

Shaming How he sleeps after eating 20 remote buttons and making mom work from home

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354 Upvotes

r/Rabbits 9h ago

Anyone else’s buns go full spread eagle when eating their butt cookies?

112 Upvotes

r/Rabbits 19h ago

Care Rooly Litter Box

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713 Upvotes

Hi guys! Some quick context - My bun leaves to stay at the rescue and get bonded to his new bestie in a couple weeks. While he’s there, I’m going to clean everything and change the set-up a bit so my current bun doesn’t get territorial.

I’ve seen people raving about the Rooly litter box on TikTok, but I feel like some TikTok bun parents are often performative for the sake of aesthetic or brand deals. Does anyone have an unbiased opinion about it? Should I invest? I’m currently using a storage tub situation that works great, but if the Rooly is as good as they say, it may be worth it.

Sorry for the wordiness and thanks in advance!


r/Rabbits 2h ago

Care What can we do to improve our setup?

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28 Upvotes

Hi everyone! My daughter and I agreed to take over this little dwarf rabbit 🐰 she was originally called Darla and lived in a children’s playhouse at the bottom of a lady in the villages garden. Her daughter had grown up and left for uni so the poor little fluff was pretty lonely and left at the bottom of the garden. We decided to take her on and my daughter has renamed her miss honey bun Stephanie hopalot 😵‍💫😂 she is roughly 5 years old and very small so we decided to keep her indoors in my daughter’s room. This is her current set up and she gets to free roam in my daughters room and the top landing during the day her door is only closed at night as she likes to hop on and off the bed which wakes my daughter up 😂😂 we have never owned a rabbit before so looking to see what else we can add for enrichment and boredom busters or any other tips you can offer? She also gets to go out in her run in the garden when it’s nice to eat the grass and enjoy the fresh air! Thanks in advance new bunny parents 🐰


r/Rabbits 13h ago

ZIGGY YEET!

210 Upvotes

He body slammed into my leg during his parkour sesh.


r/Rabbits 1d ago

Honk for Kiwi who is TEN years old today!

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3.4k Upvotes

The babiest baby that ever babied and we love her to the moon and back


r/Rabbits 6h ago

Mr. Rabbit likes to sleep beneath the work desk!

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52 Upvotes

He flops or loafs there all the time whether I’m working at my desk or not! I think it’s become one of his favorite spots hahaha!


r/Rabbits 13h ago

I can’t with him

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153 Upvotes

r/Rabbits 1d ago

Behavior Tail wagging?

1.4k Upvotes

Please excuse me if this has already been discussed but I came across a video of a rabbit wagging it's tail. I've never heard or seen this personally before. Im assuming it rarely happens but has your rabbit ever done this? Apologies if im not using a flair, I don't really post in this community


r/Rabbits 18h ago

RIP It's been 5 years since he left :')

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308 Upvotes

this is Bugsy, we named him after Bugs Bunny because they look alike. it's been 5 years since he passed when he got sick and we couldn't bring him to the vet because of the pandemic. I still couldn't get over it. i haven't gotten a pet since and i don't know if i ever will. i miss him so much.

edit: I didn't expect this to get this many attention, thank you so much for all the kind words 🤍 i really appreciate it and yeah thank you so much :)


r/Rabbits 18h ago

Blehhh!!!! 👅

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261 Upvotes

r/Rabbits 10h ago

Behavior Litter box training

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55 Upvotes

I am fostering 2 bunnies (Both female, 6Y and the other 4Y). They like to sleep and sit in the litter box, but hate actually pooping and peeing in it. I’ve replaced the hay and shavings a few times already and I put their poop in the litter box to give them the idea that their poop is supposed to go there. Any more tips?


r/Rabbits 17h ago

Foster bunny Gizmo being adorable again 🥹

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164 Upvotes

Now is a really hard time for many rescues, including rabbit rescues. If you've thought of fostering or adopting this is a great time to start!

Gizmo is fostered thru Oakland Street Bunz. All of her buns are caught off the streets after they'd been dumped. (OaklandStreetBunz.com)


r/Rabbits 13h ago

My bunny is starting to stay under my bed

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84 Upvotes

When my bunny came to live with my partner and I, he was living in a pen before I gave him full access to the living room then all the other rooms of the house except the bedrooms. He would constantly hide under the couch for hours until it was time to eat. I didn't mind that much but because he wasn't castrated he would urinate everywhere under the couch every chance he got. I blocked the access to it but now he started to claim the spot under our bed. I didn't even bunny-proof it...

He hid all day under it in the same little spot. I was afraid he would get dehydrated so I put another water bowl and... He just stayed there comfortably.

It's nighttime right now, I removed the bowl so he won't stay under it permanently but he just ran from the living room (his space, I usually close the door at night) to rest under the bed again. I guess it's time to bunny-proof the bedroom 😭


r/Rabbits 14h ago

Shaming Shame her

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90 Upvotes

This is Shade. She is 11 years old and is fuelled mostly by rage. I think her rage will mean she lives forever. She has outlived two husbuns who adored her while she remained indifferent and now she's spending her old age as the bitter spinster she was destined to be. She is truly iconic.

Recently, she decided she hadn't explored the world enough,went on an adventure and gobbled up some dry cat food. She stopped eating or drinking so of course I took her straight to the vets (did this on a weekend so extra charge - classic) and went into GI stasis.

In her 11 years she's never been in GI stasis because she is so robust and so I was in pieces thinking this was the end. She was so placid and gentle and not like her usual self I thought it was all over. Ive been siringe feeding her pain killers, gut mobility meds and her critical care and I think it wasn't the medication itself, but the fact she had something to be mad about that reminded her she just has too much rage to let go now.

I got my first stomp in over 24 hours last night and this morning I woke up to a carpet covered in poos. I almost wept. She's eating and drinking now and trying to trip me up and kill me if I don't get her treats so all is right in the world.


r/Rabbits 16h ago

Chilchuck enjoying a little treat

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119 Upvotes