a white bunny showed up in my yard!

[purplebaby]

yesterday a white bunny with brown markings showed up in my front yard. last night my daughter caught it when it tried to sleep under the neighbors car. talk about inviting a predator to snack! long story short, we now have a bunny. no one in neighborhood wants to admit it was theirs, but dumping animals happens here alot so... who knows?

what do i need to do for this bunny? i got food, but i need some housing pointers. alot of websites seem to say they need to live indoors but others insist outside. it is so confusing. please help out!

 

[NoelTate]

lol...be careful! Two rabbits showed up in my yard a couple of years back. Since we had hawks, I figured I should catch them and find them a home. Never caught one, found the fur where something else got him. Caught the female, put her in a cage, went out of town for the weekend, leaving mom to take care of animals. I got a call yelling that the rabbit was having babies and mom didn't know what to do, for me to get home! I came home to a mama rabbit and 7 babies. Luckily, I found homes for them all. I guess someone knew she was pregnant, so they just turned the pair loose, the poor things.
They are actually easy to take care of and can definitely live outside. I raised and showed them for years. Most people who raise show rabbits keep them outside in a covered area. As long as your cage has a roof to keep the weather off and a boxed in area where the rabbit can get out of the elements and into a dark, secure spot, it will be fine. They need at least 3 sq ft of space, a water bottle, and a feeder. Rabbit feed is fairly cheap, and you can get it by the 25# or 50# bag at walmart, feed mills, or grocery stores. It is good to give them a piece of wood to sit on to prevent sore hocks from being on wire all the time. They love bananas and briars. Briars are actually medicinal for them, so be sure they get some now and then.
Sorry for the long post! Enjoy your new pet!

 

[purplebaby]

the hawks that constantly circle over my yard definatly had me worried, i knew i couldnt catch the bunny, but my football playing daughter could and did. (sorry i dont even know if it is a boy/girl or how to tell).
thanks for your post it definatly helps!

oh god please no baby bunnies

but that would be typical my luck.

 

[mangled]

Also, if you can have a cage with a raised bottom, like a small gauge hardware cloth, it'll keep them from getting poopy bums. Found this out the hard way. Just make sure you have a solid place where they can rest their feet from the wire bottom.

Good luck!
We love our bunnies, but keep them outside. Bunnies can really be stinky.
Em

 

[EllyMae]

I have one of my buns outside in a hutch and I put ex pen panels around it so I can let her out to run around. You just have to be careful with that type of set up because of "air attacks". She is huge, so I figure she might be somewhat safe...plus she's so darn mean I think a hawk would get a run for his money!(I still love her, she has spunk!)I also have several dogs that run the property and deter a lot of predators.

 

[professor-yellow]

Cage should be 24 x 30 inches minimum and 18 inches high is best. They need air circulated so outside is best.

it is imperative to make sure they have a continuous supply of fresh water.

Find a 4H club near you and let a 4Her help you out on the sexing. its good practice for them as they need to know.

You can find a lot of cages on Craiglist for cheap or free. make sure they are solid without corrosion. One inch by half inch floor wire works good. As pointed out earlier, an elevated floor either with a pan or free fall to the ground is best.

Still develop a good sanitation program and they will be disease free.

Use water bottles and feed hoppers rather than bowls, again for sanitation. Rabbits can be litter trained too.

We have 67 rabbits and they are quite the joy.

 

[tiffanyh]

Mine bunnies are outside also.

They are pretty low maintanence (sic) but if there is just one, they do require some love and attention or they will get lonely. In my experience, if you have more than 1, they need you less.

Enjoy!

 

[luvmychicknkids]

Awwww..........congrats on the new bunny!!!! I bet she is a doll (I am a bunny freak). As everyone said, they are pretty easy to care for. They LOVE to play, though. I have found that they will play with most anthing and love balls, toy cars, etc. Have fun with her!!! Pics?

I also meant to say, your dog (in your avatar) is GORGEOUS!!!!

 

[purplebaby]

thanks so much! you all have made it alot clearer for me and dd. we are planning on putting his/her hutch in the "chicken run", a fenced area for the chickens. my dd spends alot of time out there with the chickies and cant wait for the bunny (now known as mr. peeps reguardless of sex) to join them. it is fenced over the top to keep the little silkies safe from hawks. we are starting to look online for hutches and hutch plans, i will keep in mind the tips from you all.
thanks again
mb
ps i love my avatar too thanks!

 

[birdlover]

Here is a wonderful site about rabbits that is just as friendly as BYC and just as helpful: www.rabbitsonline.net I found them after I rescued a seriously injured dutch rabbit and knew nothing about rabbits. Mr. Shredder has been living INDOORS in our house since last Oct. and has turned out to be an awesome pet. I kept him in our laundry room for a long time but he was free to hop around in there. He was VERY easy to potty train! After a couple of months he started inching his way out of the laundry room and now he is free to go all over the house. He always goes back to the laundry room to do his business in his special spot. His favorite spot to hang out is the fireplace hearth although he likes to go on the deck now that it is sunny and warm. We have it fixed so he can't get off, not that he's tried. He absolutely adores being scratched and petted and would let us do it all day if we were willing. He's just like having a cat (now that he's not sick anymore, not afraid of us or his surroundings). Check out that website. You'll find answers to all your questions there and some wonderful ideas for coops (indoor type as well as outdoors). Good luck with Mr. Peeps!