Could This be an American Sable Rabbit? No Other Coloring Matches (or a Mix?)

[speckledhen]

Looked out the kitchen window this morning a few minutes before we were leaving for the feed store and there was a huge rabbit in the yard, not unusual, but this one was extra large and super dark for a wild rabbit. I realized it was a domestic rabbit of some kind and couldn't let my cat or some coyote or fox get it. My husband and I went on a merry chase and eventually, he/she allowed itself to be caught. Super sweet bunny, fairly large, I guess. The thing is I've never had rabbits ( not really a fan, sorry, so I never researched them much) so I knew nothing about them, not really. The coloring looks like American Sable, nothing else is even close, but could just be a cross. No idea how to sex a rabbit. I did pick clover and dandelion for it, gave it water and at the feed store, bought some rabbit feed (Timothy hay pellets because it seems to be an adult). So, what do you think? What breed is it? I'm not sure what I'm going to do with it. It's in the hospital cage in the barn. I understand they like to play with cat toys after reading some articles.
Pics of it on the lam, then in the cage in the barn.

 

[RosemaryDuck]

Looked out the kitchen window this morning a few minutes before we were leaving for the feed store and there was a huge rabbit in the yard, not unusual, but this one was extra large and super dark for a wild rabbit. I realized it was a domestic rabbit of some kind and couldn't let my cat or some coyote or fox get it. My husband and I went on a merry chase and eventually, he/she allowed itself to be caught. Super sweet bunny, fairly large, I guess. The thing is I've never had rabbits ( not really a fan, sorry, so I never researched them much) so I knew nothing about them, not really. The coloring looks like American Sable, nothing else is even close, but could just be a cross. No idea how to sex a rabbit. I did pick clover and dandelion for it, gave it water and at the feed store, bought some rabbit feed (Timothy hay pellets because it seems to be an adult). So, what do you think? What breed is it? I'm not sure what I'm going to do with it. It's in the hospital cage in the barn. I understand they like to play with cat toys after reading some articles.
Pics of it on the lam, then in the cage in the barn. View attachment 2608805View attachment 2608806View attachment 2608807

I'm not experienced with rabbit breeds, but yes that is 100% a domestic rabbit. I'm surprised he survived that long out in the wild! Good job catching him.

You may also want to post a found ad, and look out for any missing pets online. He may have escaped from someone's yard or hutch.

 

[speckledhen]

UPDATE: The bunny has been moved to an empty 5x8 back pen in the barn and has a big bed of hay. He/she seems completely happy now, not at all afraid of us, very docile. Good bunny. So, now, I have to learn about rabbits, what to put on them for fleas/mites (invermectin pour on?), etc. so this one can be healthy while in our care. If he/she begins pulling fur and making a nest, I'll know I am in trouble, LOL! I know what *that* means!

We live in a mountain area where houses are pretty far apart. It's not easy to put up a local ad here. Neighbors are not in super close proximity. Makes me wonder if someone dumped him/her (why? such a pretty rabbit) or let it in the yard and it just kept going. If so, it came a very long way to get up here.

 

[speckledhen]

Video of this guy/gal

 

[EverythingDucks]

Are you planning on keeping him/her if you cannot find the owner?
It's likely that s/he was dumped. Could be from easter.

I would take him/her to a vet for a checkup and they can tell you if its male or female.
If that is not an option check the ears or any mites or other critters, be sure s/he is eating plenty of hay and drinking lots of water. Adult males bunnies will have balls and females won't. That's the easiest way for me to tell

Sounds like you've given him/her a good amount of space to live in.

I'm not sure how much you know about rabbits, so I'll just give you some basic rabbit care info just incase.

Their diet should consist of unlimited Timothy (or oat, meadow, or orchard grass) 24/7. A bowl of fresh water at all times. I really recommend water bowls over bottle because 1, it's more natural for them, 2 its easier to clean (bacteria gets caught in water bottles nozzles), 3 rabbits have to turn at a weird angle with water bottles which hurts their necks, and 4 rabbits drink as much as a large dog and water bottle nozzles do not let enough water through.

For breakfast and dinner give him/her ¼ cup of pellets a day with about a handful of fresh spring mix.

You can also litter train bunnies quite easily. All you need is a good sized litter box (cat size is best. You could also use a plastic tub), some litter (a lot of people use woodstove pellets), and lots of hay. Since rabbits eat while doing their business they need hay in their litter box. And because they spend so much time doing this most people provide their hay from the litter box.
I also recommend having a hay box above it, or another place to get hay from to be sure he/she isn't eating hay that's been soiled on.
Litter training is a lot easier though if the rabbit is fixed. Getting him/her fixed will also prevent health issues. Most vets that see exotic pets can do this but it's much cheaper to have it done at a spay and neuter clinic.


S/he will also need some toys. Rabbits teeth are constantly growing so they need something to chew on to keep them down. Rabbits are also very smart and need things to keep them occupied. They love apple and willow sticks. Petsmart and petco have lots of toys and some TSC locations have rabbit toys.
I love making DIY toys though. You can use cardboard, paper bags, paper towel tubes, and toilet paper tubes. I use twine to tie stuff together.
They also like pinecones.
Here are some things I've made

And since rabbits are prey animals, they like to have safe spots to hide in. They prefer ones with multiple entrances. You can use cardboard boxes and cut holes in them.
They also like tunnels. Cat tunnels work great.


Bunnies make great pets. All it takes is some time to bond with them and gain their trust. And of course all their needs and plenty of space to explore and exercise.

I recommend watching Lennon the Bunny and 101Rabbits on YouTube.

Hope this helps, and good luck with your bunny!

 

[speckledhen]

Thank you so much for that rabbit crash course! To be honest, I've never much liked rabbits and though this one is a nice one, it's still sort of foreign to me. I don't relish taking on another type of animal right now. I just don't want it to be killed by the fox that hangs around here or the numerous coyotes or roaming dogs we have in this area. We left a message for the only neighbor I thought might possibly be the owner, the only one close enough for the rabbit to wander up from, really, and have not received any response so I guess it doesn't belong to him.
My husband put an ad on Lost Pets Facebook group in our country a few minutes ago. I did take him/her out in the garden we have with tall raised beds that is full of clover and fenced. He got a lot of exercise. We have fed him Timothy pellets and greens, some sage and he has a bowl with water in it. There is a double decker nest box in that pen and he's gone into the bottom nest a few times, just in and out. Mostly, he stretches out against the back wall sort of under the hay. I looked for an ear tattoo, considering he seems to have American Sable coloring and those are supposedly rather rare, thinking he may be registered, but I see nothing in his ears. Didn't really look closely for mites yet. He isn't scratching much at all. I gave him one of my cat's toys and he does chase it if I roll it. Never knew rabbits liked to play like that or that they should be groomed. I can't get my husband to keep his cat brushed, LOL. So, probably not a good idea to plan to keep this one, but until I find a home, he'll get the proper food, etc.

 

[Skye'sDucks]

He's adorable! Sounds like you're doing a great job caring for him. I had a similar situation with one of my rabbits: we found him on a trail near our house and caught him, posted some ads or at least looked for a lost bunny (I was a kid so my mom handled it), but no one ever claimed him so he's been mine for 9 years now lol.

Rabbits are grazers and need fresh unlimited hay, as everythingducks mentioned. For adult bunnies that are just pets, you probably want to limit his pellet intake because too many can make them fat and cause other health problems. To me, pellets are more like a supplement that supplies them with nutrients and minerals in addition to roughage.

Rabbits typically don't need flea/mite prevention, or at least I don't think so. Mine have lived outside for years and I can count maybe 3 times they caught fleas. Even running around on the ground all the time or up in their cage. Maybe fleas are worse than other places, I dunno. Same for ear mites.
It's easy to run your hands through their fur and look for signs of fleas, and also easy to take a flashlight and peer down into their ears. I know it's gross, lol, but you'll see a bunch of gunk build up if there are mites.

Rabbits do need to be groomed: they go through periods of 'molts' or heavy shedding, and they need to be groomed especially during that time. If it's a short-haired bun, it probably won't need to be groomed too often, though.

And yes, bunnies love to play! It's the funniest and cutest thing. Funnily enough, one of the favorite 'toys' my rabbits have is a plastic bowl They toss that thing around all the time and it's so fun to watch. But as everythingducks also mentioned, they should have plenty of toys and things to chew on, since their teeth constantly grow.

One last thing: I believe sexing rabbits is fairly easy and harmless to them? I'm sure there are guides out there online to tell. I've seen people who breed talk about it on here about their kits. That is, if you're comfortable enough doing that.
Thanks for taking this little guy in, and keep us updated on him! He's adorable and hopefully if you decide not to keep him he will go to a good home

 

[speckledhen]

Thank you for your input! I think if I was going to keep a rabbit, this one is an awesome one to break in a new owner, very non-aggressive, but I just got a new flock that same morning, after much agonizing over buying hatchery stock again, and it was just a heck of a day. I'm probably not in a great place to take on a new species, however I was happy that I had a cleaned out pen in the barn for him/her. I saw a wild rabbit go through a 2x4 fence opening in my front garden, didn't realize they could squeeze that tight, but this one tried his best and even his head wouldn't go through, LOL. The size was definitely what first alerted me to the fact that it was not wild, then the beautiful sable coloring, like a Siamese cat, sort of. But, every experience teaches us something and I've learned a lot about rabbits in the last two days!

 

[MissE]

The angle of the picture makes it had to tell for sure, but the lack of dewlap suggests a male.

Looks pretty healthy. If you aren't looking for a new pet, it should be pretty easy to rehome, especially if he's pretty chill with people.

 

[MissE]

If you can gently hold him by the scruff, put him in a sitting position, and take a picture, I can try to make out the sex. Usually you can see the testicles on an adult male without having to feel for them. Younger ones need gentle pressure to expose the penis or vagina, but once the boys drop, it's hard to miss them.