Found a rabbit under my porch this morning!

[TwoShepherds]

Look everyone! I can't believe what I found under our porch this morning after work!

My neighbors say they are not missing any rabbits. I've posted lost pet notifications on Craigslist and local FB pages, and later I will put up posters along our road. We are hoping to find the owners, but since it is so close to easter, I'm afraid that perhaps he was dumped or abandoned. Ideally, we will find his previous home--but if not, my 6-year-old has asked several times if he could have a pet rabbit, so we might contemplate keeping him....

Does any one have any tips for his temporary or permenant care?--right now he is in my broody-hen jail, which is obviously too small. Is it possible to tell how old he is? Anyone know if this is a recognizable breed? Any opinions on keeping a couple rabbits outside vs one inside?

I am nuts for contemplating keeping a bunny.... I have chicks in the garage, more eggs in the incubator, quail, chickens, pigs, 2 dogs, a cat, and goats on the way. My younger boy suggested we name him "Chocolate Milk." I suggested perhaps, Hershey. And reminded him, of course, that he is not ours.....

 

[EverythingDucks]

Well first of all, he is adorable!! Hard to tell what breed but he has some Harlequin coloring.
Adult males have balls, females don't.

It's very possible that he was dumped from Easter. Lots of people don't realize how much work they are and that they don't always like to be cuddled or picked up. So, when the kids get bored of it the parents don't want to deal with them to they "set them free". It's a good thing you found him when you did. Most rabbits don't survive more than a few days out in the wild.

I really recommend keeping him inside rather than outside. He'll be a lot safer, have more space, won't get as hot, and have more time to bond with you so he won't be so lonely.
Rather than using a cage or a hutch (which are very pricey yet small) I suggest using a wire dog playpen. These provide plenty of space for all his needs while still leaving space for exercise.

Keep him in a room where other pets won't have access to. Somewhere quiet is best. Give him some time to settle in.

Some basic things you'll need:

• Unlimited fresh timothy hay. Rabbits diets are made up of 80% hay, so having this available at all times is important.
• Fresh water. Rabbits drink as much as a large dog, so providing plenty of water will help keep them hydrated and healthy
• Toys. Rabbits are smart and playful, and they need something to help wear down their teeth. You can make DIY toys out of cardboard, paper bags, and paper towel rolls
• Hiding spots. Rabbits are prey animals and need comfortable spaces that they feel safe in. Cardboard boxes work well. They also like having multiple entrances so they don't feel trapped
• Litter box. Rabbits can be easily litter trained just like cats. All you need is a large cat sized litter box, big enough that he can turn all the way around in, some litter (don't use cat litter since it has clay which will kill him if he eats it), and lots of hay (since rabbits eat while pooping). It really helps to get them fixed though.
• A comb. Rabbits need to be groomed regularly. Though they groom themselves and are very clean animals, it's important to get out all the loose hairs. If they ingest too much hair they can't spit up a hairball like a cat, and the hair will block their GI tract which can kill them within 24 hours.

Things to avoid:

• Cages. These are way to small, cheaply made, and over priced. You can get a playpen for less than half the price.
• Hutches. Have all the same problems as cages and they often have wire flooring which will hurt their feet since they just have thin fur on their feet.
• Water bottles. Many reasons not to get them. They are very hard to clean, the nozzles don't let enough water through, it's an unnatural way to drink and it will hurt their necks and spine.
• Corner litter trays. These are made to fit into small cages. Most rabbits cannot turn all the way around in them and you can't fit enough hay in there. Rabbits spend a lot of time in their litter boxes, pooping and eating, and these small things just do not work.
• Bedding. It's really just a waste of money and if you were to put it all in the bottom of a cage your rabbit would use the whole thing as a litter box. And they'll have to live in an area with their waste everywhere. Just avoid getting bedding all together. If you want, you can use it in the litter box but that's all its good for.
• Treats with dyes and seeds. Most pet stores will sell these bags of garbage for small animals. It's like junk food. Treats such as apple, carrot, and bananas slices are a much better snack.

I recommend taking him to the vet. They can sex him/her for you, may be able to tell the age, and check for any health issues. I would also ask to have his nails trimmed if needed.

Rabbits make great pets but they are a lot of work! If you don't think you can care for him at the time then finding a home where someone could dedicate their time to him would be great (assuming he has been dumped).
Most rabbit rescues are great at finding homes where the adopters know how to properly care for rabbits.
A lot of animal shelters will take in rabbits too.
Most of the time, both shelters and rabbit specific rescues will get them fixed too.

Or you could rehome him yourself. Take the time to find the right people though. Most people just want a new toy for their kids, who can't even care for themselves.
And if you can, pass this info on to the next owners. There is a lot of misinformation about rabbit care that will end up hurting both the rabbit and owners.

Good luck, and I hope this helps!

 

[TwoShepherds]

I think perhaps he seems a little happier and more comfortable with us today.

 

[Skye'sDucks]

He sure is adorable!

I honestly feel the same about having to rabbit-proof a house, lol. It seems like a lot of work when in comparison it's so easy to keep them outdoors. But to each his own! Almost wish I was willing to put in the work like so many people haha, but I digress.

I don't see why it wouldn't work to kind of have a nighttime or holding place indoors but give him a bigger space outside. A lot of people are against cages but I see nothing wrong with them so long as it isn't super tiny and your rabbit is getting adequate exercise outside of one. Plus, it's much easier to totally secure and predator-proof a smaller space and then have a less fortified exercise pen they can run around in during the day. That's what I do: my run is enough to keep them in and hawks out, but they stay in their secure hutch at night.

I see pens needing covers more from hawks and other predators than necessarily keeping the rabbits in, but I suppose some rabbits may be jumpers, I don't know. I've had three as pets over the last 9 years and with my old set up they'd be in an open-top pen that's not quite waist-high compared to me (I'm barely 5'5) and not one of them ever jumped out or even tried to.

After seeing more pictures, I really do believe he's a Harlequin. (potentially a mix, you never really know with finds) He has the shape and build as well as the markings for it!
I feel like Harlequins are a lesser known breed, but even after owning only one myself I am totally sold on them, haha. I did some research on the breed and a lot of the common traits completely match my harlie, too. They're known to be a gentle and sweet breed that is largely bred for its color, although they've been used for all kinds of things: showing, pets, and meat. They do get bigger, anywhere from 6-9 pounds.

Harlequins actually come in two different colors, blue and Japanese. Yours is a blue: they come in gray and black markings, whereas Japanese ones are orange/red or cream with gray and or black--they'll sometimes get white markings too.

Here's a picture of my girl Pumpkin if you'd care to see

 

[TwoShepherds]

Here are some more pictures, though they aren't the best. He's not a huge rabbit, but he's not as small as the ones I had as a kid. I had a mini-lop and what I thought was a Netherland Dwarf (but it didn't look like the ones I just googled a minute ago, so either I didn't have a ND or they have changed in a couple decades, haha). He's about the same size as my cat--pretty sure he doesn't weigh as much though.

 

[TwoShepherds]

Thank you everyone who took the time to offer wisdom and advice. I didn't mean to ask anything controversial, and I value getting to hear different perspectives. It's been a long time since I've had a rabbit, and I definitely needed the refresher. We will wait another day or two for someone to claim him before making our final decision, but we have a lot to think about.

 

[TwoShepherds]

I used to have an indoor rabbit, not a good idea in my opinion, she could escape anything and would chew apart cords, furniture and anything else she could reach, they also smell really bad.
After we had ours inside for too long and moved her outside she ended up dying.

Hershey has been a real easy keeper so far. He's still indoors in the playroom which has been childproofed--so it is pretty ideal. He will chew on cords I found when I was charging my phone in the wrong place, but there's usually only one cord in the playroom which already has a cord protector for my kids. He hasn't chewed on the woodwork (thus far, cross fingers) and he uses his litterbox. I leave the door to his cage open much of the day and he goes back to the litter box in his cage to pee/poop. I toss the litter box contents in the compost bin every day or two. It only stinks when I'm late changing the litter. I can't let him have the run of the whole house because of our dogs, but I think he has enough space in the playroom. Ocassionally, we take him out in a playpen to play in the grass and shade on nice days.

 

[Skye'sDucks]

He's adorable! Are you by any chance able to get more pics of him? I swear he looks just like a Harlequin. He looks young, but again, it's hard to tell from your picture.

It can be a bit hard to tell the age of a rabbit, although one of the easiest ways is seeing that they are smaller or identifying the breed and looking up pictures of adults and/or babies to compare. There's that and looking up more specifics of breeds, such as weight, and weighing your rabbit to again compare.
There are, however, some tells for much older rabbits. Some of those include cloudy eyes (not necessarily loss of eyesight), outer nails pointing/turning out instead of straight, and yes, even graying hair. (I swear I read that once and it's happened to my 10-11yo bun) Not that this helps you for a seemingly younger bunny lol, but it's fun trivia.

everything ducks as always gives a great informative post. Rabbits are grazers so they always need fresh hay. Pellets are more of a supplement unless you are raising them for different things (I believe diets can change when breeding/raising for meat). Fruits/veggies are for treats. Rabbits usually need to be brushed fairly often, particularly when they're shedding. If it's a shorter haired rabbit it probably won't need as much grooming. And if yours you found is a harlie, I can say from owning one she doesn't shed a ton compared to my long-haired lion head.

One perk to keeping rabbits outside is that you don't have to deal with a litterbox and the smell in your house. Mine live in a wire hutch and also an exercise run that's on the ground so it's super easy to clean the wire and rake up the waste. Rabbit poop is amazing for gardens and plants too!

I honestly think the choice of keeping them indoors or outdoors lies mostly in personal preference. Both have their ups and downs, but both are also solid options as long as you provide and prepare for them properly.
Rabbits can be solitary indoors or outdoors I believe: they can always benefit from a buddy but you will have to go through a bonding process since rabbits don't immediately accept one another. And the more rabbits you keep together, the more chances are for things to go wrong. I've seen lots of people here that have colony set-ups that work fine, but there's a fine line always from what I've seen online.

I know you said you may not even keep him, but I wanted to add some points I don't think others really touched on about rabbit care. Rabbits are super fun! Best of luck with this little guy, whether you keep him or not. Hopefully the poor guy wasn't dumped, although if he's young, it's highly likely.

 

[TwoShepherds]

I am going to be keeping my rabbits outside (kind of). I would love to free roam indoors, and I will still promote that, but I can't for a few reasons. 1, I'm allergic to rabbits and timothy hay. 2, my parents don't want an indoor rabbit. 3, I already have two dogs inside, not that they aren't rabbit friendly but it would be too much for my allergies.

So, I came up with a design to provide them with everything they would have free roaming indoors. It'll look something like this but cuter
View attachment 2625306

There will be a 10x10 foot indoor room with AC and tons of toys, teepees, tunnels, hay, etc.
Kinda like this
View attachment 2625312

And a 10x10 foot predator proof run with a roof, which they will have access to during the day.
View attachment 2625313View attachment 2625317

I'm going to adopt an already bonded pair so they can keep each other company while I am not around. But I'll probably be spending most of my time with them in there.

That checks off all the problems (predators, overheating, boredom, limited space, lack of enrichment).

Obviously not everyone can do this. It's expensive and a lot of work to build. Free roaming indoors is a much much cheaper option. But this is just an idea for what you can do for rabbit enclosures.

But for people looking to get a rabbit, if you cannot provide all their needs and give them the best life possible then a rabbit is probably not the best choice for you.

At the end of the day, what matters most is the rabbits well being. Not how convenient it is for you to keep them in a small hutch or cage.

Hershey, AKA "Chocolate Milk" wonders if you might like to adopt a bunny, and is plotting his next escape. I could just about live in there. In fact, that might be nicer than my first apartment, lol. JK.

 

[EverythingDucks]

I used to have an indoor rabbit, not a good idea in my opinion, she could escape anything and would chew apart cords, furniture and anything else she could reach, they also smell really bad.
After we had ours inside for too long and moved her outside she ended up dying.

All it takes is some bunny proofing and cleaning up. Just like you would with a puppy or baby.
Rabbit pee stinks. So does cat pee. All it takes is regularly cleaning the litter box, and getting them fixed helps a ton.
Most rabbits will live a much better life inside, protected from the weather and predators, where they can run, exercise, bond with you, and explore, rather than being locked in a tiny hutch their whole life then dying. Especially with so many predators (which could kill them just from scaring them and causing a heart attack), and heat (which kills rabbits all the time) and all the other issues.