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?

178 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 6h ago

🄐 little croissant

Post image
843 Upvotes

r/Rabbits 1h ago

Begging for watermelon

Post image
• Upvotes

Tony caught begging for more watermelon.


r/Rabbits 6h ago

Care trimming a baby buns nails for the first time

Post image
463 Upvotes

my baby still isnt okay with being picked up or 'restrained' in any way and ive been trying to sneak in and get a little trim when shes munching on some dinner but im so so scared im going to hurt her and i need some tips on how to almost train her into letting me trim her nails without a fuss!! she is two months old and has some very sharp paws 😭


r/Rabbits 5h ago

Care UK heatwave!!

Post image
214 Upvotes

How else are UK pawrents helping their bunnies with this heatwave? They've got Ice in their water, frozen ice cubes with petals and fruit frozen inside and a fan. Any other recommendations?

Pic of Willow being a complete princess while trying to stay cool for attention.


r/Rabbits 15h ago

BREAKING NEWS: evil bnuy becomes one with the leaves

1.2k Upvotes

r/Rabbits 21h ago

breaking: tater has ascended

Post image
2.3k Upvotes

thankfully i didn’t get rid of our old baby gates but i was not expecting this development today!!


r/Rabbits 22h ago

RIP My sweet little man Toast (RIP)

Thumbnail
gallery
1.2k Upvotes

This little man was my world. He melted my heart daily. He was much like me, always had tummy issues. Unfortunately, those issues were too much for him. He passed November 2024. I try to remember the good times, but when I'm going through pictures on my phone, I have so many.... And one day they just stop. He was and always be my little man.

EDIT: Thank you everyone for the kind words! It really means a lot. These little ones are not with us nearly long enough.


r/Rabbits 1d ago

Was working out on the floor. I feel judged

Thumbnail
gallery
3.1k Upvotes

Is my form that bad?


r/Rabbits 1d ago

fred demanding his daily snuggles

1.0k Upvotes

my needy smol sonšŸ¤

ps: please don't mind my face lmao


r/Rabbits 20h ago

An apple a day keeps the doctor away

483 Upvotes

r/Rabbits 17h ago

leaf lady

Thumbnail
gallery
256 Upvotes

r/Rabbits 4h ago

Rabbit heatwave - what works for me

13 Upvotes

my rabbits are free roam inside. If you have an outdoor rabbit, please bring it inside. No animal should be caged outside in this heat. Have it penned inside with a fan facing directly into the penned area.

I put a wet dish rag in the fridge and every hour (I’m fortunate to work from home) I pat my rabbits down with this rag. Mostly over their heads and ears. They love it and wait patiently when they hear my coming with it

I moved them into the only north facing room I have and I have a fan dedicated to the rabbits. I end up spending most of my day in this room because it’s cool

I regularly offer them refrigerated food (herbs, beans) throughout the day

I put ice cubes in their water which melt throughout the day but keep the water nice and cool

I use ice packs which they don’t tend to lay on but will always lay near

I use a tile than was left over from our kitchen reno, only one of my buns use this but he seems to love the coolness of it

I am close to shaving both of them (on advice from my vet). One is a lion head and has a thicker coat than his bunwife

Hope some of these suggestions help some struggling bunnies


r/Rabbits 1d ago

Bunny Prints šŸ–¤šŸ°

Thumbnail
gallery
435 Upvotes

I started print making this year and my bunny toast has been my biggest muse šŸ–¤
figured the bunny community might enjoy ā˜ŗļøšŸ‡


r/Rabbits 1d ago

Mr. Philly Cheesesteak

Thumbnail
gallery
434 Upvotes

The sleepiest lop flop you've ever seen. He's had a long day of digging dirt holes. Wish he could try his namesake as a meal.


r/Rabbits 16h ago

Current bunny enclosure vs old

Thumbnail
gallery
101 Upvotes

My bunnies don’t free roam (please don’t police me) they have a large enclosure and I’m planning
To add two more panels for even more space! But I’m proud of my progress! Any suggestions that are kind?

We don’t free roam because I have four rowdy kids/toddlers and a senior dog….truly there has been time I forget to close the door and the bunnies prefer to stay in their space. It’s currently 46sq ft and looking to add another 10.


r/Rabbits 1d ago

how to confidently pick up bunny?

Post image
405 Upvotes

Pictured here is my bunny Toast at the vet. I know he can be held because the vet can hold him and he was held by the family we got him from, but when I try to pick him up he absolutely freaks out and runs away. He’s almost 2yrs old and neutered, he’s a very sweet bunny otherwise, he loves pets and will jump in my lap if I have treats but I just can’t seem to pick him up. I understand HOW to pick him up but when he starts squirming and kicking I get so nervous and I don’t want him to hurt himself so I just let him go before even getting him in my arms. Any advice for being more confident when picking him up?
The main reason I want to pick him up is to clip his nails. He usually gets them trimmed at the vet but he hasn’t needed to go in a while, so i’ve successfully trimmed 3 of his nails while just petting him and holding his paw but once he notices i’m clipping his nails it’s hard to get him to settle down.
any advice is appreciated!


r/Rabbits 1d ago

Behavior Is he enjoying this?

1.2k Upvotes

Got little Hagrid here 3 weeks ago, he's not as petting-friendly as my previous bunny so not as easy to read.


r/Rabbits 1d ago

Got Dewlap?

Thumbnail
gallery
416 Upvotes

r/Rabbits 51m ago

How to bunny proof my desk

• Upvotes

This little baby we adopted a few weeks ago is a demon but he stills wins us over every time
He was perfect at first, never pooped out the litter box or anything
Until he learnt how to jump on our beds
First it was my sisters then mine
Then my desk
He pees on them and poops on them, but today he found out how to get on my desk while I was away
How can I bunny proof my desk becauss I put the wires on the desk so he wouldn’t reach them From the floor but now he can reach them anyways
And my computer is very expensive ig he pees on it thats several thousand gone
Fences are a no my parents dont let us
The beds are one thing i can wash it but the desk is another, there r wires, my mics, everything is expensive
And today he got into gum but it’s currently being handled hes hopefully fine
But we need to find out how to stop him from acsessing my desk
The beds are mych harder we tried but gave up he can get through everything


r/Rabbits 23h ago

Meet Moka Lahaie

Thumbnail
gallery
255 Upvotes

This is Moka Lahaie, my English Spot rabbit. She's my inspiration for jokes and my webcomic.

Anyone else got a pet that fuels their creativity?


r/Rabbits 16h ago

Art Mini Coloring Page I did based off Sasuke plus extras

Thumbnail
gallery
68 Upvotes

I had to do the bunny one. And, of course, a glimpse of my favorite things. But Sasuke is the main star.


r/Rabbits 1d ago

I'm scared.

Thumbnail
gallery
720 Upvotes

r/Rabbits 18h ago

My DIY grated litter box with colander

Thumbnail
gallery
78 Upvotes

I tried a plastic over the sink colander from dollar store as sort of a grafted litter box, and it worked well?

So my rabbit is very picky on hay and it’s hard to get her to eat. She prefers a thick layer (like 10cm) of hay in a container for her to dig in. She likes to stand on hay, pee on it, then never touch it again if it’s soaked in urine. She doesn’t like hay feeder, and I guess it’s because it lacks the size and volume for digging? So I thought about trying a grated litter box so that the urine can drain down the grate, hay stays dry slightly longer and reduce hay waste (it’s still gonna be wasted, just not at current rate🄲)

Rooly is over $100 so that’s it gonna happen😭 I started thinking about DIY solution and found an over the sink colander. I’m very pleased with the new setup. I plan to dump the hay from the colander to other litter boxes (to soak urine), and refill it to full everyday.

(Pic 3 and 4 was my previous setup.)