Who finds stray rabbits? Me and my daughter.

[Boxergirl]

This sounds like a made up story. I made various decisions today that just happened to put me crossing a bridge in an area that I'm seldom in and at a time that was significantly earlier than I planned to be there. As my daughter, Jess, and I are driving across this overpass we see a bunny hop off the highway. I looked at my daughter and said, "That's a domestic rabbit." We found a place to turn around and parked under the overpass. My girl had minor surgery on her toe yesterday and she chose to go hiking up the hill with bare feet to get this rabbit. This is my vet tech daughter that works at the emergency clinic.

She goes on one side and I go on the other side. We both know that it's possible that we'll startle this rabbit and it will dart back onto the highway and get killed. She found it in some brush and carefully scooped it up, holding it like they'd been taught to restrain rabbits to prevent spine injury. Yay $27,000 of schooling!! Got it back in the car, her limping like crazy, and drove home.

It's a gorgeous rabbit. Jess went over it quickly and it doesn't appear hurt. It's clean and doesn't look like it's been outside for long. We'll sex it tomorrow. We contacted the humane society and Jess put notices up on facebook. I need to check craigslist. Nobody has reported losing a bunny, so I'm wondering if someone just decided to release it. It happens more often than people think.

Lucky me, my husband knows me and loves me. I just sent him a text that said, "I love you. Lots." He sent back, "What animal is in our house?" Hahaha. I know very well that he would have been traipsing through the brush helping us look for the silly rabbit. So for now, Al has given up his crate to this bunny. Jess says she's calling it Pineapple. For some reason the name fits. I really hope someone is looking for it. I haven't had a rabbit since Ernie, my dorm rabbit, and I really wasn't in the market for another.

 

[Nik]

Aw he is so cute and fluffy! I like Pineapple as a name for the bunny.

 

[DennasMom]

Love your Hubby's text reply!! ROFL!!!

That's one lucky Bunny! Hope you find the owners (hope it wasn't abandoned!). Good job!

 

[dpenning]

When I text hubby that I love him his response is similar, he just asks "why?" He generally knows something is up. LOL


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Harrygto]

good luck finding the rabbits home

 

[Boxergirl]

It appears nobody is looking for a rabbit. It also seems that I'd forgotten how messy bunnies are. Pineapple is an intact male. He's becoming quite personable, but he has no idea how to use a litter box nor does he care about soiling where his food is.

The House Rabbit Society of Chicago has this statement on their page for people that have found abandoned domestic rabbits:
"Thank you for contacting the HRS Chicago in an attempt to place the rabbit you have found. We certainly appreciate that you have rescued this rabbit. Domestic rabbits do not survive on their own, so you have saved a life. However, because of our small size, our foster homes are filled to capacity with abandoned rabbits needing adoption. Therefore we regret that we are not able to take this rabbit. We must accept only the most urgent cases, abandoned animals captured by wardens and those rabbits scheduled for euthanasia in shelters. If you are not able to keep the bunny, then we must ask you to help us by attempting to place him on your own..."

I get it. I've worked rescue and know about foster homes being full. It still stinks. What's that they say? No good deed goes unpunished? I'm going to do some further checking in the area and then I'll start contacting rabbit rescues in the Indianapolis area. They seem more receptive to incoming animals. I can have my daughter make a weekend trip home and take Pineapple back with her if they agree to take him.

 

[marke]

if your going to be stuck with him for any length of time , make or buy a well designed hutch and keep him outside .....

 

[Boxergirl]

if your going to be stuck with him for any length of time , make or buy a well designed hutch and keep him outside .....

I did consider that. I don't think I'd be very good at leaving him outside though. I'd always be checking him. While I know lots of people keep outdoor rabbits, I know myself well enough to know that I probably wouldn't be able to do it. He can stay where he is for now. Maybe I can litter train him. I've never trained an adult rabbit before, but I'll give it a go. If I'm lucky maybe my daughter's clinic would agree to neuter him on her discount. Although I doubt it. They will schedule spay/neuter surgeries for employee pets during slow times, but they're an emergency clinic and they don't normally do exotics.

 

[Hector]

You don't need to litter box train bunnies. For some reason they like to potty in the same spot or in a box at the same spot. Have had 3 and they all did the same. Fill a cat litter box with animal bedding and lay some hay on top of it. My bf is highly allergic to hay so all bunnies stayed outside.

 

[Boxergirl]

You don't need to litter box train bunnies. For some reason they like to potty in the same spot or in a box at the same spot. Have had 3 and they all did the same. Fill a cat litter box with animal bedding and lay some hay on top of it. My bf is highly allergic to hay so all bunnies stayed outside.

Yeah, I've had three pet bunnies before. One was my dorm rabbit. Ernie was a free range bunny and I did have to litter train him because he had so much space. He was good. 90% of his pills and all of his urine ended up in his boxes. The other two were when my kids were growing up. I just did what you said and put a box with some hay in it in their choice of cage corner and they were good. They were not as good as Ernie at hitting the box when they were free in the house. This guy is just soiling everywhere without any rhyme or reason. I suspect it's because he's been uprooted and is marking his new home territory. I hope that he'll start using his box when he settles in a little more. I can be patient.

 

[Boxergirl]

Pineapple goes to his new home today! He's going to a family that recently lost their pet rabbit. I'm glad he'll be with experienced people that have already made plans to have him neutered. He's started using his litter box a little bit more, but that should improve greatly after he's altered. I did take a drive around the area where we found him and there are no signs up, nor have any of the vets or shelters had any calls for lost rabbits. The emergency vet clinic where my daughter works is about two blocks from where we found him and they haven't heard anything. Seems like he was probably just released. Yay for happy endings!