I normally take two buses to work but if I leave at a time when catching the first means missing the second, I’ll skip the first and walk the half-mile or so to the second. This morning was one of those mornings so I started walking down the hill at 8:47, hoping my second bus was running later than I was. I instead ended up headed back up the hill with a small, furry animal in my arms.
I probably didn’t cover more than ¼ the distance to the bus stop when, out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a fuzzy object about the size of a softball. It appeared to be a stuffed rabbit in the gutter, next to a parked car. Then it moved! I watched as it hopped onto the curb and started eating a dandelion.
He wasn’t skittish as I approached closer, nor did he try to go after my hands as I reached out to pick him up. He mostly stayed in my arms as the two of us walked home together but loud noises freaked him out a little, a passing bus in particular.
So, now we have a little, white rabbit in our home. A white rabbit in need of a bath. I’ll keep an eye out for any signs that a previous owner is missing him but, for the time being, we’re going to get our old ferret cage out of storage and use that as a rabbit hutch.
Awww, a little rabbit! You should probably take him to a vet and make sure he’s in good health / has been vaccinated if you haven’t already done. Otherwise, go you for stopping to take care of the poor little guy, and I’m looking forward to seeing the pictures.
Oh poor little bunny! I’m so glad you found him in time. I recommend timothy hay and water at all times, and good lettuce once or twice a day. Not eating is a Very Bad Sign so at least he was nibbling at a dandelion. If you have any Yesterday’s News litter that works for bunnies to pee in; he probably won’t poop there but it’s a start. Check The House Rabbit Society for info too.
Edit: Dunno where Lute is, but rabbits in the US don’t need vaccinations. However, a health check is essential.
Yeah, white rabbit is almost certainly a domestic escape or abandon. Best guess is that someone got it for their kid and when the kid decided it was bored with it yesterday, they just tossed it in the backyard. Our house rabbit is a domestic escape/abandon…my conjecture has always been that she was a cull, since her Dutch saddle pattern is broken rather than solid. supervenusfreak found her out literally on the street walking home from his client’s house very, very early one morning.
Is it an albino (pink eyes) or a white breed like a hotot (all white except looks like they have eyeliner)?
Any suggestions regarding giving the little guy a bath? I think he had ventured a little too close to the drainage ditch in the area where I found him.
Shallow water…either bathe him/her in a deep sink or a large bucket. Baby shampoo would be fine…it should be mild enough. Just gently wet him, a dollop of shampoo, then rinse. Keep him from jumping around if you can, and never hold him above the floor without supporting his back legs…if they kick hard enough without support, they can break their backs.
Dry him with a towel, gently. Don’t get him in drafts until he’s dry. That’s about it.
I’d suggest having a vet that sees exotics or livestock examine him. A typical dog/cat vet won’t really have too much rabbit experience. When we took Phranc to the vet after we found her, he had to have his assistant (who raised rabbits as a kid) sex her, because he couldn’t tell whether she was a boy or a girl (neither could we, which is why she’s named Phranc (Frank, originally, from the scary rabbit in Donnie Darko)).
ETA: Once he’s clean, he should be able to keep himself pretty clean. They groom like cats (though not quite as obsessively)…there’s nothing cuter than a rabbit grooming his ears.
Do spot-bathing if you can manage, rather than whole-body, unless it’s necessary.
Agreed on finding an exotics vet if you can. A friend of mine who has a rabbit says he went to a vet who didn’t even know/remember that rabbits can’t throw up. However, our experienced exotics vet even had trouble determining the sex of one of our rabbits and had to really do a thorough exam to confirm that yes, he was definitely a boy.
Free-feed timothy or alfalfa hay, meaning you can just toss as much in there as he’ll eat. A hayrick (a small wire cage to hang from the ceiling of the cage) works well. The pellets you see are supposed to supplement hay…they should get a small bowl of them a day. I prefer the plain pellets, since our rabbit has a tendency to eat all the goodies out of a mix and leave the pellets, which isn’t good for her nutrition.
Also, give him a litter box (preferaby a reasonably large one) and don’t empty it every day…rabbits get more than one go-through on food. They have a special kind of dropping that they produce on the first round of digestion that they have to eat again to wring all the nutrition out of the food. Give him a place where his droppings won’t drop down out of the cage for that.
The ubiquitous small-pet drip-feed waterbottle is fine.
You’ll be able to tell the difference in the droppings. Normal ones should be round, fairly firm, and very dry. The special “I need to digest this again” droppings (cecotropes) are sticky and not so plain-looking, too, but most rabbits kind of casually gobble those up immediately after excretion; they look like they’re grooming around their hind leg/tail while sitting down.
I’m glad to hear about you getting somebunny’s Easter pet - I hate the idea of people giving rabbits and chicks to their kids for Easter and the resulting crappy life for the rabbit or chick.
About all the advice I have is don’t let small kids hug your rabbit too much.
Oh my god! I was reading this thread and thinking, “why don’t I ever find anything cool like this around my neighborhood,” and I clicked on your map…I live like two miles away from you!
It’s tough to find exotics vets around here, but I take my chinchilla to Eastern Exotic Veterinary Center in Fair Oaks. They’re pretty knowledgeable and they’re open 24 hours for emergencies.
You are a very good person. When most people would just keep walking by, you picked up a dirty, abandoned bunny (in your work clothes!) turned around and took him home.
Need any help with the vet bill? If you set up a paypal account I’m sure people will contribute.
