TanksHill...Roll on!!

[TanksHill]

So here is my newest adventure. We used to have a rabbit and as some of you may remember It got out. My dog caught it, which resulted in a family burial under out plum tree.

So about a month ago I saw the most adorable little brown bunny on my driveway. It was not wild and looked like a pet got loose. Turns out I was right. It had belonged to a neighbor and after several escapes they gave up an let her live wild. Well the older couple who live down the hill from me made it their life's mission to catch said bunny. Just after we got back from vacation My Neighbor brings the bunny up the hill and asks me if I want it. Dh said NO but my son was present and his whining won. So the bunny that was on the lamb for several months is now living in our hutch. It's kinda friendly, a bit on the jumpy side but seems to be doing well.

So I was working in the garden and my 4yo says there is bunny fur on the shelf in the hutch. She has been looking a bit patchy and the neighbor said she was shedding. I don't know much about rabbits but after reading the thread "kits on the wire" I have learned a bit. So I went to the hutch pulled open the top and lifted the little house box. There is a nice little bed in there all laid full of rabbit fur.

Ok so here is my first question, do rabbits usually make a bed of fur or only when they are expecting? And could it be possible that this little Rex mated with a wild hare?

Maybe she is just cold and shedding? I have had the rabbit for about two weeks now. I guess I should just wait and see???

Any advice?

Gina

 

[miss_thenorth]

If she has already pulled fur--go back there and look now, I'll betcha there are little bunns in there now. and yes, they will mate with wild bunns.

 

[Aidenbaby]

I'd check too.

 

[ksalvagno]

They can have false pregnancies but since she was running wild, I bet she was pregnant.

 

[TanksHill]

No babies. Do rabbits normally use fur to line their beds? I need to find my Storey's guide to rabbits. ugggg....

Thank you both.

gina

 

[FarmerDenise]

I have a fixed male hunny bunny. He doesn't like anything in his bed. Not fur, nor hay.

 

[TanksHill]

Well I read a few things. They say the rabbit could be bored, or just itchy. Which doesn't really explain the nice furry bedroom.. Some say that a rabbit could pull up to ten days before the babies come. So I will just wait and see.

The only thing is the only way we can access the little hut is to lift it. I don't want to make her so mad she abandons the nest. Maybe if I lift it daily she will get used to me?

g

 

[Henrietta23]

I have a female for the first time now. She has not done this. She is less than a year old though. Don't know if that would make a difference.

 

[tortoise]

Rabbits won't abandon their nests. You can handle kits right away.

 

[rebecca100]

It is NOT usual for a rabbit to pull hair OR line a nest.....UNLESS she is going to have little ones. Feel her belly and see if you feel any bumps in it. It is not unusual for them to pull hair well in advance of kindling.