Found rabbit. Help with breed?

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Helpplease

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I found this little guy under my car and he came right up and ate spinach out of my hand. I'm hoping it is not a desert cottontail because that would mean it was someone's illegal pet and he will probably wind up being euthanized which would break my heart. Any idea what kind of rabbit he might be?

uoFD1


DeMlG
 
possibly a flemish giant? if he was found outside, the chances are low for him to be a domestic rabbit (unless it escaped out of a hutch/pen)

Make sure he has plenty of hay to eat!! (very important for his health!!!)
are there any rescue shelters nearby that can take rabbits?
 
Not a wild rabbit. Just an agouti colored domestic rabbit. Agree that it could be a flemish giant based on the ear size. If it is and it's still small at this point, then it's a young one and will grow to be around 15lbs.

If you need info on rabbit care, these links have good info.
http://rabbit.org/
http://www.therabbithouse.com/
 
Thank you! Flemish giant was my last guess but I also don't know jack (haaaa) about rabbits. I reported him missing and am heading to the store for some minimal supplies but I am prepared to take him on long term if a family can't be found. I'll definitely be doing my research! What kind of hay is recommended?
 
Yeah, I agree with JBun. Lots of domestic rabbits end up outside: he might have escaped or maybe someone abandoned him. It happens sometimes with unwanted litters, people getting tired of their pet, or people who realise the rabbit got a lot bigger than they thought he would... some petshops release unsold rabbits 'into the wild' (= on the parking lot) when they get too old to have the cute baby factor, especially bigger breeds (a lot of 'dwarves' sold in petshops are actually big rabbits weaned too early so they look tiny, but if they aren't sold quickly their looks betray them, so they are offered for a discount and then either passed off as 'rescues' or disposed of one way or another... at least in France it's common practice, which is why I never bought an animal from that kind of place)
It's good you found him, even more if you are willing to give him a home. He looks kinda young to me - maybe it's the photos, but he looks like he hasn't completely grown into his ears ^^ (so, around 6 month-ish ?)
The good thing is that, being outside, he was eating grass - you'll be able to start him (her?) on the vegetables right away.
A good timothy hay (long strands, no dust, greenish tint) is the basis of the rabbit's diet. Then he needs about 8% of his weight in vegetables everyday and a tiny bit of pellets (grainless, extruded). If you're kinda new to rabbit, I suggest reading the House Rabbit society website, which is very complete and reliable. Here's the diet section, with a list of vegetables, suggested pellets' brands and quantities:
http://rabbit.org/category/care/diet/
 
He looks young to me too., so probably want to start him off on an alfalfa based pellet, preferably with no corn by products added and alfalfa as the first ingredient, as he needs the extra protein for growing. It's best to gradually introduce pellets over a week or two, starting with a small amount and increasing a little bit each day. As for total amount you want to end up feeding on a daily basis, for young rabbits I like to feed twice a day and feed just enough that they run out of pellets 3 hours before their next feeding, so in that time they will eat hay which they need the extra fiber for good gut function. If you do have a giant bun on your hands, they don't really finish growing until about a year old, so that would be about the time when you can transition to a grass based pellet if you want, and also start reducing daily amounts til you are giving the adult maintenance dose(1/4-1/2 cup per 5 lbs body weight). Though personally I've gotten fed up with certain issues with pellets and don't feed them at all anymore, and only feed hay and forage now for my adult buns.

Timothy hay is what a lot of rabbit owners feed just because it is readily available at most stores that sell rabbit supplies. But any grass hay is fine(orchard, meadow, bermuda, etc). It can be expensive to buy the pet hay, especially if he really is a flemish, you'll be feeding tons of it. The cheapest way to get hay is at your local farm store. Most of them will sell bales of timothy or some sort of grass hay. You want horse quality hay that is a mix of coarse and soft stems, not too dusty, little to no weeds, and has never been wet(most important part). Look for any black discoloring on the outside of the bale. This will indicate the bale has gotten wet at some point, and you do not want this. When opening up the bale, it should never be wet, musty, whitish or black, or smell sour. This all indicates mold, and can be dangerous to feed to rabbits if it is. It should be dry, a greenish color, and smell sweet, grassy, or sometimes a bit like tobacco. You do want to free feed the grass hay, so unlimited access to it all day, and refresh with new hay daily. You want to try and monitor the amount that is being eaten each day. It's best for a rabbit to eat at least a pile of hay the size of their body per day.

If you do introduce veggies, I would wait a few weeks til you've settled with the pellet introduction, then gradually start introducing veggies one at a time and small amounts at first. I personally prefer to stick with leafy greens and avoid cruciferous greens and veg, as many rabbits seem to get an upset stomach with them, which can be a very serious health risk with rabbits. I also like to feed forage, like apple and willow leaves, which my rabbits LOVE.

With all of the new food introduction, keep an eye out for mushy poop, or your bun not eating or pooping, as these indicate digestive upset. For mushy poop, if it's pellets, reduce the amount you are feeding and see if that clears it up. If it's veggies, stop the veggie. You may not be able to feed that veggie, but if you do want to try it again just introduce it more gradually with much smaller amounts. If the mushy poop returns it means that your bun can't tolerate that food. When introducing new foods, if it causes your bun to stop eating and pooping, stop the food, infant gas drops might help, but if after about 3 hours your bun isn't back to normal, it will require vet intervention, with pain and gut meds.

This has a good list of the various veggies and forage that is considered safe for rabbits.
http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/GI_diseases/Food/feeding_en.pdf

I know this is quite a lot. Feeding a rabbit is much more complicated than I ever imagined when starting out. If you aren't too overwhelmed with all the info, then you're ready to take on your new bun(if no one claims him missing). Good luck with it all and feel free to ask if you have any more questions :)
 
Thank you all oh so much! We have desert cottontails around here that look pretty similar to this guy. He's lucky that I spotted him because I used to work at a wildlife rescue and realized right away that he was domestic. I got confrimation from old coworkers that he is indeed a domestic and got him the basic starter kit from petsmart for now just in case an owner is found. Luckily for him, he hopped into the home of a parrot owner that runs a ranch so I'm no stranger to specialized diets and high maintenance pets and I have an unlimited supply of hay. I'm trying hard not to get attached but that is a pretty futile attempt ��

Vet appointment is set for the 15th so I figure that's a long enough time to make a serious effort to find his owners. If not, looks like I am a new bun owner! Is there a quick guide to what foods not to feed? I haven't done much research just yet but I most certainly will.
 
He or She is a cutie especially with those big ears, good luck with bunny, rabbits are amazing animals who can be a joy to watch and own.
 
No luck finding an owner yet and I brought him to my vet to scan for a microchip and found nothing. He has the absolute best personality! I've treated his fleas and watched closely for signs of illness or distress, checked for mites, checked for obvious injuries and found nothing. I felt confident in his health and stress level (I've had lots of wild bun experience so I know what to look for) to let him explore beyond my bathroom and he and my pup are already the best of friends. I'm doing all I can to find his family but I really hope there isn't anyone missing him out there!! If there is, they're going to go home with a happy, healthy bun.
 

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