Lost rabbit

[daddyg]

I have just phoned home to be greeted by my 4 year old daughter in floods of tears as her rabbit has escaped and has obviously legged it. We live on a new housing estate and frequently see what are obviously other escaped rabbits on the paths and green bits. If by some miracle she survives till I get home and I am then lucky enough to spot her does anyone have any ideas about how I could recapture her as I can't really see her answering to her name. Thanks G.

[andy hughes]

You need to approach her from behind as slowly and quietly as you can. When you are withing arms length, grap her by the soft fold of skin behind her ears (not her ears themselves!)  and pick her up, You'll need to hold the skin hard because she will struggle, and if you haven't got a good grip, she'll wriggle free. As soon as you have her clear of the ground, put your other hand under her bottom and gather her to you, so her feet can feel your chest, she should stop struggling. Keep a tight grip until you get her home. Don't worry about hurting her, the excess skin behind her ears is designed for her mother to carry her as a baby, so it stretches, and causes no pain. Good luck.

[mrs.pudding]

How about taking a large bath towel with you as well.  When you creep up behind, throw the towel over the bunny which will certainly stop it making a dash for freedom and do no harm.  I use this method for the mice that the cats bring into the kitchen.  It might work!  Not really the weather for creeping round after rabbits!  Good luck.

[PurplePixie]

If she legged it from your garden, then there's a chance that she'll leg it back in again. Leave her hutch door open & check it regularly incase she gets hungry & follows her scent home again. Hope she does x

[daddyg]

Thank you all for replying. I must admit that I had thought about the blanket/towel option and my wife has left the hutch open and fresh hay and water out in the forlorn hope that she may return. No sign yet though but we live in hope. So is it right that she may return following her scent purplepixie as we weren't sure if rabbits did this? Hope she does - that would be great. Anyway fingers crossed and I'll let you know if she returns. G

[ICEMANSAV]

You could place a carrot on a rock with pepper on the carrot, the rabbit will come over to it and sneeze due to the pepper and knock itself out on the rock!! SAS tactic!

[daddyg]

Er yes thanks for that ICEMANSAV. I'll probably keep that one in reserve although I'll try to remember it if I ever have to survive in the wilds.

[lynb]

Hi daddyg, can I ask where you live as I know a lady who found a rabbit in South Derbyshire

[daddyg]

Hi lynfbl. Thanks alot for the thought but Sophie (the rabbit) would have had to be shifting some to get down there as I live in Dundee.

Sadly my wife spoke to the breeder we bought her from and he said it was quite unusual for them to wander far from the hutch even if they do get out so I fear the worst for her. Of course we also have 2 dogs and a cat so I suppose if she'd been grazing about on the grass when they got let out in the morning they were enough to frighten her away for good. On the plus side the breeder has offered us a new one which has cheered my daughter up no end especially as she is still hopeful of finding Soph and ending up with 2 rabbits!

[trilobite]

Any news on the rabbit front, daddyg ?

Hope your daughter wasn't upset for too long.

[Yeah Bee]

The best way is probably to shut the hatch nad stop looking and go buy a new one cuz the she will return, Murphys law