A missing rabbit is something that a rabbit owner never wants to deal with but it happens quite often. Rabbits are small voiceless animals, they have a natural tendency to explore, or hide in out of sight place where they feel safe. Even though a lost rabbit can be hard to find, more often than not a missing rabbit can be found in or near your house itself.
In this article, I will share the best possible way to search for a missing rabbit in the house as well as outside. You can also learn about how you can prevent your rabbits from escaping their enclosure and getting lost. If your pet rabbit is lost or missing then don’t lose hope and try out the steps given in this post and hopefully you will be able to find your lost rabbit really soon.
If you house your rabbit indoors the there is a good chance that they are lost and hiding in the house itself. Rabbits are small and flexible which allows them to get into nooks and crannies around the house where you just wont expect a rabbit to be hiding.
So if your rabbit is missing and you can’t find them in their usual place then here are the steps you can take to find a lost bunny in the house.
The first thing you should do if you find your rabbit missing from its enclosure is to close off all doors and windows that lead out of the house. This will make sure that your rabbit does not get spooked by you searching for it in the house and runs outside.
You should also shut off the doors to each room you search, which will help you confine the rabbit in case it wants to dash away. Being chased or ran after can be a terrible ordeal for rabbits as they are prey animals and can get scared very easily.
Rabbits are known for getting into the most unreachable spaces. Their bodies are really flexible and being prey animals, it is their natural instinct to hide in small dark places.
Rabbits being voiceless animals who cannot make any sound makes it really hard to find a lost rabbit that gets stuck somewhere within the house. If you have a younger or a smaller breed of rabbit it is possible of for them to hide in the most unexpected places.
The best way to track down a lost rabbit in the house is to search of the sign of the rabbit like their poop or pee. Another good thing to do is try to hear them making any scratching or groaning sounds, these are the telltale signs of lost rabbit in the house.
In most cases you should be able to quickly find these signs of your missing rabbit and rescue them if they are stuck.
If you find the stuck rabbit and are not able to get them out by yourself or they are stuck somewhere where it could be dangerous then you should call emergency services on 911 and they should be able to rescue your rabbit safely.
In most cases when a rabbit escapes from their enclosure they might try to hide or run away from you. Rabbits are incredibly fast animals and in short sprints can reach speeds upward of about 30 miles or 50 kilometers per hour.
Trying to run after and catch a rabbit can be really dangerous for both you and the rabbit, injuries from running and bumping into a wall or some furniture can be deadly.
The best option is to calm down and try to get the rabbit to come to you. Get their favorite treat and place them near where they are hiding let them come out of hiding.
Rabbits are prey animals and can react negatively to being chased, it can one of the things rabbits hate.
Again if you are having trouble getting your rabbit out or rescuing them then do call emergency services as they may be able to help you out.
If you have a rabbit that is missing from their enclosure and you suspect that it has escaped then you need to follow these steps to find the lost rabbit outdoors.
There are many ways that a rabbit can escape outside and get lost. Rabbits are incredibly smart animals and they love to chew and dig which makes them prone to escaping out of outdoor cages.
Even though rabbits generally do not go far from their home even if they get out of their enclosure, an escaped rabbit can get scared of something they see or hear and run off away from home in order to hide.
The first thing you should do if your rabbit is lost outside is to thoroughly search the area near your house. A missing rabbit should not be able to go very far in a short amount of time.
Rabbits are prey animals that prefer hiding than running away so there is a good chance that you may be able to find the lost bunny hiding somewhere near their enclosure or around the house. The most common places that a rabbit on the run may be hiding in are
A missing rabbit can also be hiding in a burrow or some hole in the ground which they can dig up within a few hours so check your and neighbors backyards and front yads.
9 times out of ten missing rabbits are found just hiding somewhere within the house or the immediate vicinity of the house. If you are not able to quickly find the lost rabbit nearby then always make sure to keep your gate open in case the missing bunny is able to return home.
Rabbits can hide in difficult to find places but pet rabbits often know where to go for food or to use their litter box. So even if a rabbit gets out of its enclosure and escapes, they still comes back home if they are hiding somewhere nearby.
Informing your neighbors can also be a good step to take in case any of them stops the missing rabbit. Any help you can get is great and finding a lost rabbit is a group effort. Searching for a rabbit in an area can be much easier if you can get some other people to help out.
Most people really care for animals and will offer to help out if you tell them your predicament. Having more eyes on the ground will greatly improve the chances of someone finding your pet rabbit.
Once you have informed your neighbors and the people living with you that your rabbit is missing the next step of action is to inform the local authorities like the police, animal rescues and vets.
The police often get called in or get reports of lost animals that may be wandering the neighborhood. There is also a good chance that someone else has rescued the missing rabbit and have them secure at their home. In these cases, the local police may be able to help you out.
Animal rescues in your area are the next place you should be contacting as they deal with stray, lost or abandoned animals and take care of them when they are lost so it could be possible that an animal rescue has rescued the missing rabbit and have it in their care.
Similarly, local vets often get informed about lost rabbits or they treat them if they get injured so there is also a good chance that a local vet in your area has received news or seen a lost rabbit and they may be able to help point you to the right direction.
Posting about the missing rabbit on social media and rabbit groups is also something you can try out. You can easily reach a lot of people in your area in a very short time. Having a photo of the lost rabbit on all big social networks will give you a much better chance of finding the rabbit.
Here is a link to some of the most popular social media rabbit groups
A lost rabbit poster in the neighborhood can also help find a lost rabbit. You should make a poster with a photo of your rabbit, its name, and a contact number where someone could call you in case they have found your rabbit.
Pet rabbits are still not as common as cats or dogs so if someone has found the missing rabbit then they can surely identify it from the posters.
Finally stay positive and hope for the best. A rabbit escaping from their enclosure can be a stressful situations and even if feels bad, we have to keep a cool head and focus on searching the lost rabbit as soon as we can.
Remember with some effort lost rabbits can be found most of the times so try out of the steps mentioned above and hope for the best.
Well, it is not that usual to find a missing pet rabbit out and about but it can happen. Pet rabbits are small prey animals, they are fast runners, they can get scared of many things in their environments like loud noises, cars, other animals, or people.
In case you find a pet rabbit try not to approach it in case it darts away, instead here is what you should do
Wild animals and domestic animals are completely different. Domestic rabbits are pet rabbits and they depend on humans for food and shelter but wild rabbits, on the other hand, are perfectly suited for living outside.
Wild rabbits are a common sight around most places in the world and do not need rescue them as they are living in their natural habitat. But if one gets in your house or is stuck somewhere where it cannot get out, you can consider helping them.
If you ever spot a domestic or pet rabbit then it seems to be lost or you do not see their owner nearby then it definitely needs help.
Wild animals and domestic animals are completely different. Domestic rabbits are pet rabbits and they depend on humans for food and shelter but wild rabbits on the other hand are perfectly suited for living outside.
Wild rabbits are a common sight around most places in the world and do not need rescue them as they are living in their natural habitat. But if one gets in your house or is stuck somewhere where it cannot get out, you can consider helping them.
If you ever spot a domestic or pet rabbit then it seems to be lost or you do not see their owner nearby then it definitely needs help. Here is a list of all the rabbit rescues in the US, you can easily find one near you on Rabbit Rescues In USA
Providing some fresh drinking water to a lost rabbit is essential. A scared rabbit can easily suffer from stress and anxiety, so the best way to get them to calm down is to give them some water to drink.
Place a dish or bowl full of clean water somewhere near the missing rabbit, the rabbit should be able to see it and get to it safely. You can just give them regular old tap water or filtered water but just be careful not to scare them and make them run away.
You can also try to give the missing rabbit some food to eat. Rabbits are obligate herbivores, that means they can only vegan foods. Even though the best kind of food for rabbits is rabbit pellets, fresh leafy green vegetables or hay, you can give rabbits boiled rice, bread, a piece of fruit or some other vegetable in an emergency. Learn more about what rabbits can and cannot eat on The Balanced Rabbit Diet Guide – Feeding Rabbits Simplified
You can also try posting a photo of the lost rabbit that you found on your social media as this can greatly increase the chances of you being able to reach the owners of the rabbit.
Post a photo or a video with as much detail about the rabbit as you can make out and ask your friends to share the post as well. It may turn out that the owner of the rabbit is someone you know or lives near you.
Rabbits are curious creatures, they love hopping around and exploring their environment but this can sometimes also get them into trouble. A rabbits escaping from their enclosure by jumping the fence, digging out or even opening the latch is more common than you think.
Here are few steps that you can take to make sure that your bunny does not escape from home and gets lost.
A pet rabbit going missing can be a devastating event and no rabbit parent will like to be in such a situation. Take care of your rabbits and follow the steps to prevent you rabbits from escaping. With this knowledge you will know what to do if your rabbit is lost you should be able to take quick action and find your missing rabbit as soon as possible.
Learn a bit more about living with pet rabbits by checking out some of our other articles on the subject
Remember to share this post with your friends and spread the our love for pet rabbits. See you next time!
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