Found a domestic rabbit and not sure what to do

1. First establish if it is a bush rabbit , a leveret (baby hare) or a domestic pet. Wild rabbits do not need your help unless they are in imminent danger and orphans have less than 10 % survive chance if taken from their family. In fact is very common for mother rabbits to distance themself from the nest during the day to prevent predators destroying the whole litter. If you find a baby hare, leave it where it is if it is not injured, covered in ants or in imminent danger from predators or traffic, as the mother will come back in the evening and call for the babies.

2. If you have found a domestic bunny and you can easily catch it, secure the bunny in a laundry or shed with fresh grass, hay and water. If you do not have hay then some grass, pellets and greens (no iceberg lettuce, cabbage or cauliflower though) will suffice for a day or so. The bunny must eat constantly or it can die.

If you cannot catch the bunny call a rabbit (or hare) rescue. While waiting for assistance, encourage the bunny to visit the same area by leaving water, and giving a limited amount of pellets and greens to avoid attracting predators, as this will make it easier to catch. Once the bunny is caught it will be very scared. Put it in a quiet space with hay, pellets and greens. A rabbit must continually eat or it will die. Keep the area quiet until you are sure the bunny is eating. It should begin to trust you and come out for food within a few hours. A rabbit is a prey animal and it needs to develop and build trust with its carer.

3. Look for bunny owner:
- Contact your local pound or rescue to see if anyone has reported their missing rabbit.
- Leave a note in your neighbors letter boxes or door knock to see if they have lost their bunny.
- Put notices up at local vets and shops.
- Use social media.
- Take the bunny to a vet to see if it is microchipped.

4. If you find the owner, the happy family will be reunited. This is the best scenario for the bunny as it will resume its life still.
In case you fail to find the bunny owner, you have to make a choice: to adopt it or to surrender it to a specialised rescue.

Please note baby rabbits and hares are extremely hard to handraise so please contact a specialised carer if you want to give the orphan the best chance to survive.