Anyone know anything about wild rabbits?

[Umbran]

The pair of verterinarians currently in my livingroom agree:

Use your head - it is either injured or diseased. It is wild. It is not used to, nor does it desire, human contact. Don't touch it if you can avoid it. Call your local animal control officer (the police will usually be able to hook you up). Don't let your pets near it.

 

[Mycanid]

Hmm ... I forgot that Rabbits screamed too. And it IS quite disturbing. Wonder how I could forget that one?

 

[trancejeremy]

The pair of verterinarians currently in my livingroom agree:

Use your head - it is either injured or diseased. It is wild. It is not used to, nor does it desire, human contact. Don't touch it if you can avoid it. Call your local animal control officer (the police will usually be able to hook you up). Don't let your pets near it.

Well, I was really just curious about the rabbit's behavior (which was odd to say the least), not asking what to do. As I live in a rural area, the common procedure is generally to shoot sick wild critters, as things like animal control are largely mythical beasts. (Sadly, the police are not, but they are too busy searching for meth labs and running speed traps to do anything useful). Thanks though.

 

[trancejeremy]

When a rabbit "screams" it means that it is frightened - kind of like a little girl (both in volume and pitch)

The blood around the eyes and the "freezing" was proabably shock. Think mild coronary in a human. If the thing did eventually get up, then this is most likely what had happened. (Disease might be a factor, but then the scream would be out of character.) Cats, dogs, wolves and foxes wil literally run a rabbit to death; since this one ran towards "civilization" it was probably a last ditch effort (sorry for the pun) to stay alive, looks like it worked.

That sounds right. I wish I knew what attacked him though. My dogs pretty much chase away all predators. (They chase the rabbits too, but fairly half heartedly. They go crazy when a dog or coyote is around)

 

[Ferret]

I haven't got much to add besides: When a possum freezes, it actually faints. Or so I heard

 

[Thunderfoot]

I haven't got much to add besides: When a possum freezes, it actually faints. Or so I heard

Yep, and you don't want to be around when they come to... (Sorry y'all, the farmboy in me is shining through)

 

[Mycanid]

How about that! You also grew up on a farm Thunderfoot? I did too. Ages 2-7 in upstate New York rolling hills and farmland. No possums that I can remember though....

I have heard from others that the possum fainting is one of the reasons they get hit by cars fairly often, whereas the rabbits just run and run and run in front of the headlights.

Where I live we mostly shoot the beasts too ... no animal services out HERE. The nearest town has a population of 60 or so and is two miles away. The nearest city is about 40 miles away.

All we have where I am are hares, and they stay far away (except on the roads it seems). Always think of Watership Down whenever I see any on the roads at night....

 

[Thunderfoot]

Yeah, I lived in town and had a three and a half acre yard. The total population was about 320 (350 by the time I graduated and left). We even had a 100 year old hitching post in our front yard. As for cities, Carbondale, IL was the closest but it was a college town (20,000 pop + 20,000 students during the school year.)

 

[Someone]

in europe they have Myxomatosis and viral haemorrhagic disease in wild rabbits for some time. that's why they tell you in Engerland not to eat the things.


in the US, Myxomatosis also exists along with tularemia and plague. but they are very, very, very low.

Tell me! my brother found a rabbit, almost blind, next to the road. He brought it home and we healed him. Then, the son of a bitch escaped, ate all the beans we had planted in the garden and left without a word. Where he hide while devouring our vegetables, we never found out, but a couple times we heard him fighting cats, using some sort of bun-fu.

 

[Mycanid]

Bun-Fu????

Err ... admittedly this is the first time I've heard of THIS ancient combat form. Wow. Learn something new every day. I have known a rabbit to use a variation of Cotton-mouth Kung Fu, though.

For me it's not the rabbits it's those vicious voles that eat the garden. (Fencing keeps the rabbits out for the most part.)