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Throughout the PNW, there are dozens of populations of feral colony rabbits, and dumped individuals. Unfortunately there is a lot of misinformation spread by well-intending community members that these domestic dumped rabbit are happy, healthy, and fine living outside.
As a rescue, a majority of our emergency cases that come in originate from these colonies as a result of bunnies being attacked, hit by cars, or otherwise put at risk by living outside
Spot the difference: identifying wild vs domestic stray rabbits
Spot the difference: identifying wild vs domestic stray rabbits
Often, domestic strays are also confused with their wild friend, the cottontail. Cottontails are very small, skittish, and sleek. They will only ever be the "agouti" coloring , which is a speckled brown coloration. They have much pointier faces and longer heads than domestic rabbits do. Their bodies are also much longer and leaner. Domestic strays on the other hand, are often still very skittish (not always), can be a variety of colors, and have a shorter, rounded face and usually have longer ears. If you are ever unsure if a rabbit is a domestic stray vs a cottontail, it is advisable to connect with our rescue or another rabbit rescue to confirm.
Below are some images to help notice how to differentiate the 2. Wild rabbits are not the same species as a domestic rabbit, so it is important to bring them indoors when we see our domestic stray friends on the loose.
Dove was rescued from a dumping case in Southern Oregon and brought to Avalon. She is now adopted and living her best life.
Why are domestic strays in danger when living outdoors?
Why are domestic strays in danger when living outdoors?
RHD (Rabbit Hemmorhagic Disease) - a completely fatal virus that has roots in the PNW. This is spread by wild populations to domestics and is extremely contagious. Outdoor living rabbits have a much higher rate of transmission due to increased contact with vectors and questionable and often absent vaccination status.
Increased predation- domestic rabbits have an increased rate of predation due to either a lack of, or underdeveloped survival instincts, and bright coat colors/ patterns (often) which catch the eyes of predators easily. Depending on when they were dumped or born outside, domestic strays have a variable familiarity with their outdoor environment which makes them a target.
Parasite exposure- domestic strays are prone to both ectoparasites and endoparasites when living outdoors. Living outdoors makes domestic strays prone to contraction of fleas and mites, and even getting unwanted ticks attached to them. Internally, roundworms, pinworms, coccidia, and more can easily be contracted by domestic strays. Colonies in close proximity to wildlife often suffer from this. About 90 percent of the colony rabbits we intake have pinworms, coccidia, and fleas. Wild rabbits also often have these parasites, but their biology has been designed to work in conjuction with these parasites like many wild creatures. On the side of the domestic stray, these parasites can cause issues that can end up being deadly, and often is for young, untreated kits. Domestic strays with wounds are also vulnerable to fly strike and maggots, which often results in a fatal outcome.
Overpopulation/ impregnation- ALMOST ALL DOMESTIC STRAYS AND COLONY RABBITS ARE NOT SPAYED OR NEUTERED, and as cute as baby bunnies are, there are way too many of them in comparison to the quality homes that are available. Bunnies get euthanized every day around the world in shelters because of a lack of space and lack of resources for them. Allowing domestic strays to continue to breed is irresponsible, because they are not getting the care they need. Instead of using this information to enforce the idea that rabbits should stay outside so they DON'T end up at shelters, please remember. Remember- Avalon is NO kill, so we will not euthanize due to space.
Human cruelty- there are unfortunately a lot of cases of people beating, brutalizing, poisoning, drowning and killing to eat domestic strays that live in colonies. Just because YOU wouldn't do this doesn't mean that someone else won't. The world we live in today is full of a lot of dark minded individuals.
Lack of veterinary care- just like any animal, domestic strays still are delicate species who require specialized veterinary care. Domestic strays and colony rabbits RARELY get the veterinary care they deserve, which means that health issues can occur and go unchecked until the rabbit starts to get so sick that they can't hide it anymore. Many of the domestic strays we intake have old fractures that were left untreated, scars, welts, open wounds, and/or abscesses.
Hannah's story
Hannah's story
Hannah was found after being hit by a car in a Vancouver neighborhood that is notorious for dumped bunnies running around everywhere. She was not killed, but suffered from neurological issues and seizures after the accident. We took Hannah in not knowing how she would respond to therapy with us, and continued to monitor her quality of life.
Luckily, our girl is fighter. She now is on a low dose of anticonvulsants for life and is doing well. Her medical foster mom has taught her to take steps, play, and even binky again to some extent. Nevertheless, Hannah does not live as a normal bunny should. Her condition and disability now were preventable. Hannah was seen in the neighborhood running around long before she was hit by a car. If she was captured sooner, she wouldn't have to live her life on medication.
Many bunnies we intake as medical emergencies are domestic strays that have been hit by a car. Many are not as lucky as our Hannah.
Marmalade's story
Marmalade's story
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