Rabbit got stolen!

[DianeS]

GAH! How annoying!

They were both there when I fed them last night, and only one was there when I went out to change the water this morning.

The cage is hardware cloth. No opening bigger than an inch except for where the feeder hangs, and it hadn't been disturbed. The door was still latched, too. Which means someone had to have opened the door, grabbed the one rabbit that came to investigate and couldn't grab the other one that hid in the back corner, then relatched the door. It's the really skittish one that I have left.

I'll be moving the cage for my remaining rabbit into the chicken run, and locking the door to the run. A bit of a pain, but I don't want them coming back for the next rabbit, or my chickens.

He's a big rabbit. A mature, large, New Zealand male. I'm hoping the thief got scratched and dropped him before he got out of my yard. I'll be renting a humane trap today just in case that happened.

Grrrrrr! There was a lot of meat on that rabbit, and I was hoping to use him for breeding. Thankfully I'd only paid $5 for him and only had him three days, so it wasn't a big financial loss. But STILL!

 

[jodief100]

My neighbor had two stolen, two weeks in a row. She moved the rabbits out of the hutch one night and put a mink in the rabbit hutch. She hasn't lost a rabbit since. The hardest part was cleaning up the blood.

Report it. Even if the police don't do anything at least you have it on record. They might do something if it becomes a pattern.

 

[CritterCatcher]

sorry about your loss.. that just plain sucks

it might be a good idea for you to look into a trail camera...the kind us/hunters use.. it takes a pic of everyone commin and going from our place...and its a IR. model so you dont see a flash...no idea it was taking your pic....and there not to expensive...
CC

 

[collector]

My gosh that sucks. where do you live that someone would come in your yard to steal a rabbit?

 

[Heartlandrabbitry]

That's why I never keep my rabbits outside, too many weird people come down our road. Sorry about your loss

 

[DianeS]

Yes, I filed a police report. And the remaining rabbit now lives in the chicken run behind a locked door.

I have a hole in my flowerbed - some small animal dug it while I was at work today. So I'm hopeful that means the rabbit is still around! I put some food out where his cage used to be, hopefully if he is still around he'll come eat it. I get the humane trap tomorrow, and hope to trap him. I only get it for 4 days, so it'll have to be fast.

I live in the suburbs. On a route some kids walk to school. So I'll also be posting a sign asking for him back. I'll offer a reward, but only $5. Heck, that's as much as the rabbit cost! But its an OK amount for the middle schoolers who pass by and who might know something. They won't rat on their friends for that much, but they might rat on someone they don't like for that much.

We'll see if either route gets him back to me.

 

[collector]

Hopefully hes the digger of the hole and you can trap him. keep us posted!

 

[CrimsonRose]

sorry that stinks!

If you live on a route with kiddos... maybe a kid just tried to open the cage to pet him and he got loose... the kid got scared and latched the cage and ran?? could be why he is still around digging holes?

Really hope you catch him

 

[aggieterpkatie]

If you're going to post a reward sign, don't say it's only $5!