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headless rabbit

phil

New Kit
Hi, i have just joined RU and was wondering if anyone could help. A week ago one of my sons rabbits went missing from the garden. It turned up in the middle the lawn this morning without it's head and it's fur had turned from brown to white and no marks at all on it's body. Please help as i can't help thinking that it must of been at the hands of a human (which, if true, is extremely sinister and should be brought to the attention of the police) as i would have thought that if a fox or cat had attacked it there would be signs of it being bitten/eaten on it's body
 
OMG thats awful! i'm really not sure what to say, it does sound like a human but not sure what you can do about it. hopefully someone else can help. sorry for your loss, that must have been destressing.
 
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i am so sorry for your loss. :cry:

foxes do usually take the head first and leave the body. i know people on here have had to pick up the pieces of their buns after a fox attack. :cry:

so sorry :cry:
 
Oh dear, so sorry to hear this. It sounds very much like a fox to me, they do take the heads and leave the body unmarked, i had this happen too some years ago.i would advise making sure any other rabbits you have are kept in a large secure pen with a lid and bolts as the fox will more than likely come back now it knows they are there. X
 
I am very sorry, this must have been very disressing. Sadly I think a fox would remove a head, however, if the fur was not the colour of your missing rabbit then I would suggest this is not him/her but another poor unfortunate bunny :(
 
Is there any chance there could be a fox about that's got a neighbour's rabbit too, and dropped that in your garden? :? Never heard of fur changing colour after death!
 
The colour of the fur changing may be due to a few things. Exposure to chemicals for example, an extreme drop in temperature or but most unlikely due to shock just prior to the attack. It does sound very much like the work of a fox. I'm sorry to hear you are having to deal with this.
You could request a post mortem by your vet and enquire with locals in your area about fox activity. If you have any other rabbits make sure their accomodation is safe or take them indoors. Also, as others have said this may not be your son's rabbit but make all the necessary checks and still ensure your other pets are safe.
 
it does make sense that it is another rabbit. :( means the fox will still be around. make sure all hutches and runs have bolts and padlocks and are fully fox proof as the fox will most probably come back. :(
 
Omg how awful for you and I'm so sorry, it sounds very much to me like a 'Fox' that did this as someone a few years ago lost a lot of rabbits this way and it was a fox. Just beware as usually they come back if they know there is a food source.
 
Rabbits do not naturally change color.
I have experienced that my own doe got a tiny white patch on her back due to being bitten, but this was almost microscopic and barely noticeable.
 
That sounds awful :( Really sorry to hear about your rabbit.

Are there many cats around, or maybe stray dogs? I would have thought domesticated animals would be more likely to just eat part of an animal, since they often only catch things for 'fun' and don't eat it all :( A fox is always a possibility, though.
The change in fur colour could be due to exposure. If you say the rabbit went missing a week ago it may have been killed straight away and the fur been bleached by the sun over the week.
 
I would have thought domesticated animals would be more likely to just eat part of an animal, since they often only catch things for 'fun' and don't eat it all :( A fox is always a possibility, though.

I'm absolutely certain it's a fox - this is exactly what they do :( The body is usually unmarked because rabbits freeze with fear when attacked by a predator so they can just grab them head on.

Several years ago when I had free range bunnies in the garden I lost my beloved Timmy in this way. He was a NZ white so a 'meat breed' bunny and the fox still only took his head and left the 'meaty' bit... Sadly they act on instinct, not on our logic.

Whether the colour change is some strange phenomena or whether it is another unfortunate local bunny I obviously couldn't say, but I'm 100% sure this is a fox attack :(
 
It HAS to be another rabbit. A brown rabbit can't change the colour of the brown hairs it's already got. New growth after injury can be white or they can change colour after a moult, but not over a few days.

I agree that a fox usually just takes the head, & if undisturbed will often at least partially bury the body. Leaving a different body just a few days later in the middle of your lawn is odd. I'm a bit concerned that this is more like human activity.
 
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