Stray/feral rabbit - advice needed

Hi
I am new to this forum but in need of some advice. I rent a cottage on a small holding which keeps a variety of animals including rabbits. One of the rabbits (wild rabbit colouring but quite big) got loose in the summer and was unable to be recaptured by my landlord and since then has had quite a happy life hopping around. My landlord thinks its nice he is so happy, but it is increasingly worrying me.
The past few weeks the rabbit seems to spend most of its time in my garden (some 300 yds from his original hutch which is still there for him) and I am really worried about what the best thing to do for him is as
a. it is cold/icy and I dont know what sort of shelter he has at night (at 10.30pm he was sat on my lawn!)
b. I am aware that there are foxes/birds of prey in the vicinity.

The rabbit will bounce up to me if I happen to be on the garden path, but i dont think he would let me pick him up. I have considered buying him a large hutch and run so he is safe, but they are so tiny in comparison to his current territory (~1 acre) and I cant help thinking this is depriving him of his freedom as he does seem very happy. The flip side of this is obviously that I would hate anything to happen to him. The hours I work precludes me from being at home in the daytime to let him out of the run for supervised jaunts around my garden as I often dont get home til 8pm. Given that my garden backs onto open fields it is also impossible to make a fully safe rabbit friendly garden (last summer foxes used it as a thoroughfare).

I am really in search of advice/suggestions as to the best way forward.

Yours hopefully
Helen.

A tough decision - the bunny will obviously be happier living wild, but inevitably it will have a shorter lifespan. Could you get it's old cage and put it in your garden? If you put food, water, hay in it, you might be able to tempt it in. It probably has a burrow to sleep in at the moment.

However, as you say you don't really have the time to devote to a pet, so maybe the best thing would be just to leave some food out in a bowl every evening. It's nice to know that you care about it.

:? Gosh yes this is a dilema for you. It is lovely that you are caring and I would be the same. I can only say what I would do. Personally if it was a domesticated bun and is tame and coming to you I would be inclined to catch it and if you can afford to provide a nice home and run I would do that. I would also probably get it neutered and a little mate. What I mean is you need to decide if you can afford to take it on as a pet and then maybe get it neutered and a friend so that if you are out at work it won't be lonely. I would be concerned that it may not be as quick witted when it gets a bit older or as you said not as 'savvy' about predators. Although it's done alright up to now. You could do what the OP has suggested and provide food and water. If it had just escaped it would definately be better to catch it and make it safe but, I can see your dilema. Only you can decide though. What is your heart telling you ? Then what is your head telling you?

Ideally I think you need to catch him and give him a nice big run permanently attached to a hutch. You might be able to catch him using a humane trap designed for cats or other animals.

Thank you all for your supportive replies. I have managed to find someone locally who will make hutches and runs to order as his old hutch does not seem very secure. The rabbit seems to be quite happy in the day,munching grass with robins and thrushes by him, but he also seems slightly lesss approachable. I bought some timothy hay for him but he wasnt interested in that so if anyone can suggest what the best type of dried food is to introduce him to, given his diet will have been mainly grass for the past 4/5 months, please let me know.
For the past two nights I have found him just sitting in the corner of my garden so I am not sure if he has a warren or know how to burrow...last night he was there at all the times I looked out from 6pm -1am...I am sure this cant be right.
I agree with the idea of getting him a companion. Before he took up residence in my garden I had seen him playing with a little wild rabbit. Would a guinea pig be able to cope with the current low temperatures (where I live{Anglesey} is quite remote and windy!)?
Thanks again and Happy New Year to you all.
Helen

mmmmmm this would worry me, some foxes have young this time of year, and would love a fresh piece of food to take home, i definatly would attempt to catch

Guinnea pigs should not be kept with rabbits, it's best for them to have other rabbits.

Perhaps if you go a neutered girl in a run in your garden this would encourage him to come closer to make friends with her, then he might want to live with her in her home