Two rabbits died this morning, what to do with the third?

I lost two of my buns this morning Hutch wasn't locked up properly last night, looks like an owl got them.


At first there was no sign of the third, but she has reappeared and is safely locked up. I just don't know what to do next.

The three were first rehomed by me as pets for our boys, but they lost interest, I found RU, and we put so much work into taming them, and trying to give them a fantastic life. They had a not so good start, and the third one, who survived today never really did get that tame, but would follow the other two. I've already been bitten this morning. She is eating and drinking, but she is still very young (nearly 2) and I'm not sure if it is the right thing for her to have to live alone outside for the rest of her life. I can't face taking on another one, and her becoming an indoor rabbit is also not an option.

So I either rehome her, and hope she can be successfully bonded in rescue, or she stays outside, and we have another go at taming her and hope she is happy alone. WWYD?

I'm so sorry about the buns you've lost.

Rabbits really are social animals. I started off with a solo outdoor bun, but he lives indoors now so has plenty human interaction. I would imagine your surviving rabbit is probably very frightened. Would her accomodation suit to rabbits if you had the help of a rescue in bonding her?

it would, the trio lived there, I just can't face taking on more myself.


Ideally i'd keep her, alone, but that's not going to be fair, is it

I'm so sorry for your loss. I hope your bunny isn't too scared

I know how you feel about not wanting another bunny. I lost Walter a few months ago and I didn't really want another bunny because I felt like I was replacing him, and I didn't want to go through the pain of falling in love with another pet only to lose them again eventually. But Nora has never been the tamest of bunnies (not that that not being tame is a bad thing, I'm happy with her being a "rabbit" rather than a "cuddle bun". And she's happy). But it meant I couldn't bring her in the house, and I didn't want to leave her outside in the cold on her own. So I got another bunny. Not for me, but for her. Having a pet means putting their needs first.

But now I have Colonel and I'm starting to learn his personality (he's like a teenager with a messy room - I can't keep their hutch tidy anymore!). And Nora is happy and not on her own anymore.

Chopster said:

it would, the trio lived there, I just can't face taking on more myself.


Ideally i'd keep her, alone, but that's not going to be fair, is it

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Most rabbits are happier with a friend, and if she followed the others she is likely to be quite lonely. As long as she seems in good health my instinct would be to let her settle and get over the fright she'll have had.

I had a solo hutch rabbit for over a year before he moved inside, but recognise now that it probably wasn't ideal.

First of all you need to secure her and also make her feel safe. It is very unlikely it was an owl - unless these buns are hamster size. It is far more likely to have been a fox (even if you have never seen one before - many people see their first fox when their first bun is killed). The fox will be back tonight for tonights meal and even a locked hutch will now be seen as worthy of attempting to get into. Even if he doesnt get in he will traumatise her..

Personally I would bring her inside to a safe haven - or if you really absolutely cannot manage inside then in a SAFE padlocked shed (with her hutch inside it) or ditto garage.

Then decide whet to do next -

If you feel rehoming is best then ask SOAD to advertise with a picture on here. Try very hard not to put her in rescues as the rescues will be literally overflowing after Xmas (most are already overflowing).

Dont forget she will be traumatised so even if moving her inside keep some of her familiar things with her and try not to expose her to a lot of sound and bright lights. (spare bedroom?)

Chopster said:

it would, the trio lived there, I just can't face taking on more myself.


Ideally i'd keep her, alone, but that's not going to be fair, is it

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No, not if she is unable to be a House Rabbit

Maybe give it a few days and see how you feel then about taking on one more Rabbit as a friend for her. It must have been awful to loose two Rabbits at the same time and I dont think now is a good time to make any big decisions about your remaining Doe. For today I would just make absolutely sure that her accommodation is safe/predator proof. Then in a few days you can look at your options again

I am very sorry for your losses

Thank you all for the advice. We have absolutely nowhere to put her indoors, but I will panel up the hutch tonight, close off the run, and she is right under our bedroom window, so will leave the exterior light on and a window open so we can hear out for her.

I'm guessing owl, because their heads were missing

What or who is soad? I'd be quite happy to hold on to her until a home where she could be bonded did come up, so hopefully svoid a rescue. I just don't want her miserable and lonely for the rest of her life. I'm also worried about her being cold out their on her own. She's actually cuddled up to a stuffed toy out there for now.

I wish she could be a house bun, but we are overcrowded already, plus she does bite. I have a lovely bruise from earlier. She hates being picked up, and course I picked her up to check her over, she sank her teeth ino my breast!

I never minded them not being cuddly lap rabbits, I loved watching them and every time I opened the door they would come charging down looking for treats.

SOAD is one of the moderators of the Forum. :wave:

Chopster said:

I wish she could be a house bun, but we are overcrowded already, plus she does bite. I have a lovely bruise from earlier. She hates being picked up, and course I picked her up to check her over, she sank h teeth not my breast!

I never minded them not being cuddly lap rabbits, I loved watching them and every time I opened the door they would come charging down looking for treats.

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I have a rabbit who inclines to bite if picked up, so can sympathise there. Biting is likely to be a fear thing, rather than aggression. Wear gloves and thick clothes! Most rabbits don't like being picked up as they are a prey species.

Warmth could be a problem for a solo bun used to company, so as well as the teddy maybe add extra hay/straw. Have you got a snugglesafe (chew-proof thing you put in the micro to heat, then into the hutch on cold nights)?

Chopster said:

I'm guessing owl, because their heads were missing

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That sounds like a fox to me, if it was a fox then it will come back and keep coming back because it knows you have another rabbit there, your rabbit needs to be really secure and I would get an indoor cage and bring it in

I don't have the micro thing, maybe have to try to buy one. Problem is, they always slept huddled together on the top part of the hutch, on the ledge bit front of the ramp, in front of the wire mesh, and if I put hay or straw there, they chuck it out! Very rarely would they go in the closed part to sleep.

I have plastic that we put over at night to keep them dry, I will put a thick rug under that tonight over the front.

Chopster said:

Thank you all for the advice. We have absolutely nowhere to put her indoors, but I will panel up the hutch tonight, close off the run, and she is right under our bedroom window, so will leave the exterior light on and a window open so we can hear out for her.

I'm guessing owl, because their heads were missing

What or who is soad? I'd be quite happy to hold on to her until a home where she could be bonded did come up, so hopefully svoid a rescue. I just don't want her miserable and lonely for the rest of her life. I'm also worried about her being cold out their on her own. She's actually cuddled up to a stuffed toy out there for now.

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So sorry to hear that Personally I Don't think it'd be fair to keep her by herself forever outside after she's known what it's like to have company, but if you need a bit of time before you get another that's completely understandable. Maybe give it a few weeks and see how you feel? I can completely understand why you don't want another right now and you might feel it's best to rehome but grieve and have a good think about things, you might decide you'd rather bond than rehome. If you're worried about getting close to another rabbit, you don't even have to, as long as they both recieved the same standard of care don't feel like you have to become attached to another, they can just be there to keep the other company. Sorry if that sounds a bit odd, I just mean when people lose a pet they often feel they don't want to get attached to another one because they can't deal with another loss

Foxes often do that to their prey too So yeah I'm guessing that's what did it, and they can mess about with latches and chew through thin mesh if they're determined

SOAD is the one in charge of advertising rabbits for rehoming on here, if it's what you want then I'm sure it could be arranged for you to keep her until a partner is found

Chopster said:

I'm guessing owl, because their heads were missing

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That's fox - that's exactly what they do, sadly I'm so very sorry for your loss, what an awful shock for you and your family. I do agree with the others, the fox will come back so please do make sure that her accommodation is very safe and don't let her free range out in the garden.

Personally I don't think it is fair to keep a single rabbit outside, particularly if she is used to having friends, as she knows what it is like to have company. If she really can't come indoors and if you really don't want to get any more, then I would suggest that perhaps it is best for her to try and rehome her. I don't think there is any shame in asking a good rescue for help - yes rescues are busy and you may need to wait for a while for a suitable rescue place, but at least you know that the bun will be safe and will be sent off to a good, homechecked home with a friend. If you rehome her yourself, you can't really be quite sure that she will bond well wherever she is going, whereas a good rescue will make sure that the bond is good before they let her go to her new home.

As there is likely to be a waiting list for a good rescue (i.e. one that homechecks and ensures that all bunnies are neutered and paired before rehoming) I would suggest taking some time to find a good rescue and asking to go on their waiting list - and then while you wait, you have an opportunity to have time to get over what has happened and to decide whether you can offer a home to another bunny to keep with your one instead.

Good luck with whatever you decide xx

Sounds like a fox to me too. Without going into too much detail, i've had experience of this too. And they will return. I really think your safest option is to bring her in. Could you even do this as a temporary measure?

Edited to say that i am so sorry for your losses - to find them must have been sooo distressing. And when i mention a temporary measure - i mean, if you do bring her in, she wouldnt be ready to go back out until the summer now anyway.

The only thing I can think of is, I would have to detach the hutch from the run, and it is fixed, so I wouldn't be able to put it back again, patch up the hole where the run was attached, then I could bring the hutch in a passageway overnights. But then she has no run.


The hutch is a double decker 4 x 2 which came with them, and I didn't feel it was big enough, so I bought another hutch and run and joined them together.

Definatly sounds lioke a fox ...so sorry

I think I may have found coco a new home!

It's with a lovely lady, tons of experience (and rabbits ) and she would be able to bond coco again. She looked after our trio for us last summer, when we were really struggling with them and set us on the right way to get them tamed, and really turned things around for them, so I know it would be perfect. Just got to arrange for her friend to take them up, as she has moved away.


I've got coco barricaded up with wooden table tops, panels of a wire run, play pots, bags of soil and everything else I could find. She has extra bedding, and extra covers. She is looking very sad and lost but is eating well.

Chopster said:

I think I may have found coco a new home!

It's with a lovely lady, tons of experience (and rabbits ) and she would be able to bond coco again. She looked after our trio for us last summer, when we were really struggling with them and set us on the right way to get them tamed, and really turned things around for them, so I know it would be perfect. Just got to arrange for her friend to take them up, as she has moved away.


I've got coco barricaded up with wooden table tops, panels of a wire run, play pots, bags of soil and everything else I could find. She has extra bedding, and extra covers. She is looking very sad and lost but is eating well.

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Sounds like things could turn out well for her. :thumb: