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Catching Dumped Rabbits (Near York)

Captain Helen

Wise Old Thumper
Someone who adopted a couple of buns from me has seen what looks like a conti and her babies dumped at the side of the road by some woods. I've got space for them and I can go up tomorrow afternoon, but how can I catch them?! I can take carriers and food, but they're surrounded by food and I don't want to scare them further into the woods :(

One baby has been caught, and they think he's about 3 months old. The mother will nibble a carrot while it's being held but hops away from being touched. One baby will approach, but the other two won't. They may have been there about 4 weeks.

I haven't been myself, that's what the lady who found them has told me.

Is anyone free tomorrow afternoon to help with some bun catching?!
 
Don't suppose you have any panels or something similar have you, so that you can surround them. I do this with mine when I'm trying to catch them in the garden.

Good luck, I hope you manage to catch them all.
 
A big playpen with a wide open panel, then let them hop in and close behind is easiest as they feel like open space to a bunny. If you've got a net and some posts you could 'build' one. Carriers are good - you could also take some string to pull the door closed with if they won't let you close. A big sheet can be worth a try - sit one person each side, the bun walks into the middle and you lift/fold them into the sheet (practice the move first). They can double up as barriers/pens too (again string or something to hang them with. Tunnels or cardboard boxes, anything they'll go into/explore and you can close up. Rolling the carriers around in the local leaf litter/grass to start might make them smell safer.

Might be worth seeing if anyone has cat traps you can borrow eg local rescues/vets.
 
Sadly the game keeper won't let us on his land :( He says he'll trap the rabbits himself and keep them as pets for his grandson, but he "doesn't believe in neutering". At least one of the babies was rescued and will have a great life :)
 
He says he'll trap the rabbits himself and keep them as pets for his grandson
Why is there something about that that makes me feel uneasy? :/
Plus, while he may mean well by not wanting to neuter, I do wonder if what he actually means is he wants to see if he can breed them for profit. Am I wrong in thinking that Conti's can sometimes sell for a lot?
At this point, you could try the RSPCA. Normally I would say try to catch them first as I worry the RPSCA might put them down, but since you've already tried that and the gamekeeper has refused you access to his land, the RSPCA might have more on their side legally?
While it looks like they've survived well so far, I do worry they might not for much longer :(
 
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