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Leveret

Henry_Dixie

Henry_Dixie

Young Bun
I have been hand-rearing a leveret for a couple of weeks now (many thanks to the hare preservation trust) unfortunately when he came to me he had an obvious foot deformity. I agreed with the vet that I would carry on rearing as there was a slim chance of survival (I have tried a few times in the past and each time a fatality)

Against odds he survived to 21 days (he was presumed 2-3 days on arrival to me)

I had the foot x-rayed 2 weeks ago which showed every metatarsal bone in his right hind foot to be broken and misplaced. This is unsplitable and inoperable.

I carried on rearing still thinking he probably won't survive. Even now he isn't out of the woods.

My question is has anyone ever kept one in captivity?!
 
Gosh, that's a new one! Poor wee poppet. It's very good of you to take such care of him. I wonder if a free range in the garden set up might be best for him long term? A sort of compromise.
 
I do have a 12x6ft dog kennel/ run for my two domestic rabbits (Netherlands and lion head) they have free run of the garden during the day but I'm not sure the hare will intro to them? He is 400g at just 3 weeks old so he's going to be huge!
 
The poet William Cowper kept hares in the 1700's, he loved them and wrote beautiful poetry about them. He had one called Puss and one called Tiney and I'm sure there was one called Squirt. Look his biography and poetry up on Google. He came from Dereham and there is a beautiful stained glass window in the church there to commemorate Cowper and his hares. One of his poems is called Epitaph on a Hare. His stories are heartwarming. Good luck with your hare.
 
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Henry_Dixie said:
I have been hand-rearing a leveret for a couple of weeks now (many thanks to the hare preservation trust) unfortunately when he came to me he had an obvious foot deformity. I agreed with the vet that I would carry on rearing as there was a slim chance of survival (I have tried a few times in the past and each time a fatality)

Against odds he survived to 21 days (he was presumed 2-3 days on arrival to me)

I had the foot x-rayed 2 weeks ago which showed every metatarsal bone in his right hind foot to be broken and misplaced. This is unsplitable and inoperable.

I carried on rearing still thinking he probably won't survive. Even now he isn't out of the woods.

My question is has anyone ever kept one in captivity?!
Click to expand...

Poor little Hare :cry:

I would PM parsnipbun. She did hand rear a Leveret and she, the Leveret, survived for some time, but I would advise you to listen to the full story. It is not my place to post details about it on here, but I am sure that parsnipbun will offer you as much assistance as possible.

http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/member.php?7603-parsnipbun

What does the Hare Preservation Trust say about keeping a Hare in captivity ?
 
Hi. Sunshine daydream was a happy hare who was with us for over a year. Sadly passing away after what we think was an accident. We would have given her free range of the garden that summer so it was doubly sad. But she was happy with us. I would say keeping in captivity is fine if they are hand reared. Sunshine was actually vety nervous when going outside.
 
I'm so sorry. :( I've only had this one 3 weeks and already I'm so attached. He was estimated around 4 days old when I picked him up from the vets and he nipped me a few times! Grumpy little sod!

Over the weeks he's learnt to trust me and now he will actually jump on me if he thinks something dangerous is around or he wants a cuddle! I'm not sure how big he will grow or what i'll house him in! He's gained so much weight from 140g on day one to 520g today! Its incredible!

Meet Riddle







 
Fluffybunny54 said:
The poet William Cowper kept hares in the 1700's, he loved them and wrote beautiful poetry about them. He had one called Puss and one called Tiney and I'm sure there was one called Squirt. Look his biography and poetry up on Google. He came from Dereham and there is a beautiful stained glass window in the church there to commemorate Cowper and his hares. One of his poems is called Epitaph on a Hare. His stories are heartwarming. Good luck with your hare.
Click to expand...

Lovely to find someone else who knows about this, he is one of my favourite poets for this exact reason. Very much ahead of his time.


Good luck with your leveret OP, beautiful photos!
 
No way !! What a beautiful little creature. So glad he is thriving with ur care. He looks amazing and obviously love u already by the way he is snuggling in. Keep us posted on his progress.
 
The sad thing about Cowper was that he suffered from depression all his life, although they didn't know about depression then. His love for nature and the care he gave to wild animals was wonderful. He was so far ahead of his time. His love for his hares is heartbreaking. All this in a time when you couldn't buy ready made rabbit food. He kept them indoors and brought them out into the garden when he sat in the sun. They obviously gladdened his heart . The window above his tomb is a testament to the kind of man he was. I would have loved to have given him a big hug.
 
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I'll definitely look into him. They are such amazing creatures. I haven't a clue how big he will grow or what his personality will turn into.

I've had a reply from the lady who runs the hare preservation trust and she has suggested putting him to sleep.
 
Surely there is no need to pts. At least your vet is on your side. As long as he is able to move around and exercise and is eating and full of the joys of spring. He can possibly live indoors and be litter trained. I had a wild rabbit for six years. She lived indoors and became incredibly tame. She was really smart and a thinking rabbit. I only lost her because it was a time before spaying and sadly she got cancer which spread to her mammary glands and lungs. I'm sure Riddle will get really big, so he'll be like a large puppy.
 
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