Domestic Rabbit in the wild?

Question
There is a beautiful white domestic rabbit that has been living in my neighborhood for approximately one year now.  Various neighbors have seen the rabbit and attempted to "catch" it, but to no avail.  For approximately 6 months, this rabbit seems to have made my backyard its primary home.  I often see it under my deck, sprinting across the lawn to the deck for shelter, nibbling my vegetation, etc.  During the winter, I bought rabbit food and would dispense it under the deck on the ground every week--just enough to ensure he/she was eating, without impeding any natural instincts the rabbit may have developed to keep alive.  My cat has even taken up with this rabbit and I have witnessed them hudling together under the deck at times.

My question is this.  A few days ago, I saw the rabbit pulling up leaves and vines from just beside the deck.  I have jasmine that grows up on my deck and some of the dead vines may have been part of what he/she pulled up, and some might have been blackberry vines.  He/she gathered them up and carried them under the deck and disappeared for a little bit.  About half an hour later, I saw him/her out there doing it again.  Is it possible that this rabbit is female and she is beginning to nest?  If not, what is the purpose for this?  I live in East Texas, and while we recently experienced temperatures in the low 30's, it has warmed in the last week or so and reaches a high of 70 during the day, and a low of maybe the 40's at night, if this helps.  

Also, how can I continue to help keep this rabbit alive without risking scaring him/her away or should I even get involved.  

Answer
Hi Sandra,

thanks for caring about this abandoned domestic rabbit.

I guess there are a number of things you can do, depending on what type of 'help' you want to give.

The best help for her would be to catch her and make her an indoor house rabbit.  She'll live the safest, longest life with you inside.  You can get safe, live traps sized for whatever animal you want to trap, and since he's taken up under your house, you could put it under your deck with a carrot in it and check it every couple hours.  

You'd need to bunny-proof any area you'd let him be in.  You'd also want to get an indoor cage for him (they like private space) with a hidey box that he can go to when he wants alone time.  The House Rabbit Society (www.rabbit.org) has a lot of info you can tap about setting up for an indoor bunny.

Domestic rabbits don't have that many instincts compared to wild rabbits.  This little guy has had to learn the hard way.  You're not harming anything giving him food.  He's a domestic rabbit and that is what he grew up with.  You could always give him a few GREEN lettuce pieces every once in awhile, or some parsley.  These are very safe, usually well-liked greens by rabbits.

The vines:  he could be eating berries if there are any on there.  He could be eating the vines themselves as they will eat bark or twigs in the wild.  Normally if it was a birth, wild rabbits would dig a warren with birthing areas underground, but with a domestic who may not know that is what you 'do', it could be an above ground thing.  It could also simply be a structure to help keep him warmer.

House rabbits are awesome.  You'd be doing him a big favor moving him indoors.  Domestics have little instincts when it comes to recognizing potential dangers quick enough to get away.  As it is, wild rabbits on average live two years before disease or predators get them.  INdoor house rabbits (which this one was) live 10-12 years with good care.

Again, thanks for caring for this little guy.

Lee

PS - Hi Sandra, read your comments and wanted to add that it would be possible in the future to take him outdoors for a few hours.  You could build a secure outdoor run for him, with some shaded areas and covered on the top (so hawks and larger animals couldn't get in from the top or leaping over a wire mesh/fencing.  I'd just make sure to examine him a little closer if you'd do this because this does expose him to more potential parasites and predators, plus heatstroke.

But don't feel bad if you want him indoors all the time, rabbits really love exploring your house and everything in it.  They are inquisitive and will find lots of new things to investigate.  I'd start him off in one room, or part of a room, and gradually open up more space to him, to whatever limit you believe is good.  He doesn't have to be free roaming all the time (none of our guys are).  For us we are moving things around and don't want to worry that he is under our feet.  At night it is safer they are in their houses so that we don't step on them or trip on them and injure or kill them.  Just give him a large, roomy cage (house) to spend these hours in and he'll be happy.  It is always a good thing for a rabbit to have 'their own area' - a place they can go to and feel secure and safe in.

Email me with anything else, and let me know how things work out.

Lee