Well....look what i found this morning!

[azbowhunter]

Gang, this morning, i found a rabbit in my back yard!
Definitely a domesticated type, as it's black, appears to be full grown, and reasonably tame.
Right now, it's in a makeshift kennel of a sort, cobbled together from stuff i have on hand.
I gave it grass, apple, and some spinach from the garden, waste in a dish, and shade from the sun.
My questions are these:
How to id breed?
Sexing?
Disease detection?
Being that it's not of a known lineage, I'm a little hesitant to immediately turn it into stew, our anything else for that matter.
Any thoughts, ideas, wisdom, or experiences you've had are welcome.
I'm in totally new territory here, and everything is appreciated.
D

 

[Lizardslaps]

you sure its not someones pet that bolted through the fence or something take a pic of it

 

[OneAcreFarm]

If you have some grass hay, that would be good for it. Do you have other rabbits? If so, keep it quarantined and wash up before handling your other ones. If it will let you, pick it up and turn it over to look for testes....if you don't see any, then hold the tail with one hand and gently pull up on the vent area. If it is a buck, the penis will extend, if it is a doe, you will see the vulva protrude. How big is it? Hard to ID breed on a description....can you post a picture?

 

[MamaSheepdog]

Gang, this morning, i found a rabbit in my back yard!

If you wont come to the rabbits, the rabbits will come to you! :lol:

:congratulations:

How to id breed?

A picture speaks a thousand words... :camera: Post a pic and maybe someone will have an idea.

Sexing?

You need to flip the rabbit over and apply gentle pressure with your fingers to expose their organ. If it is a mature buck you will also see testicles. This link has pictures of some does:

judging-a-doe-s-readiness-and-breeding-tips-t9869.html

Younger rabbits are a bit trickier, but we have a Sticky for that too!

male-or-female-t8068.html

Disease detection?

Its eyes should be clean and bright, no nasal or eye discharge, clean ears, clean rear, healthy coat. White snot from the nose or eyes, or matted fur on the inside of the front paws are signs of Pastuerella, which you do NOT want.

Keep the rabbit quarantined for at least 30 days for signs of illness.

If you decide to keep it, in addition to the fresh foods you have offered it, you will need to feed it pellets or grain, and hay is very important as it keeps the gut active.For now, I would give it some Old Fashioned oatmeal if you have any, or very dry wheat bread.

You should only give it small amounts of fruit and carrots- they are high in sugar content, so think of them as candy.

This is a list of safe natural foods for rabbits:

safe-plants-for-rabbits-list-t55.html

 

[ZRabbits]

Congratulations to the rabbit for finding someone like you to bring him in.

MamaSheepDog and OneAcreFarm already gave you lots of excellent advise on helping you with this "runaway". Definitely would love to see a pic to maybe help you figure out what breed.

Karen

 

[azbowhunter]

Gang, thanks so much for the advice and crash course!
The rabbit is all black, about 5 pounds, appears to be full grown.
I posted up on cl for anyone that might have extra rabbitry stuff for sale or trade on the cheap, , and a nice lady from the next town over has consented to letting me see their setup for reference.
She has cages and hutches available too.
As soon as i figure out how to post a pic, i will.
Thanks folks!

 

[Miss M]

As soon as i figure out how to post a pic, i will.

We can help with that, too! Two different ways:

attachment-tutorial-t5.html
picture-tutorial-t6003.html

Pictures can be no more than 2MB in file size each. Maximum dimensions: width - 1920 pixels, height - 1200 pixels. File types accepted: .jpg, .png, .gif

 

[azbowhunter]

Here's one...gotta love cell phone pix!<br /><br />__________ Sat Dec 08, 2012 6:37 am __________<br /><br />Yesterday, while running errands, i stopped at the local pet store, and ran into a gent that had two lops in his cart. We talked for a little while, discussing the basics, and he thought my rabbit looked like a rex.
Not real sure what that means, but I'm looking into it.
Ordered a couple books from Amazon last evening, so we'll see.
One thing he mentioned was that rabbits love alfalfa, and being as we get alfalfa hay for the horses, it's nothing to pull a couple flakes for Stew (he got a name...lol), .
I'm meeting with a lady this afternoon that has a bunch of stuff she'll trade for the hunting camper i have taking up space in the side yard.
Hopefully i can score a couple hutches and whatnot for Stew's pleasure.
Just hope i don't have to deliver that thing....lol
On the assumption that Stew is a Rex, and being that it's flying solo for the time being (still haven't sexed it yet) what is the meat quality and yield for the Rex?
Yes, i realize that the Rex isn't necessarily recognized for meat production, but all things considered, it's what i have at present.
Think of it as my training wheels run to get my bearings and learn basic rabbit care before venturing into meat production breeds.
Thanks gang! I really appreciate your help and guidance!

 

[skysthelimit]

When you can get a picture outside of the cage. Rex have a distinct type of fur, guard hairs are the same length as the undercoat, giving the fur a springy, velvet texture that should have resistance when you touch it. The light will hit it a certain way when you take the picture, so I will know if it is rex fur just from the picture.

Rex are considered a commercial meat breed in the same grouping as NZ, though they grow a little more like a fancy fur breed, they handle and dress out like a meat breed. If this guy is 5lb and you think he is full grown, then he is not a Rex, but a mini Rex, and they don't quite have the same dress out, but still have some meat.

 

[azbowhunter]

Oh jeez sky, i thought that was a picture of mine!
Too funny!
Yes,i do believe it is a Rex. Don't think it's a mini, a he's a little lone than my boot, and i wear a 12 wide.
I moved the rabbitat today, lengthened the run, and it was happy!
Fresh grass to Munch on, and an extra 16 feet of runway for it's hopping pleasure.
I figure it's the least i can do, as it's being so patient with my learning curve!<br /><br />__________ Sat Dec 08, 2012 5:56 pm __________<br /><br />

 

[skysthelimit]

Minis top off around that weight, they are not really small, just considerably smaller than standard rex. A standard rex would have much longer ears and face.

Are you going to keep him?

 

[bunei0426]

I do not belive he is a rex because his fur appears to be normal excuse my punctuation i have my hands full with baby bunz

 

[3mina]

Have to agree, looks more like a mini Rex than a Rex.

 

[skysthelimit]

I do not belive he is a rex because his fur appears to be normal excuse my punctuation i have my hands full with baby bunz

I would like a closer pict still The rounded ears, are not a rex thing.

 

[bunei0426]

Visit this link to sex him or her http://www.debmark.com/rabbits/sexing.htm<br /><br />__________ Sat Dec 08, 2012 9:04 pm __________<br /><br />I also would not rule out a mix bred rabbit they are pretty common and since it seems it has been let loose it is very possible.

 

[skysthelimit]

Visit this link to sex him or her http://www.debmark.com/rabbits/sexing.htm

__________ Sat Dec 08, 2012 9:04 pm __________

I also would not rule out a mix bred rabbit they are pretty common and since it seems it has been let loose it is very possible.

I was thinking some sort of polish. When I get a chance, I will take a picture of a Rex and Mini Rex side by side. They are not the same breed, they are not scaled versions of each other. They actually look noticeably different. Even a baby Rex is different than a Mini Rex. The size for a full sized Rex is 8-10lbs, approx 4lbs for Mini Rex.



You have baby bunz? Where are your pictures?

 

[bunei0426]

I'll need to get some on thanks for reminding me they are so cute still little hairless things after 7 years you'd think it would get old but it never does

 

[huntress86]

ive had mini rex before and it doesnt look like one, i agree that it looks like normal fur. perhaps a pet store bun that someone let go because they figured it could take care of itself? that happens alot. it just doesnt look like any paticular breed to me. just my opinion

 

[skysthelimit]

I'll need to get some on thanks for reminding me they are so cute still little hairless things after 7 years you'd think it would get old but it never does

No it never does.

 

[azbowhunter]

Are you going to keep him?

Yes, for the time being.
It's an opportunity to learn rabbitry basics essentially for free.
Hay is a minimal investment, it gets the veggie scraps from dinner (raw only), and water is cheap.
Plus, its weeding my back yard for me, as well add fertilizing it as it goes.
And, if i get to a point where i don't want to deal with it anymore, the crock pot is in the cabinet.
Currently, everybody wins.
Pretty decent deal if i say so.
Thus far, the only major change in my own life has been remembering to check food and water morning and night, making sure it has what it needs.
It now has a run.... I took field fencing, made rectangle tubes, about 20 feet long, with a privacy box at one end, for its comfort.
Think i better go check and see if there's a little weenie or not....<br /><br />__________ Sun Dec 09, 2012 2:27 pm __________<br /><br />Ok, there's what resembles testicles under all that fur....didn't see or feel anything else....male?