Survivor Rabbit
by Haley
(Lake County, Illinois)
I have raised rabbits for years, so when the local feed store called me about a bunny caught in someone's yard, I had to go get her. When I got the little doe rabbit home, she was skin and bones.... and she weighed only a little under two pounds. I could tell she was an adult rabbit based on her fur coat and structure, but she was near death. Her eyes were a gorgeous hazel color, so I called her Hazel.
I gave her a cage with unlimited pellets, a nest box (to eliminate stress), and a big handful of hay every day. She also made friends with my huge New Zealand brood doe next to her. She seemed quite comfortable. In about two weeks, I came out to do my feeding chores, and I noticed she had a nest built. I peeked inside and saw one tiny black kit.
I figured that she was maybe bought with another rabbit, and she was released due to their breeding... I'm still not quite sure. She eventually got into a healthy weight of seven pounds, which was far from her beginning weight.
She went on to have three more litters containing eight kits in each. This doe was such a nice addition, but when an elderly man wanted a pet rabbit, I couldn't say no to giving away Hazel. When his wife came to see her, she also saw Hazel's just weaned baby doe kits... She ended up leaving with the Hazel and those 3 doe kits.
Hazel and her little pod have been given a whole corner of a garage as a home now, with an entirely fenced in rabbit run that is safe from predators. Hazel deserves to be spoiled, so I am glad she's at her new rabbit heaven home.