There's a bunny on our patio -- Help, please!

**cassiesmom** · 07-01-2011, 02:39 PM

This is the patio outside our office at work. The husky (and his mom) are from the research department next door to us. He is a certified therapy dog and his mom brought him in to meet the kids and introduce the role of the therapy dogs on Bring Your Child To Work day.

Here's the problem. There's been a baby bunny on the patio for over a week. I have no idea how he got out there. Anyway, several people have seen him. I saw him nibbling on grass that has grown up between the patio tiles. One of my co-workers put out carrots for him yesterday, and today they're gone. We are worried about this little guy! Although he's safe from cars on the patio, we're trying to figure out how to keep him fed and (especially) clean water until we can get him safely off the patio and into the forest preserve. The plant and grounds department has a humane trap (those guys are softies

so they will trap him and move him to the forest preserve if we ask them to. But they can't do it over the 3-day weekend. He's so adorable, I will try to get a picture of him. Should we give him water? Should I buy bunny kibble from the feed store? How do bunnies manage in the wild?

**Karen** · 07-01-2011, 05:05 PM

Bunnies manage fine in the wild. You don't need to leave him water, as they get most of the water they need from the plants they eat. Miss Hoppy rarely drank from her water bottle, as she was fed all on veggies and herbs, not pellets, so didn't need the extra water. If you want to supplement his diet, buy some flat parsley or dandelion greens or both - Miss Hoppy's favorites! I am glad he ate the carrots, but the tops are even better for him than the carrots themselves!

Bunnies in the wild do just fine. The pellets some people feed their bunnies are just a substitute for the vitamins and nutrition wild bunnies get from their naturally varied diet.

**cassiesmom** · 07-02-2011, 03:12 PM

I got this yesterday. Bunny is out on the patio for the weekend. On Tuesday we'll ask plant and grounds to try to relocate him. He's safe on the patio, but that's not a good place for him long-term. Plant and grounds will take him to the VA hospital campus next door, which is further back from the highway. We take a walk on the far side of the VA property sometimes, because it is green, quiet and peaceful over there. There are soooo many bunnies hopping around!

**Karen** · 07-02-2011, 03:21 PM

Awww, what a cutie! Is the patio enclosed? How do you think he got there?

**cassiesmom** · 07-02-2011, 03:38 PM

In the top picture you can see the railing around the patio. We thought he either fell through the fence or maybe was dropped by a hawk. He doesn't seem to be injured, although we haven't really seen him move. his hidey-spot seems to be the bush on the left in the second picture. He can keep cool under there. He can't go anywhere, but the biggest worry is that he can find enough to eat and drink. He's so little.