![F.U.R [ Friends of Unwanted Rabbits ]](http://www.friendsofunwantedrabbits.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/FUR-website-logo.png){kind=logo}
- Abandoning a rabbit outside is not only guaranteeing their death, its illegal. It’s a crime, in accordance with CA Penal Code 597s. Not only is it a crime it’s unethical.
- Rabbits don’t have the survival skills to forage for food and have different food requirements than wild cottontails and jackrabbits. Rabbits lack the survival instincts cottontails and jackrabbits have to survive in the wild. Jackrabbits and cottontails are a different species. Domestic pet rabbits and hares cannot breed.
- Domestic Rabbits cannot survive and thrive in the wild. For hundreds of years domestic rabbits have been dependent on humans to feed and house them. Rabbits are prey animals. They are not like a feral cat which is a predator. They are a prey animal who cannot care for themselves. There is no such thing as a feral rabbit.
- Domestic Rabbits are prey animals. They are the easiest of prey for predators (cats, dogs, raccoon, owl, hawk, snake, mountain lion, coyote, bobcats.) If abandoned outside in the wild the end result will be horrific suffering and death. They die of starvation, become infested with botflies, fleas, mites, ticks, diseases like myxomatosis, or get hit by a car. They can die from heat over 80 degrees and cold under 50 degrees. The deadly rabbit hemorrhagic disease (RHVD2) can spread not only through out domestic rabbits but also cottontails and jackrabbits. Read more here about RHVD2 https://rabbit.org/rhdv/
- Rabbits abandoned that are not altered can quickly reproduce and become a colony. The gestation period for a female rabbit is 30 days. The day she gives birth she can get pregnant again. Colonies of rabbits create a huge crisis for rescue organizations. The cost is exponential. The cost to spay/neuter, vaccinate against RHVD2, provide urgent medical care can create an overwhelming financial crisis for rescue organizations.
