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Old December 6th, 2008, 08:19 AM
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Rabbit..or Bunny

Last night,I checked out the window to see what got Rockys attention,it was a large Bunny.
I thought he looked like a domestic bunny and it really worried me.
Went out to check,he let me get pretty close(no camera),he did not have the really long ears of a Hare.
As I got too close he hopped off and I noticed his little white cottontail,so it was probably a wild Hare,right?
Not a Bunny someone dumped,I hope
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Old December 6th, 2008, 11:27 AM
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If he was uniformly brown with shortish ears and a cottontail, then he was probably a wild rabbit. How big was he?
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Old December 6th, 2008, 11:31 AM
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Wow. Too bad you couldn't get any pictures.

Not all hares have the extra large ears - but the tail is usually the telling feature. I've gotten pretty close to some cotton tales in the parks where I live. My guess, based on the description, is probably a wild hare.

If it comes back, try and get a photo.......
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Old December 6th, 2008, 01:18 PM
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He was a large probably mature rabbit,I'll keep an eye out,but it was probably a hare.
He was sitting the way bunnies do,kind of laying down,that's why I thought he was a bunny.
It was dark outside but I think he was a light-brown colour.
I usually do not see them in the winter,but I guess they do not hibernate and it's kind of hard for them to migrate to warmer climates
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Old December 6th, 2008, 05:48 PM
Chris21711 Chris21711 is offline
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I'd go with Hazel, sounds like a wild rabbit to me Chico. We have them around all winter long, normally after night falls they come to the birdfeeders and eat what is on the ground. Many times when I flick the lights on in the backyard they are there under the feeder.
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Old December 6th, 2008, 08:11 PM
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The hares we had in Edmonton were very large, probably about 12-15 lbs. Scared the heck out of Snowball when we first moved there and he saw one in the distance, started stalking it, then turn and ran for his life when he got close and it stood up and looked at him . We had moved from Kingston so he was used to hunting little cotton tail rabbits.

Here we have wild rabbits living on our lot and they do quite well over winter. They do like the seeds from the bird feeder.
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Old December 6th, 2008, 09:28 PM
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I really hope it wasnt a dumped domesticated bunny!
Its that time of year again, when people take the bunnies given to them in the spring and dump them. In my area alone, there has been 12 domesticated bunnies caught and brought to the spcas in the last 4 months. I myself had spotted one last year but couldnt catch the poor guy/gal:sad:


I dont understand why people wait until the cold wheather starts? Its bad enough that people are cruel enouugh to do it in the first place, but in the freezing cold?! at least in the spring/summer the survival rate is a little higher, although gdettting caught my a predator is a higher factor during the summer.
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Old December 7th, 2008, 12:28 AM
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Depending on the size, it could have been either a European Hare (commonly called a jackrabbit - they're fairly large and have long ears and long legs), or a cottontail. We do also have snowshoe hares but the cottontail is probably the most common in your area. Rabbits are actually quite active in winter, I always see tracks and droppings all over near the back of my property in the winter. They do not hibernate but the reason you may not notice them very often is because they do change their coat colour to blend in with their surroundings. I should know (but can't remember) if the European hare does this as well but the cottontail and snowshoe hare definitely do.
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Old December 7th, 2008, 08:03 AM
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I know zilch about rabbits,but I think you are right,when he hopped away,the one thing that shone in the dark was his little white cotton-tail
I would not hesitate to bring in a domestic Bunny,would I see one..
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