Decide first if it is domestic or wild. Leave wild rabbits alone. Contain a domestic one in a crate with wet greens and water, then call a rabbit rescue and report it.
Pet rabbit or wild rabbit
Look at the rabbit before you do anything else, because the right answer depends on what it is. Wild cottontails should be left alone. A domestic rabbit needs help, since it was not raised to live outside. The House Rabbit Society says lop ears, angora fur or black-and-white spots mean a rabbit is definitely not wild. Indiana House Rabbit Society puts it more simply: a rabbit that does not look like the wild rabbits you normally see is probably domestic. If it is the same brown as the rabbits on your lawn, has upright ears and runs away fast, assume it is wild and leave it where it is. If you still cannot tell, send a photo to a rabbit rescue or your local animal control office.
Why a loose pet rabbit is in trouble
The rabbit may be someone’s escaped pet, or it may have been dumped. The House Rabbit Society says domestic rabbits are often discarded, or get out of poorly secured outdoor hutches. Either way, you cannot tell which by looking. A friendly rabbit near a house could have a family searching the block. Knock at the nearest doors, ask if anyone keeps rabbits, and check for a hutch or an open gate before you move it far. A quick question can end the whole matter: Do you know anyone on this street with a rabbit? This one is in my yard on Oak and 5th, and it looks like a pet. If nobody claims it, move on to catching it.
Catch it with help, not by chasing
Do not run after it. The House Rabbit Society says to contact animal control, a humane society or a local rabbit rescue first, since shelters may have nets and experienced staff. Indiana House Rabbit Society says that catching a stray often takes several people and a lot of patience. Rabbits are most active at dawn and dusk. If you have to trap, the House Rabbit Society says to use a humane trap with openings at both ends, bait it with banana or grated carrot, drape a sheet over it, keep it in a shady, quiet place, and check it at least every 4 to 6 hours, because stress can kill a trapped rabbit. Our post How to catch an escaped domestic rabbit has the full method.
The first few hours indoors
Keep it simple and quiet. Indiana House Rabbit Society says to house the rabbit temporarily in a dog crate or a plastic pet carrier, not something it can chew through, with a towel on the bottom for comfort and to soak up urine. Offer rinsed greens served wet and a bowl of fresh water, since stray rabbits are often dehydrated, especially in summer. Put the crate in a calm room away from dogs, cats and children. If it will not eat, seems limp, or has wounds or trouble breathing, call a vet who treats rabbits today, and ask them what to do before you try anything at home.
Protect any rabbits you own
If you keep rabbits, treat the stray as a real risk to them. The USDA says rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus type 2, RHDV2, infects domestic, wild and feral rabbits and hares, and does not infect people or other animals. It says the virus spreads through contact with an infected rabbit’s excretions, blood, meat or fur, and also on contaminated food, water, bedding and equipment, by insects, and on clothing, shoes and hands. So keep the found rabbit in a separate room. Use separate bowls and towels, and wash your hands and change clothes before you go near your own. The USDA says signs may include sudden death, a bloody nose, fever, lethargy and loss of appetite. If a rabbit dies suddenly, contact your vet and do not dispose of the body until you have asked your vet or state animal health officials.
Report it as found
Tell the same people you would tell for a lost dog. File a found report with your city or county shelter, and post on Nextdoor and local Facebook groups with a photo. Use the cross streets where you found it. Keep one detail back, such as a marking on the belly, so you can test anyone who says the rabbit is theirs. Post in local rabbit groups too. Put up a few found flyers near the spot, and check lost pet posts for a match. If an owner calls, ask for a photo of the rabbit at home. Local rules on found pets vary, so ask the shelter what it expects you to do, and for how long.
Decide what happens next
Do not rush. The House Rabbit Society suggests keeping the rabbit at home for at least a few days before deciding its next step, since this gives it time to recover from stress and can help it get adopted. It lists three options: adopt it yourself, find it a good home, or take it to a shelter, where it may be adopted or euthanized. Indiana House Rabbit Society says to contact a rabbit rescue first, while warning that most are at or above capacity. If no rescue can help, contact animal control or the nearest shelter with a rabbit program. Ask this: I have found a domestic rabbit. Do you take rabbits, and if not, who does? Do not release it, even in a park. It is not a wild animal.
If you cannot catch it
Report it anyway. Indiana House Rabbit Society says to contact your local animal control or a shelter with a rabbit program, and that animal control sometimes works with rescues to catch a stray and place it. Give the street, the time of day it appears and a photo. In the meantime, ask nearby households to keep dogs in and to tell you when they see it. The House Rabbit Society suggests building trust by visiting often, crouching low and approaching from the side, and sitting about 10 feet away with treats. If you find several rabbits together, say so when you call, because a group needs a planned effort with volunteers.
Sources
House Rabbit Society, loose rabbits: rabbit.org/faq-how-to-rescue-a-rabbit-running-loose. Indiana House Rabbit Society: indianahrs.org/rabbit-care/stray-rabbits.aspx. USDA APHIS, rabbit hemorrhagic disease: aphis.usda.gov/livestock-poultry-disease/rabbit-hemorrhagic.