When you see a bunny in your yard, it feels like a cute chance encounter. Your instinct is to leave it alone, thinking it’s a wild animal, not someone’s lost pet (you might think that more easily if it were a collared dog or cat).
However, it turns out this ball of fuzz might not be so wild after all, and commenters are urging the man who posted about the animal online to please rescue it.
Is This Someone’s Pet?
A TikTok posted by artist Noah Russi (@liveforlines) has racked up 1.8 million views after he introduced his followers to an unexpected fixture of his lawn.
“Everybody meet Harry. He’s been living in my yard for 8 months,” Noah shares.
When Russi turns the camera, viewers get their first look at Harry, a small brown bunny casually munching on the grass.
“I think I have the cutest lawn mower in town,” Russi says.
While Russi figured it was a wild bunny, a commenter urged him, “That’s a pet. Like legit that is a domesticated bunny.” Several others claimed the bunny appeared to be a Lionhead, a breed of domestic rabbit.
In response, Russi shared additional videos showing more of Harry’s daily life, clips of him in different spots around the yard and neighborhood, seemingly living his best outdoor life.
“I don’t know what to do,” he says in a text overlay. “Because a lot of people are saying he needs to be saved. I understand he’s a domestic rabbit, but it looks to me Harry is healthy and happy. I couldn’t imagine living inside, in a cage after this freedom. So I will let him live outside, and if it becomes too cold, he’s got a spot in my garage with his name on it. Does that seem reasonable?”
He also notes that Harry hasn’t warmed up to being handled yet.
“He doesn’t let me pet him. I tried, I’ve tried,” Russi says in the follow-up. “He’s letting me get closer though. Maybe one day he’ll let me. But for now he’s just cruising.”
How To Tell If A Rabbit Is Wild Or Domestic
According to the House Rabbit Resource Network, a Texas-based rabbit rescue, domestic and wild rabbits actually split off into different species a long time ago, which means their care, diet, and behavior are completely different. Here’s how to tell them apart:
- Color: Wild rabbits like the Eastern cottontail have a speckled brownish-red coat, a mix of brown, white, orange, grey, and black, designed to blend into outdoor environments. Their coat never changes to a solid color. Domestic rabbits can come in a wide range of colors, including black, white, grey, orange, red, spots, and splotches. Some domestic breeds do come in a similar speckled brown, which is when it gets tricky.
- Ears: Wild rabbits never have floppy ears. Domestic Lop breeds do.
- Fur texture: Wild rabbit fur is always short and sleek. Domestic rabbits are generally fluffier and softer-looking, and some breeds like Angoras or Lionheads have long, wispy coats you’d never find on a wild animal.
- Face shape: Wild rabbits have long, narrow faces and almond-shaped eyes. Domestic rabbits typically have fuller cheeks and wider, rounder eyes. Wild rabbits will never have blue or red eyes.
- Behavior: Wild rabbits will bolt the second they sense a human and will fight, kick, and scream if cornered. Domestic rabbits may be skittish if they’ve been outside and scared, but they generally won’t flee with the same speed or intensity. And unlike wild rabbits, domestic ones can be socialized—wild rabbits cannot.
Can Domestic Rabbits Survive Outside?
Russi’s instinct to let Harry stay outdoors isn’t entirely wrong, but it comes with risks. According to ExoticDirect, domestic rabbits can technically live outside year-round, but they are more vulnerable than their wild counterparts and require significant protections to stay safe.
The main dangers are predators, poisonous plants in gardens, and loneliness from reduced human contact. Temperature is also a factor; anything below 50°F becomes uncomfortable, and if it drops to freezing, rabbits should be moved indoors or to a shed.
According to The Spruce Pets, domesticated rabbits have lost the sharp survival instincts their wild ancestors had over generations of domestication. Many domestic breeds come in coat colors that don’t blend into natural surroundings at all, making them easy targets for hawks, foxes, owls, coyotes, raccoons, and dogs.
Plus, domestic rabbit bodies tend to be heavier than wild ones, making them slower, and they simply don’t have the finely tuned ability to detect and evade predators that a wild rabbit develops from birth.
@liveforlines He’s mine now
People Urge Him To Rescue It
“A lionhead! He’s not wild. Please please rescue him,” a top comment read.
“Keep him! This is a domestic bunny not a wild one. This breed in particular is not very friendly though,” a person said.
“Harry may be domestic but he is obviously having the time of his life,” another wrote.
“Yep, you do in fact have the cutest lawn mower,” a commenter agreed.
BroBible reached out to Noah Russi for comment via email and Instagram direct message.