Kushla Glover said her children's rabbit, Bunny Little, found a gap in the back fence and went missing from the family home in Mardale St, Kaikorai, on Boxing Day.
The distraught family put flyers with a picture of young James holding the rabbit with the plea ''have you seen our bunny?'' in letterboxes and on power poles.
Mrs Glover and her husband, Mark, and children searched the neighbourhood day and night in vain and began preparing the children for the worst.
''We told them he might be toast,'' Mrs Glover said.
Refusing to give up, they placed an advertisement in the ODT lost and found section on Friday.
On the same day, Mr Glover got a text from an unknown number about a notice at Fresh Choice Roslyn about a found rabbit.
The Glovers were on holiday in Aramoana so Mr Glover's mother, Lyn, went to the supermarket and discovered the ''Lost your Rabbit?'' notice, posted on December 28, about a found rabbit living in Claremont St, Maori Hill.
''That's about 1km as the bunny runs,'' Mr Glover said.
The person who rescued the rabbit had gone on holiday and put the rabbit in a cage with plenty of grass to eat until it could be reunited with its owners.
Mr Glover said he wanted to thank whoever saved Bunny Little.
''We are so grateful someone found him and took the time to look after him and not just walk on by, because the kids weren't the only ones who were a bit upset.''
