Calling All Rabbit Nutters

[TJAnonymous]

@TJAnonymous

I just did some research, because you got me curious about the eye colors of rabbits. According to my research, wild rabbits CANNOT have blue eyes, as that gene is only found in domestic rabbits. However, I have a hypothesis of why it looks like a wild rabbit with blue eyes.

It’s possible it’s a mix between a wild cottontail and a domestic rabbit. That would explain the behavior and the eye color as well as the wild rabbit look.

Even then, blue eye color I think is a recessive gene. This is only a hypothesis.

You may have a truly rare and unique rabbit there!

Thank you for replying... While I clearly can't rule out that hypothesis, I am certain this animal belongs to someone. He is quite large. He also doesn't run away from people, cars, or the lawn mower. Not to be confused with not wanting to be caught....

Looks are not everything. Below is a picture of my bunny, Hazel. He was also a stray bunny. People in the area originally assumed he was a wild rabbit because he's brown like the wild rabbits in this area. But he is also large and very tame. When he got hungry enough, he willingly came to people and that's how he was captured. We took him in afterwards. It could easily be the same with this new stray.

 

[jnicholes]

Thank you for replying... While I clearly can't rule out that hypothesis, I am certain this animal belongs to someone. He is quite large. He also doesn't run away from people, cars, or the lawn mower. Not to be confused with not wanting to be caught....

Looks are not everything. Below is a picture of my bunny, Hazel. He was also a stray bunny. People in the area originally assumed he was a wild rabbit because he's brown like the wild rabbits in this area. But he is also large and very tame. When he got hungry enough, he willingly came to people and that's how he was captured. We took him in afterwards. It could easily be the same with this new stray.
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Is that a continental giant or a Flemish giant? It looks certainly big enough!

 

[R2elk]

No, I don’t hunt rabbits.

There is nothing wrong with hunting rabbits. They are delicious.

 

[jnicholes]

There is nothing wrong with hunting rabbits. They are delicious.

Let me rephrase what I said. Before I do this, fair warning to all the rabbit lovers. This does involve rabbit hunting. If you don’t want to read this, skip past this post.

I shot a rabbit once, and I did try to cook it. However, it tasted really gamey and tough. Maybe I cooked it wrong, maybe I used the wrong recipe, I don’t know what the problem was. The point is, I have no idea how to prepare a rabbit.

I do know a spot where rabbits are plentiful, and people go to hunt them all the time. I just don’t really hunt rabbits because I don’t know how to prepare them.

 

[R2elk]

He also doesn't run away from people, cars, or the lawn mower.

This is a wild cottontail.

 

[jnicholes]

I’ve decided, if anybody can make a rabbit taste good, this guy can. I’m gonna do some research and figure out how to prepare a rabbit. Rabbit season is open right now in Idaho, so maybe I’ll give it another shot.

 

[TJAnonymous]

Is that a continental giant or a Flemish giant? It looks certainly big enough!

Do you mean Hazel (my brown buns) or the stray raiding my garden? They are both around the same size. I'm not sure what breed Hazel is. He showed up one day at my daughter's horse boarding co-op. Everyone thought he was just a wild rabbit until he actually came up to a lady and began pawing her leg. I told her that wild rabbits DO NOT come to people like that... They caught him about a week afterwards and brought him to me. After a vet check and posting him on Lost & Found, we ended up keeping him since no one showed up to claim him.

He is about the size of a large housecat? I'm not sure how much he weighs. I don't pick him up as he doesn't like it at all. He will climb into your lap though and he loves pets & scratches. Here's another picture of him... You can see how big he is in this one. The stray in the garden is big like this too...

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Skip this, those who prefer not to read it...
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I raise Continentals for the dinner table. Quite tasty. If you've ever heard that rabbit is "lean"? Its true. Very easy to overcook. Big disparity in thickness of parts once things are broken down, as well. Makes it hard to cook evenly. I recommend either stewing (red wine, root veg, 'shrooms works surprisingly well); braising (white wine, herbs, onion); deboned breaded flash fried w/ a cream sauce; or sous vide for perfect time/temp control.

Alternatively, grind as meatloaf. EXCELLENT. (be sure to incorporate ground mushroom, helps w/ texture and umami)

Every other method we've tried invites error - though I would REALLY like to smoke one, at some point. Should make excellent jerky.

That is all.
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