raising wild bunnies

[Chickerdoodle13]

I've yet to have a baby wild bunny survive rehabilitation, so my best advice would just be to go out and buy a baby domesticated bunny. It will save your children a lot of heart ache when the wild one dies! If it's the wild bunny look you want there are definitely domestic rabbits that look like wild bunnies, just without the "wild"!

 

[Bunnylady]

Chicky Tocks, those pics really took me back - I raised two litters at different times, both when the nest was so severely compromised that I felt I had no choice. I made no attempt to tame the kits, and as soon as I felt they could fend for themselves, out they went! In one case, I waited a day too long, and they started shredding each other (bucks, apparently!)

As deerman said, it is illegal to possess wildlife, unless you are a licenced rehabilitator. Pet rabbits are the product of hundreds and hundreds of years of domestication, and it makes a huge difference tempermentally. Your sons may think the wild babies are cute, but they won't be babies for long - then what? Not worth the bother, IMO.

 

[momofchicks]

I won't be keeping the wild bunnies. Thanks for all the information I had no idea they would hurt themselves to stay wild. They are adorable though. I also wasn't going to purposelly breed brother/sister I was asking if they had bred together would it be okay as in deformities etc. We have picked up and loved on the babies while they were in the nest many years in a row, the momma still takes care of them after we've touched them. My 2 year old found the nest last year and they were so small their ears were still smashed to their heads really really cute. Thanks again and no worries, we will NOT be caging wild bunnies!!

 

[deerman]

Good idea, yes even if touch the mother will still feed them, best to put little ones back in their nest........


Cottontails are not rabbits but hairs (born with fur)

Rabbits are born without fur !!!

Maybe thats the reason cottontails can't be tamed!!!!!!!!

 

[FortWorthChicks]

Quote:
Glad to hear it. I have a friend who has some wild rabbits in his yard. They are so cute to look at

I hope you find some sweeeeet pet bunnies!!!!

 

[Akane]

Like everyone said they don't tame well and they are very hard to raise. Most orphan cottontails die. They are extremely fragile. A normal human voice can stress a cottontail to death when it first gains it's hearing. Even as adults while they may not mind your handling they will always be spooky and likely to kill themselves on the side of their cage. I've seen young ones that other people had smash in to the sides of a rabbit hutch when scared and one ended up dead. Here's the last 2 I raised when our cats attacked a nest in the yard:

 

[ack123]

cottons tails are a rabbit. Not a hare.

If you want your boys to raise some bunnies of their own get them started with some purebred rabbits from a good breeder that shows. that way they can learn about raising them, proper husbandry, and they can show them in 4h if they want to.

 

[horses101]

I disagree with everyone!! I have a wild baby bunny. He is the most sweet thing. Always hopping around his hutch or the house, he follows me around.. My cat brought him in along with another but the other died because of injury. This happened just a few days ago and I am surprised by how fast this baby is adapting!! We are getting him a friend soon! I strongly disagree with everyone who says they are "untamable" because mine acts just like one you bought from a pet store would!

 

[Bunnylady]

I disagree with everyone!! I have a wild baby bunny. He is the most sweet thing. Always hopping around his hutch or the house, he follows me around.. My cat brought him in along with another but the other died because of injury. This happened just a few days ago and I am surprised by how fast this baby is adapting!! We are getting him a friend soon! I strongly disagree with everyone who says they are "untamable" because mine acts just like one you bought from a pet store would!

Wow! Zombie thread from 4 years ago!

I understand your interest in helping this baby, but there are some things you must keep in mind. First, as been pointed out repeatedly in this thread, it is illegal to keep a wild rabbit (assuming that this is actually a wild rabbit, rather than a domestic rabbit that someone dumped out). Also, domestic rabbits still have a lot of the instincts of their wild ancestors. I have seen even pet rabbits kill themselves by slamming into the cage walls in panic when startled by a bird or a snake. How much likelier is it that this will happen to a rabbit with all of its wild instincts intact?

Secondly, if you live in North America, whichever species your wild rabbit is, it's a completely different species from a tame one. They cannot interbreed. Also, North American wild rabbits are not social - they don't have "friends," they have competition, and they fight to protect their territory. This rabbit will fight and possibly kill any rabbit you put in the cage with it by the time it is an adult. There are parasites and diseases that can pass between the two species, so bringing a domestic rabbit into contact with a wild one risks making both of them sick.

And finally, the behavior of a young animal can be very different from the behavior of an adult. A lot of people with domestic rabbits have seen a radical change in the rabbits' personalities when puberty hits their pet bunnies. Some rabbits become nothing short of vicious, and these are animals that have been domesticated for thousands of years. Just because your little wildling is sweet now is no guarantee that he will like or even tolerate your attention in a few months' time.

 

[RingedTeal]