Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Last week, I was contacted by a family member in regards to a domestic rabbit that had been released about a year ago. I was told that originally, 5 rabbits had been released by tenants in rental home when their lease had expired and they moved on. Two rabbits were caught and went to homes where they were cared for. Two other rabbits disappeared, probably caught by dogs. The final rabbit was very elusive. For a while, it lived under the house that was vacated. Then, the house burned down, and the rabbit begin to live in the brush and surrounding forest areas.

Over a period of year, all of the surrounding forest area and brush was cleaned up because the land was being developed into a strip mall. For a month or so, the rabbit lived in the parking lot, and the side grassy areas.

A family member contacted me about this, and I had the blessing of the property owners to catch the rabbit. After about 5 attempts, my two kids and I managed to drive the rabbit into a loading dock area, and we cornered it using a large piece of plywood.

The rabbit has begun to adapted to life as a pet. It has a large store-bought cage. Right now, the cage is sitting in our house in a corner in the hopes that the rabbit will become accustomed to people once again. The cage is located in a relatively quite area, behind two recliners. The kids hold the rabbit about two to three times a day, feed it carrots, etc. I don’t want to overwhelm it, but I won’t it to be around people.

Immediately after we caught the rabbit, I determined that it’s a female. As a kid, we raised rabbits (dwarfs, dutch, etc), and this appears to be a mature dwarf bunny. Last night, as I was getting the rabbit out of the cage so the kids could hold it, it dawned on my for the first time that this rabbit seems to be very fat, especially since it has been in the wild, and fending for it’s self for almost a year.

As far as I know, no other domestic rabbits are roaming free in this area, but I’m sure that there are numerous (hundreds) of wild rabbits in the area.

Is it possible for a wild rabbit to breed with a domestic rabbit? This is probably a dumb question, but I’m really curious and concerned about this. I’m wondering if I need to provide a nesting box.

And if it’s possible, and if we end up with a litter of domestic/wild hybrid babies, I’m open to suggestions and input on what to do with them. I’ve rehabilitated animals and raised orphans (squirrels, birds, mallards, etc) in the past and released them to the wild when fully recovered. I believe wild animals belong in the wild. These baby rabbits won’t really be suited for the wild because they are half domestic, but at the same time, they definitely won’t be suited for pets.

Hopefully, this isn’t a problem I’ll have to deal with. Maybe the rabbit is just fat.

But to be on the safe side, I'd appreciate input, advice and suggestions form those of you who are more expereincd and knowledgeable than I

Hellos!

First of all - kudos for taking the time to go out and catch the poor bunny! Domestic rabbits don't usually fair very well at all when released, your little girl sounds like a real survivor for living that long in the wild. Having survived that long, she must have been able to feed herself and everything in the wild, so she could just be a little on the chubby side. Or if she just started puting weight on, it could be that her new diet, and being enclosed now, has made her gain weight.

I'm pretty sure that if a wild rabbit and a domestic one were to breed, they could produce offspring. I'm not sure how likely it would be that a wild one would be interested in a domestic female though, especially with hundereds of there own kind around. Studies have suggested that even two very similar types of wild rabbits (New England Cottontails and Eastern Cottontails) won't even commonly breed with each other, even if they share the same habitat. However, with that many rabbits around, it isn't inpossable that she breed with a wild rabbit.

You could take your girl to a qualified rabbit vet and they could tell you for sure what's going on with her. That way you wouldn't have to just play the waiting game and not know untill you have a litter of buns to deal with. If your girl does have babies, don't release them into the wild. They may be half wild, but if they survived and breed with the wild rabbits it would create a population of hybred domestic/wild rabbits and mess with the wild populations genetics and all that good stuff.

I do know people who have wild rabbits of pets - one's that were rehibilitated and could not be released due to medical problems. Your right in saying that they're not the best of pets, they are very skitish and don't enjoy human interactions the way domestic rabbits often do. They often learn to tolerate humans, and will sometimes allow their caregivers to get close to them.

Because your babies would oveously be half domestic, and raised around people, there is a change they would be excellent pets. You never know.

One option would be to see if there is any kind of wild animal sanctuary or something that would take them in and keep them in captivity. Maybe if they look wild, but are a little more friendly, they could be used in some kind of education program or something. Who knows. Or if you know of any people who would be willing to take them in and work with them, that would work too.

But I would start out by taking her to a vet. That way you may find out shes not pregnant and you have nothing to worry about. If she is, the vet might be able to give you some suggestions on how to find homes for the babies. Also, female rabbits should be spayed because as the age, they have a much higher chance of getting cancer in their reproductice organs.

I hope that was at least a little helpful! If you have any more questions feel free to ask! Good luck with your girl!