i’ve never heard whether or not domestic & wild rabbits can mate.  interesting… i’m going to stay tuned to this to see if anyone knows an answer. 

why on earth do people react that way when you tell them about rabbit rescuing?  it warms my heart to hear about  the topic.  is it just they don’t realize shelters get abused / neglected / abandoned rabbits?

From what I recall, hares and jackrabbits cannot as they are in a different subspecies. Wild rabbits can be a domestic rabbit that was set free in the wild, so you might want to be careful with that distinction.  If a "wild" and a domestic rabbit meet and are genetically compatible it can happen depending on the physiological properties of each and if they are similar.  Think of it this way, a very large animal has a tough time breeding with a smaller one and vice-vera if they were to actually meet and stay together.

I’m going to do a bit more research and see what I can dig up. Any geneticists out there?

Here is what I found so far:

Here is the web page where it states it (I am trying to find a more scientific reference):

http://www.petworldstore.com/facts/smallanimals_rabbitsabout.html

And the paragraph:

"Another interesting error in the history of rabbits is that rabbits were originally classified as rodents because of their small size and prominent buck teeth. But both hares and rabbits are classified into a class of creatures called the Lagomorphs. Hares and rabbits are different subspecies of the same family, kind of like how orangutans and gorillas are different subspecies of the ape family. Although in the same family, hares and rabbits are so very different in their appearance and behavioral traits that they cannot produce offspring together. After we take a brief look at the fascinating differences between hares and rabbits, we will be focusing on rabbits and especially domestic rabbits that many of you see at Easter and in your local pet store year-round."¹

Here is a reference for the actual scientific classification:

http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761568905_2/Rabbits_and_Hares.html

"Scientific classification: Rabbits and hares belong to the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha. Cottontails are classified in the genus Sylvilagus. The snowshoe rabbit is classified as Lepus americanus, the black-tailed jackrabbit as Lepus californicus, and the wild rabbit of Europe and Africa as Oryctolagus cuniculus."²

Here is an interesting read and lends evidence that it can happen:

http://books.google.com/books?id=ZUcKwPQNXWEC&pg=PA184&lpg=PA184&dq=can+wild+and+domestic+rabbits+mate&source=web&ots=exy25bXDU7&sig=iMgJyA15bJuCmUY0GonVdPVy1mM#PPA185,M1

¹© Copyright 2002-2007 Pet World, Inc.
Site developed and maintained by Magnetic Impact Media

²"Rabbits and Hares," Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2007
http://encarta.msn.com © 1997-2007 Microsoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

Our domestic rabbits are decendants of a European Rabbit, Oryctolagus cuniculus.  The hares and rabbits native to North America are different species, so it is unlikely that the two could produce viable offspring.  They would be hybrids.  Escaped domestic rabbits that live in the wild would be feral, the same as escaped housecats turn feral when they live in the wild.  These could definitely mate with pet rabbits.

I have never been exposed to a wild rabbit up close, but they are supposed to be terrified of people, so much so that simply handling them can kill them from fright.  I know that wildlife rehabilitators handle rabbits as little as possible and release them back into the wild as soon as the rabbit is able to survive on its own.  I also read someplace that the digestive system of a wild rabbit is different; the diet that we feed our companion rabbits would cause intestinal troubles and death to a wild rabbit.

Thank you Osprey! I must admit the more digging I was doing, the more confused I got!

I grew up in the middle of a nature preserve and the wild rabbits there were skiddish and you were lucky if you got to see the brown/white whoosh as you scared them out of the bush.  When our neighborhood got more crowded, there were a few families that had hutch bunnies.  A few of these families actually would release their little white spotted bunny or whatever into the wild when they didn’t want it anymore and these rabbits usually got eaten by the red tailed hawks in the area. 

One particular rabbit that was set loose ended up living in my mom’s salsa garden…. eating all of her cilantro and all of her herbs. (And getting sprayed by the hose whenever my mom saw him)  He was very skiddish, so we couldn’t get near him (probably because of the constant spraying with the garden hose)  In the spring, he was still around the yard and we actually found little dark brown (just like the wild ones) baby bunnies underneath the Kale plant. The only difference was that they had little white spots on them.  We kept a look out for the mom and sure enough it was the wild bunny. 

So as far as I know they can mate…. polar bears and grizzly bears can mate…. why not domestic and wild rabbits.

You know what is funny, my Connor is a previously wild bun and he is just as lovable and snuggable as coney is, if not more.

Medina, I agree my first bun Trixie was a wild bun too and lovey and snuggly as ever!

i’m glad you asked Moobunnay – since that was really interesting to learn about! I had no idea 🙂

I have found this whole thread very interesting.  So I began googling around and found an article written by someone from the House Rabbit Society, that really explained everything but in a short easy to understand way. And not only that, it really brings to light the differences in hares, cottontails and the European rabbit – from birth, to bunny homes, and behavior. http://www.metropets.org/Newsroom/articles/cottontail.php  it’s a quick easy read worth checking out..  If you want to get straight to the "differences" just start in the middle of the article.

So at least from this article, it said that hares and cottontails could not have offspring with domestics. I am assuming that it is possible that a European rabbit and a domestic rabbit could have offspring – which makes sense since that is where domestic rabbits originated.

I was going to chime in here but binky pretty much beat me to it.
Yeah, In america there’s probably no chance that a pet and wild rabbit could reproduce, unless either the wild rabbit was actually a feral rabbit, or the pet rabbit was by off chance a tamed
american cottontail. It happens on rare occasion that a wild animal takes to humans, and some people make the mistake of not understanding the process of domestication. I’ve
seen a few people who keep racoons as pets, thus giving rise to the local saying “Crazier than a pet ‘coon”.

Great find, BB.  I should send a copy to that vet that thought Jossalin was a "wild" bunny.

That is a great article BinkyBunny! People really do have a difficult time with this. Doing rescue work I have people always commenting to me on wild rabbits so this is something that always comes up for discussion.

Hi all
Thought I’d look into this;

The european rabbit and all domesticated rabbits have 44 chromosomes.
North American rabbits (Hare, jack rabbit and cotton tail) have 48 chromosomes.

Number of chromosomes doesn’t ALWAYS exclude interbreeding (ie. the mule) but it’s safe to say they can’t interbreed

very interesting thread!  i didn’t know if they could or not…

unfortunately, as long as rabbits are classified as "throw-away" pets to the general population… people will continue to think we’re nuts.  i’m sure those people making fun of you are the same ones who would get up in arms if they heard of a dog or cat being abused…

As for Domesticated rabbits not being able to be set into the wild, there is no genetic reason for it but rather a societal one. They don’t learn the skills necessary to live out in the wild and often die because of it.

Next time someone says that they could survive in the wild, remind them that there are plenty of people who survive in the middle of the amazon but you’re pretty sure if you dropped him into the jungle, he’d have a hard time staying alive there for the rest of his life.

Here here!

I ditto what Kokanee&Kahlua said and thanks for the info too about the chromosomes!

Moobunnay, are you locked and loaded with the safety off and ready for it next time?  I found that when I shyly said that I had rabbits, the commentary and insults ensued, but now, I look them straight in the eye and dare them to start (a look I learned from my mother).  People usually don’t do that to me anymore. Otherwise, I just mow them right down with my no-nonsense attitude and say, yes I do and I really don’t care what you think and I do not appreciate the commentary and walk off. If you feel bleary-eyed, just excuse yourself and don’t feel that you have to sit there and take your lumps. A couple of atta-girls and pats on the back from me to you. 

BinkyBunny – Thank you for the article! I am actually going to put this discussion in the FAQ section and put that article in my "favorites." I was getting so confused and I Googled it too and didn’t get that. Hmm. You are the Google master!