Definitely looks wild. I was going to suggest you release him, but I think I recall that Australia is not exactly kind to feral/wild rabbits? Maybe it’s best to contact a wildlife agency to see what they suggest. I don’t know what the wild rabbits look like in Australia, but that certainly looks like a wild baby bunny you’d find out here. Hmm-good luck! Keep us posted on your plans!

I highly recommend against releasing..i’ll refrain on going on a conservationist rant but rabbits are an enormous problem to the native biota here and releasing is very environmentally irresponsible and illegal in some cases.Wild rabbits here in aus are the same species as domestic rabbits unlike in America where i believe wild buns are cotton tails which are a different species to tame buns. Therefore wild and domestic buns are able to interbreed here as they are the same species and if its ears are lopping could very well be a mix of wild and tame bun. Wild buns do not normally have lopped ears. This buns best chance in life would be with a loving family

I have to say that it is really hard to tell. I know our cottontails have a little white mark on their heads when they are babies. I do not see that with this baby. Just because they have the coloring doesn’t necessarily mean they are wild rabbits. Wild and domestic rabbits cannot breed.

In honesty, his ears are too long for any wild baby bunny I’ve ever seen. He’s adorable.

The best thing would be to have a wildlife rehabber look at it before releasing it to make sure it’s wild, because I’m just not convinced.

And lop ears are strictly domesticated rabbits.

It definitely looks like the wild brown bunnies we have here in FL. However, if it’s ears are lopping, I don’t think that ever happens in the wild, so I would guess that it’s a dumped domestic that mated with a wild. It was in your lunchroom? Have you checked under the building for other babies or a nearby bush where the mother might have abandoned it?

He’s very cute. I don’t know what other differences there are between wild and domestic in terms of health or behavior. It would be very interesting to see how this one grows up in a domestic setting. And he’ll be neutered eventually, so that is beneficial as well.

I really don’t think he’s wild. And domestic and wild cannot mix because of different choromosomes. I think he’s domestic for sure.

The ears look to large for a wild rabbit, and the coloring really isnt too much of a tell as Hazel has the same coloring, I wouldn’t release it, cause it wount live long out in the wild. It would be better to fix it and prevent more babies running around.

Cuuuute! I vote he is a domestic lop or lop cross. Chestnut agouti like my Rumball. : )

How old do you think he is Roberta? his face appears too round to be a wild bun but if he’s really young that could change quickly.

He most certainly is of the Cute Breed. (Squee!) And a very lucky bun even if he was a wildie.
The situations for bunnies in both Australia and New Zealand appears to be very different than here in the states. Their lives in the wild, domestic or otherwise, can be hazardous at best. I agree that s/he has the best chance in a home.
Looking forward to seeing more about this adorable wee bub. What a precious face! And if there are others about or even mum I hope they can be helped as well.
Bless xx

Look at that face! He looks domestic or mixed to me. Since wild rabbits there are the same as domestic rabbits, I don’t see any reason not to give him a home.

LOL like I said he looks like my hazel did when we got him.

Chipmunk is the one with the white, and Hazel is the other one that is chestnut

He’s adorable! I’m glad that he has loving family to go home to. I had no idea that rabbits were not indigenous to Australia. I’m very happy for your work! I can’t believe you were able to make such an amazing change. Go you! I wish people were not so closed minded where I live. When I bring up the fact that I have a pet rabbit who I house inside and DO NOT intend to EAT. People look at me funny and mutter something about me being a weird city girl. Were people receptive to your ideas of change at first?

I completely understand why people in Australia don’t like wild rabbits. They damage the ecosystem there because they don’t belong there. There are problems in Hawaii with feral cats and other introduced species. They are killing all of the native birds.

Roberta – I think it’s great that you are trying to rescue those animals. They don’t belong there in the wild and if you can find them homes then that is a better outcome for them. =)

I dont know if you read my post Sarita but we do not have cottontails here in Aus and our wild buns are the same species as our domestic buns (the euopean rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus) I’ve studied conservation biology for 4 years and have seen many instances of wild and domestic buns breeding and he could definitly be a mix of both

I did know that rabbits weren’t indigenous to Australia. I’m guessing that our cottontail is a different species then…

sorry did i didnt mean to sound know-it-all if it came across that way lol sorry that really wasn’t my intention! As Roberta said rabbits were introduced upon european arrival and have been and unfortunatley still are one of the major causes of multiple species decline and extinction here in Aus. In America your wild cottontail buns are from a different genus to ours, cottontails are genus Sylvilagus whilst european wild buns/domestic buns are genus Oryctolagus (and are both also the same species)

Nah, you didn’t sound that way at all. I understand it now actually, so thank you :~) I think my head just thinks Cottontails and I guess I thought they were the same, but they aren’t…

So, are your wild rabbits then more like feral rabbits? I wondered that after reading your thread and then looking it up on-line but it doesn’t seem feral is the right description either.

oh good
they are ‘feral’ in the sense that they are an introduced, non-native invasive species that has established itself and thrives throughout most of Australia. They unfortunately compete with many of our native wildlife for food and shelter, and ‘kick’ many of our burrowing native animals out of their homes. They also damage
vegetation by ringbarking trees and shrubs and consume seeds and seedlings of plants to the point where it prevents bush regeneration. They are a very big problem here and are responsible for many species decline and even extinction.
In saying all that i must sound very anti-bunny, but im not! They are a big problem in the wild but that does not mean that they should not be kept as pets, so long as the owner is responsible and keeps their bun in a safe escape-proof environment and makes sure to desex

In saying all that i must sound very anti-bunny, but im not! They are a big problem in the wild but that does not mean that they should not be kept as pets, so long as the owner is responsible and keeps their bun in a safe escape-proof environment and makes sure to desex

Agreed!
The biggest frustration to me is that it was a human created problem. It’s a perculiar situation to be in, being of fan of the domestic pet and still acknowledging the negative impact rabbits have here. My father & brother farms (mainly cereal crops) & are seeing a big rise in them at the moment.

There is talk of another release of a calici strain (RHVD) to try and control and I have big fears of what that may mean for our domestic pets.

Hi Jersey girl, the vet told Aimee his is 4 weeks but eating well and his teeth and weight are good which makes me think Mummy Bunny is still in the area or was until very recently.

That’s how old Tim was estimated to be and he did super despite my fears at the time. I hope the same is true for Buddy also.

I’m undecided now whether he’s a bush bun, domestic or both. Lol