Worried about raising somewhat wild rabbit….

[Scooter10110]

So a few weeks back, my girlfriend’s friend found a rabbit that had a broken front leg. He took the rabbit home and began caring for it, only to find out that the rabbit was pregnant, and gave birth to a litter of bunnies. They raised the baby bunnies with the mom still around, and they are currently 13 weeks old. As of the past week, they had began feeding the rabbits pellets and Timothy hay.

Today, my girlfriend decided to bring home one of the baby bunnies, in hopes it would interact and be able to live with us and our 6 month old Dutch rabbit. She is determined to believe that because the babies were born in a household and raised since birth, that they aren’t considered “wild” rabbits and that they can be domesticated. In hopes of avoiding an argument, I am coming here to ask rabbit professionals/experienced rabbit owners on the facts of keeping the offspring of a wild rabbit that was born in a human interacting/human-raised environment, and if it is possible to continue raising it as a pet alongside our Dutch rabbit.

Thank you all in advance for your help!

[Roberta]

Well… That’s a tricky question… Having been born and kept in captivity I wouldn’t like the little buns chances outside… I have a friend who took in a young wild rabbit and raised in as a domestic very successfully but then wild buns in Australia originated from domestic European species.
The truth is that even with a fully domestic bred rabbit there is no guarantee that they will get on… Even the purest of domestic breeds can dislike each other.. It really comes down to personalities and bonding.
My short answer is yes, if they can be bonded they should be fine together, if they don’t get on it is not due to one of them being wild but both of them being rabbits. Do a search through the forums on some of the previous bonding posts.

[Tessie]

In terms of bonding with your other rabbit, I agree with Roberta, I think it just depends on how they like each other when they meet.

I know a rescue that has a couple of wild rabbits who live as pet rabbits, and who are bonded with domestic rabbits. One is in a pair, one is part of a trio, so it is possible.

They present more challenges than domestics though, the lady who runs it tells me that their behavior is (obviously) more ‘wild’ than domestic rabbits; they are less keen on being handled, and can be unpredictable.

I’m not sure if wild rabbits will be susceptible to different diseases and such. I suggest you ask your vet if there are any medical differences you should be aware of.

[LBJ10]

So is this a wild rabbit as in a cottontail? Or a European rabbit? Huge difference between the two!

[Scooter10110]

I’m assuming it’s a cottontail :p in all honesty I’m not sure, she was born completely white with red-ish eyes, and an ever-so-slightly brown undertail.

I’m worried about the situation because she’s absolutely adorable, and about a third of the size of our Dutch Rabbit named Scooter, but he was our first rabbit so compared to everyone here we’re beginners to the rabbit world That’s the reason I came here to ask, because I’m sure there’s so much more to learn about non-domesticated bunnies on top of what we have taught ourselves so far about domesticated rabbits.

If it isn’t a good idea to keep her and attempt to work with her and keep her as a pet and companion for Scooter, we are going to find a wildlife center or something that can take her, because we refuse to let her go outside on her own here in New York!

[LittlePuffyTail]

Are you sure it’s a true wild rabbit and not just a dumped domesticated rabbit? I’m just asking because you say she was born white. Cottontails are always born brown.

[Sarita]

Definitely sounds like a domestic rabbit to me.

[Roberta]

Yep, even wild Australian bunnies aren’t white…. She’s domestic.

Mummy bun is probably a domestic with agouti colouring if she is brown… The vet that took care of her leg would have referred them to a wildlife carer if they thought it was a wild bunny.

What you have is a REW, Red Eyed White… They have the most beautiful natures.

[LBJ10]

I agree, she sounds like a domestic rabbit. It’s very possible that mom was dumped by her owners and her “wild” (agouti) coloring made them think she was a wild rabbit. I mean, it isn’t unheard of for an albino cottontail to be born (they wouldn’t last long in the wild), but if the babies in the litter are all sorts of different colors then they are most definitely domestic bunnies.

This is good news because a domestic bunny that was born in the wild isn’t necessarily going to be wild if brought into a home.

[Beka27]

I agree with the others, but can you post a pic (or two or three?) for us to see how cute she is… I mean… Confirm that she is a domestic rabbit? 😉

[Scooter10110]

Thank you guys all so much for the helpful responses! I’m loving the community of people here already!

For those who have asked, or could better base their theories of the possibility her mom was a domestic and dumped outside, here are two photos of her so far… She’s 13 weeks old, but fits in the palm of my hand! (our Dutch rabbit was much bigger than her by her age)

Her name is Delilah

[Roberta]

She is a cutie pie……

[LittlePuffyTail]

She’s adorable! And definitely not a wild rabbit!!!!

[robyn and 'tipps']

So cute!

[Tessie]

Yeah, cute but not at all wild.

[mossling]

She is certainly not wild, just adorable! Lots of people just dump their rabbits when they get tired of them, that’s probably what happened to this poor girl’s mom. Since you asked, though, there is a woman on another forum who *does* have a cottontail that she found injured and near death as a baby, and is now unreleaseable. Here’s what she says about having a “wild” rabbit.

Sure! She shares some similarities with a domestic, but more…exaggerated. Anything that would make a domestic happy or angry makes her extremely happy or extremely angry. She only has two modes: high speed race bunny, and comatose. She requires 4-6 hours of racing around, jumping, and burrowing to stay mentally healthy.
She is very, very intelligent (almost too smart) and learns something after only a few repetitions. She’s hypersensitive to your actions and motives, and generally tends to assume you want to hurt or eat her, despite years of you proving only the opposite. She tolerates brief petting if she’s on the tired side, but otherwise just gets confused and mad. Picking her up gives her a panic attack. However, she’s instantly a friendly, happy bun if there’s food involved! She climbs into my lap or onto my stomach (with all 4 feet!) for treats, and will follow me like a puppy around the house if I ask, “Do you want a treat?” or if she hears the fridge door open. She does give kisses, and rears up on her hind legs to give one if you ask. She’s not mean…if you give her a treat or lay next to her, she’ll give you “happy/thank you blinks” or a friendly sniff.

Also worth mentioning, she is a solitary rabbit who has never been successfully bonded, despite repeat attempts.

[Eepster]

I also say domestic.  My domestic bunny Porky could easily pass as a wild cottontail if he ever got loose.

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