Bellamy+Lilah
Well-Known Member
Has anybody ever had the experience of a wild rabbit coming near to or come close to approach their pet bun while it was outside?
Wild Rabbit × Pet Bun Interaction?
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I have not but I would try to avoid it. Wild rabbits may be carrying mites or who knows what.
Yes.Well, kinda, not all my rabbits are pets.
One wild buck even knocked up one of my does, more than twice his size. That 1,5kg buck ran through my 60x80mm fence without slowing down noticable. Since he didn't move on I caught him and set him free an the other side of the river, on good bunny land.
That was an interesting litter. I even could sell 2 of those does to a farmer who wanted to repopulate his land with rabbits, but didn't have luck with wild rabbits.
There was some interaction before, in my first year with rabbits, when Myxo got from the wild population to my rabbits, killing 13 out of 14. Sole surviver was my Fury, which I put into quarentine in my kitchen and which pretty much destroyed my apartment in the next 8 months. Back then, when it started, I didn't know anything about it, wasn't alarmed by that obviously sick wild rabbit I saw some weeks earlier not far away.
One wild buck even knocked up one of my does, more than twice his size. That 1,5kg buck ran through my 60x80mm fence without slowing down noticable. Since he didn't move on I caught him and set him free an the other side of the river, on good bunny land.
That was an interesting litter. I even could sell 2 of those does to a farmer who wanted to repopulate his land with rabbits, but didn't have luck with wild rabbits.
There was some interaction before, in my first year with rabbits, when Myxo got from the wild population to my rabbits, killing 13 out of 14. Sole surviver was my Fury, which I put into quarentine in my kitchen and which pretty much destroyed my apartment in the next 8 months. Back then, when it started, I didn't know anything about it, wasn't alarmed by that obviously sick wild rabbit I saw some weeks earlier not far away.
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Bellamy+Lilah
Well-Known Member
Thanks so much!! That's really good to know. So far whenever I've seen one nearby my rabbits it would be on the other side of the yard but I know they see each other and I'm always scared that if it were to ever come closer to them it might start a fight.
I could be wrong, but I can't imagine any reason why a wild rabbit would engage in fight, imho that wouldn't make any sense, there's no territory or hierachy at stake. Curiosity, checking out, yes, but Imho not fight. The main problem are diseases.
Two years after I started with rabbits I gave up that apartment and bought an old house in a valley where no wild rabbits are, a few hares pass through each year, but here predators rule. I'm much happier with that kind of wildlife than with wild rabbits nowadays, what I knew about rabbits I had from my grandfather, and all those viruses didn't exist here back in his time...
I don't know much about vaccinations, if they protect 100% or just make it survivable, but with wild rabbits around your pet bunny it would be a good idea to get those shots, if not done already.
Two years after I started with rabbits I gave up that apartment and bought an old house in a valley where no wild rabbits are, a few hares pass through each year, but here predators rule. I'm much happier with that kind of wildlife than with wild rabbits nowadays, what I knew about rabbits I had from my grandfather, and all those viruses didn't exist here back in his time...
I don't know much about vaccinations, if they protect 100% or just make it survivable, but with wild rabbits around your pet bunny it would be a good idea to get those shots, if not done already.
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@ Bellamy & Lilah, what country are you in?
Bellamy+Lilah
Well-Known Member
Our wild rabbits in the US (cottontails) cannot successfully breed with domestic rabbits so you wouldn't have to worry about that. We also don't vaccinate our rabbits either. I would mostly be concerned (as others have also said) about what a wild rabbit may be carrying in terms of parasites or disease if it gets too close to areas your rabbit may wander.
I've not seen a cottontail attempt to approach my rabbits but I rarely have them outside. If they ever are outside, then I am right there near them and my presence would keep cottontails at a distance.
