Can I keep a cottontail?

[mistyjr]

yup. looks like a cottontail.. Michigan Cottontails also have a white on their forehead.

 

[KatieGirl95]

yeah i found a baby cotton tail a couple hours ago, these neighborhood kids brought me him their cat had gotten ahold of him, he has a split ear and his hairs ripped of a little on his butt, not anything serious though, i put some antibiotic cream on him, and now hes resting in the cat create wrapped up, where he burried into the towel, laying on a rice heat pack, if he makes it through tonight, what should we feed him? i mean he is tiny! no pics yet though, dont wanna stress the little guy, and how do you tell if its a him or her? i have raised bunnies before just never paid attention to him or her, just went by what the breeder told us.. so? can you help? and if he dose make it, he should he was hoping around and alert, so now broken bones or anything, i could keep him? i have read alot online saying they are mean and stuff, i just cannot see mean in him.. im a big animal lover, figured this would be the best place to get info from..

thanks!

:biggrin:

 

[LakeCondo]

Wild rabbits in the US are a different species from the domesticated rabbit.

 

[hln917]

You need to find a wildlife rehab so they can care for it. You can try giving it kitten formula via dropper.

 

[Imbrium]

about how old is it? (is it fully furred, are the eyes open, how big relative to your hand, etc.) depending on the age, it should be fed KMR (kitten milk replacer) and/or some grass/fresh plants that are hand picked and not treated with pesticides or fertilizer.

your best bet for his survival is to get him to a wildlife rehab as soon as you can, especially since he's injured. wild rabbits don't fare well in captivity ><

or, if his wounds aren't very bad, you can place him back in the area where you think the nest is located (or better yet, the actual nest if you can find it) - the mother will come back to look for the missing kit and they won't abandon a baby just because you've touched it.

here are some good sites on baby rabbit care:
http://www.mybunny.org/info/newborn.htm
http://www3.telus.net/raisinghouserabbits/orphans.htm
http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/orphan.html

 

[KittyKatMe]

I have a friend who had a nest of bunnies in her backyard. She knew not to disturb them, but when the babies were a week old, she found the mother dead close to the nest. So, they tried bottlefeeding the four babies, but only one survived. She named it Latte, and by the time he was weaned, he was actually very tame. Having other bunnies, she kept him. He is now neutered with a bunny girlfriend and thriving at 5 years old. He is the tamest of all her bunnies. But this is rare, and I wouldnt reccomend doing it unless you have experience with rabbits.

 

[Bunnylova4eva]

For one thing, YEARS ago I actually tried this with a bunny of the same age. It was a terrible idea, and I'm really ambarassed to even share that I did it. But, I'm sharing it as a help to other buns. The one I did this with lived several weeks and then died. These rabbits are made to & and used to living in the wild. It doesn't matter how old (or young) they are, or what you feed it. If it really is a docile as you say however, I would really worry about it, there's a very good chance it had some sort of disease. Not to be a party pooper, but I'd find a rehab ASAP or release it if there is not one nearby. Looking in the best interest of the bunny, that it the best option.

One more thing, recently I rehabbed a litter of 8 cottontails. They did GREAT. Or so I thought. As it got closer to the day I was going to let them go (4 weeks of age) they were growing, eating solids, doing WONDERFUL. Then, the morning I was going to let them go, I go to get them out of their cage, and all except 3 had died. No change in care to speak of, but they died. They had gotten to the point of being stressed in the cage and it was too much for them. Even though me caring for them was all they'd ever known, their instincts told them to be scared of me and it did them in. On the other hand, the 3 I released have thrived and I've gotten to watch them grow up in their natural environment they were designed for. For months now I've been able to see them every few days (sometimes every day) in the back yard hopping through nibbling the lawn. They won't come to me, just like any other cottontail, but they live in the area.

The bunny in the picture shown is definitly old enough to be on its own. Once they weigh 100 grams they'll be fine on their own in the wild.