Can pet breed rabbits live in the wild?

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fish2026

fish2026

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May 30, 2004
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Location
rockport, Texas, USA
I wonder if theres breeds well suited to live out in the wild. There are mostly deer on this property no coyotes and it has water on two sides. Sure there may be preditor birds and being in South Texas it certainly gets hot but there are lots of trees and foliage.

I am making a place for animals on Lake Corpus Christi if i dont go bankrupt and wouldnt be able to be there on a daily basis. I was sort of hoping there are some breeds who could flourish on their own- and maybe even still be friendly enough to come and be petted when people arrive.
 
OK there are so many breeds - Im calling them "pet" rabbits but Im just wondering if Tans or satins or some of the not so pet breeds could do this.

Thanks for your reply though.
 
:yeahthat

I agree with bunnydude. There's no breed of domestic rabbit todaythat can live out in the wild on its own. Mother rabbits teach their young at a very early age how to survive in the wild. Without those skills, domestic rabbits are helpless.

If I'd set Harper loose, he'd miss his teddy bear and stuffed giraffe so much, he'd come running back. He's such a spoiled baby. :rofl:
 
If you are interested in having rabbits in your refuge, I bet a wildlife sanctuary would have suggestions as to how to attract wild ones.
 
The state biologists are going to meet me there on wednesday at 3Pm and thats one of the questions I will ask. It just seems with so many different things growing and good drinking water in view from almost every part of the land- it wouldnt be so hard for them to survive.

I always let my pet rabbits out around the outside of my house and they did well for hrs at a time before I missed them too much and brought them in.
 
No domestic rabbits are suited to life in the wild. They have been bred specifically for traits that we want, and are not selected for survival traits as would happen in the wild. Their unusual colors and body shapes would make evading predators difficult and they are more likely to be snacks for roaming cats/dogs/hawks/owls/foxes/coyotes (they're everywhere!) than native rabbits. The lifespan of wild or released rabbits is very short due to predation and disease. Not to mention that Texas is much too hot for unsheltered domestic rabbits.

There are lots of abandoned domestic rabbits in some areas, but they tend to be very unhealthy and as I said, they live short painful lives.

Talk to the state biologists about attracting native rabbits. Do you have jack rabbits there?
 
There's an estimated 5000 domestic rabbits (allowner dumps andtheir offspring :X) wreaking havoc here in a Vancouver suburb, and I do believe other communities are having the same problem, so they can certainly survive. That said, there areparasites and other problems for non-native species.

That said, I believe the Great Bunny Rescue people in Reno, NV, are looking for outdoor homes for multiple rabbits -- all neutered and spayed of course -- but I'm not sure if they'll let them run loose or if they're asking that hutches be built.

Here's the link.

http://network.bestfriends.org/greatbunnyrescue/news/

Personally I think if they can be supervised and properly cared for, it could be bunny heaven in comparison to a cage in a shelter (or alone and forgotten in a backyard hutch), but I know others don't agree.

sas
 
Pipp, I'm pretty sure they're looking for outdoor homes in protected hutch/run setups, as opposed to the indoor homes that they usually require. I don't think they'd be willing to let them live in a large, unprotected, unsupervised area like this. I remember one of their articles saying they'd show new owners how to set up a safe, appropriate outdoor home.
 
naturestee wrote:
Pipp, I'm pretty sure they're looking for outdoor homes in protected hutch/run setups, as opposed to the indoor homes that they usually require. I don't think they'd be willing to let them live in a large, unprotected, unsupervised area like this. I remember one of their articles saying they'd show new owners how to set up a safe, appropriate outdoor home.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I remember one woman with what looked like a great set up -- a fencedyard, hidey holes set up everywhere, open hutches, etc, but no go. At least the NVrabbits are alive and well where they are now. The ones up here areabout to be 'culled'. :cry2 The Small Animal Rescue group is hoping to take action. Their main focus is trying to make it illegal for rabbits to be sold in pet stores,neuter/spay requirements for pet bunnies, fines for 'dumping', etc..

It's amazing how many people think they're doing their bunnies a favour by 'setting them free.' :disgust:



PS: The average life span for rabbits in the wild is 11 months (although I've also heard 9 months).

 
i personally would never even think of releasing a domestic bunny in the wild. there are all sorts of wild bunnies who have been hurt, etc that can be kept safely in your reserve.

pet rabbits are pets.

wild rabbits are wild....

just my opinion tho! i can see how it may work, but why risk it??
 
Releasing domestic animals into the wild is illegal in many states -- better check on Texas law before you decide to release any rabbits. They can spread disease, ruin habitat fornative speciesand cause extensive damage to local plant growth. You may find youself paying large fines for releasing domestic animals.



Pam
 
realising domestic rabbits into the wild is very illegal here where i live



cheryl
 
Thanks Pam but if you read my posts - The state bio people and ag people are advising me on what would work.

By the way I'm an attorney as well and Texas Parks & Wildlife once foolishly tried to confiscate a baby possum sick with sepsis that I adopted and got healthy. Our local game warden is especially an a-hole and said "Youre an attorney and should know having a pet possum is a violation of the Fur Bearing Species Act" I had never heard of such but told him I wasnt saving this baby possum so i could kill him and take his fur. Later the newspaper had a pic of my kids and Alex Possum and they wanted to quote me as "Possums make great pets everyone should have one" lol but at that time I didnt want to stick this guys nose in it so I toned it down a bit. Having observed him in the few years since- I know I blew an opportunity.

I appreciate the rabbit comments. Remember this is a controlled area there are no real preditors cept for perhaps some birds. I dont currently have any rabbits to let loose.

I will probably end up with a compromise plan if i have someone to watch the place where some rabbits are let loose for a few hrs a day however they would be mostly in some type of shelter.

My dream would be able to walk around the land/lake and encounter friendly animals in every area. Ill figure out something once I start paying off this land.

Heres a map of the area. The land is the peninsula right bordered on the north by hwy 534.

[ame]http://maps.google.com/maps?oi=map&q=Dinero,+TX[/ame]
 
I believe it is extremely irresponsible to release domestic rabbits into the wild population. To this point, VHD outbreaks have been contained in the US. However, the ability of the disease to spread through the feral population of rabbits will put all our domestic animals at risk. At this point, federal policy is to contain the disease by destroying any animals that may have been exposed. Containment will be difficult if the disease is transmitted through a wild population.


Feral rabbits can also cause immense vegetation damage. A neighbor of mine had release two medium sized rabbits that strayed to our property and only two rabbits completely wiped out my landscaping -- imagine what a large number of rabbits could do!

By releasing domestic rabbits into the wild, a critical situation to surround wildlife will be created, and government money will have to be used to eliminate the invasive species.

Pam
 
i agree pam! i think it is pretty... umm crazy to release a domestic bunny.

yeah so what, the sancuary is fenced in with no preditors but are they going to be in a hutch at night? are you going to watch them the whole time they are out.

i think you are much much much better helping some needy wild bunnies!
 
Other issues to consider . . .

It was mentioned that there are no natural predators. How will the population be controlled? The rabbits will be feral and not suitable for pets, so this would not be an option.

With no natural predators, the rabbits will quickly multiply and eat all the natural vegetation. How will feed be provided for them in the future.

Will medical care be provided for any of the rabbits. (If you are having money problems, this is certainly an issue to consider). How will terminally ill rabbits be cared for?

Will you be sending dead rabbits to the state vet, so an outbreak of VHD can be immediately diagnosed and contained? Any rabbits that die of unknown causes should be sent to the state vet for necropsy, as rabbits are also carriers of the plague. Humans should not have contact with the feral rabbits due to possibility of bites or disease transmission.



Pam
 
All good points and they will all be considered. OF course the state biologists will have some opinions too on Wednesday. This is just a minor part-afterthought ( maybe before thought) as far as the refuge goes.


Because the nearest major city seems to kill its animals ( it definitely does this with possums) Ive made them an offer to relocate them to another property Ihave but they havent responded. I do find baby possums( without parents) and relocate them after theyve spend a week or two in our house. Thats seemed to have worked out however no baby possums have been encountered the last two Springs.

I guess I figure if they are going to be killed anyway, they might as well get a chance. As for them eating the natural vegetation - none of it looks appetizing to me - so no problem there. They cant get the trees Im planting only the fruit/nuts that drop.

Anyway after reading the comments Ill put this idea on hold. ITs great that there are so many posters available IMMEDIATELY to respond to questions. GReat Site and thanks to all who responded!
 
if they eat the natural veggitation it can cause irrosion and what not. and could starve out many other animals. it can and WILL reek havok.

i am very very glad you are putting this idea on hold.
 
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