Hypothetical question

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QuiteRandom

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This is just a question, not something I'm gonna do, I'm just wondering
If someone had a big enclosure for rabbits like 1000 m² or something, and had a group of rabbits like more than 4 but did not pet them a lot/just let them live their lives with hay, water and greens, would they be happy? On YouTube I saw there was people that did that but with meat rabbit :( and I was curious to know if people did that but with pets
 
That's close enough to how I keep my lifestock rabbits to have an opinion, but I do interact with them since they have to go back into their hutches, and to be able to handle them. Also just for enjoying their company. But they are out in the garden during the day, and out on the meadow when I'm there to keep them from raiding neighbours vegetable plot, so they need to be comfortable enough with me for listening when I tell them to go back home (they come home anyway on their own terms eventually, but that's a PITA).

Anyway, it sure is a way to keep rabbits. "Pet" is a random designation, if you're happy just watching them interact and live their lifes without humans intervening too much, that's fine. Drawback is that every situation where you need to handle them will cause stress, and it will be difficult to address health issues. They will not be cuddly, or tame.

Rabbits don't need human interaction. That they interact with you is a reward for the effort you put into the relationship. They are social animals, and would be quite happy on their own, living normal rabbit lives. Of course, you'll need to keep breeding under control (see Australia).

I would consider it one good way to keep meat rabbits, not efficient, not easy, and sure comes with a host of problems, but I'm pretty sure the rabbits would enjoy that way more than the traditional little hutches too often used here (example pic from an old neighbour :( ). Harvesting them would have it's own considerations, but I'm not going into that here.

From the very first litter from my now 10yo Fury two does escaped, I didn't know much about rabbits back then, they got themself a wild Romeo and lived a good live on a neighbouring demolishing waste recycling vacility, I sometimes met them until I moved away three years later. They did well. I didn't have the heart to put them back in captivity, once they know that kind of freedom imho they'll miss it to some point. Some more, some less.
 

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With tons of space there seems to be a different dynamic than in the confines of a typical outdoor run or inside a home. I visited an ostrich farm recently and wished I asked them questions about how they kept their rabbits. I don't know if the rabbits in these pics were all the same sex or not.
 

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Trust is important and helps establish a comfort factor to being picked up, held, and wanting to sit in your lap or lay on the floor with you and tooth purr.

Margo DeMello, renowned author, presented an education talk on the colonies of rabbits she had at her New Mexico property. As rabbit guardians, many of us were shocked that 60+ or so rabbits could co-habitate, yet as I recall they tended to have their own groups. We wondered how do you tell if one bun of 60 isn't feeling well? Especially since solid white or all black or brown bunnies may not be easily distinguishable.

@Blue eyes , Very neat that you shared your experience of visiting the ostrich farm.

I admire the work Pipp (Sorelle) of Rabbitats Rescue Society continues to do.



When hub or I view our sanctuary buns' froggy-feet poses or someone runs over to be nose pet and back massaged by hubby, we consider that as a sign they are happy.

Extra info to check out.
https://www.wellbeingintlstudiesrepository.org/acwp_habr/10/
 

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