Can you domesticate a wild rabbit

The reality is your relationship with your wild baby rabbit will never develop — you will simply be a caregiver to keep the bunny alive. Wild rabbits will grow distressed at the prospect of living in a hutch. Stressed animals cause damage to the cage as it attempts to chew through the wire or wood.

They may also harm themselves due to the psychological strain. Remember to release the bunny close to where you found it, as rabbits tend to stick to the same small area near to their nest throughout their lives.

Bunnies are surprisingly fast and can run between miles per hour. You can do so by following these steps:. With all these steps, the most crucial thing is to minimize the amount of stress the rabbit is under.

Stress can be fatal, especially in young rabbits, so be careful to set the trap up properly to prevent injury. You should only keep a bunny in captivity if it has no chance of survival in the wild. If the animal can be rehabilitated, it should be returned to the wild when it is strong and healthy. Be careful of these behaviors. One of the most important first steps is to encourage the baby rabbit to get used to you. Instead, maintain a cool, calm attitude at all times when you are around the rabbit.

Ensure you have a secure space for it to hide in so that if can find safety from you. Preventing the animal from running away can cause a heart attack that leads to death. The rabbit might also go into shock, causing gut stasis and starvation as a result. Allow the rabbit to sniff you and get a sense of who you are. Make no sudden movements or noises and let the rabbit move at its own pace. Also, wash your hands before you approach the rabbit to remove any of-putting scents.

To entice the baby rabbit to come to you, leave a trail of tasty treats that lead to your direction. Bunnies are ground dwellers and lifting it off the ground will cause extreme stress and panic. Baby rabbits will see this as an attack and may go into shock. Baby rabbits are also likely to kick and scratch to get free, causing you pain and injury.

Keep the bunny at ground level at all times to maintain normal stress levels. Wild baby rabbits are known for being skittish and nervous. This is something that disappoints many pet owners. A small cage causes claustrophobia, stress, and unhappiness.

Those dates seem far too old, and there are two big problems with them. First, to make these calculations, you need to know how quickly rabbit DNA changes over time—and scientists have estimated four such rates that differ substantially from each other.

Larson thinks that probably is the case. Rabbits are among the most recently tamed animals, and yet neither history nor archaeology nor genetics can accurately pinpoint when they were domesticated. Domestication is a continuum, not a moment. Humans hunted rabbits, tens of thousands of years ago.

They transported the wild animals around the Mediterranean. The Romans kept them as livestock in structures called leporaria. Later, they used actual hutches.

Eventually, we bred them as pets. None of these activities represents the moment when rabbits hopped over the domestication threshold.

This means that your wild rabbit will likely run from you if you try to approach it. Its first survival defense is to run away to a place of safety. Do not attempt to stop the rabbit from running away. This will only make it more stressed.

This can lead to its death, since rabbits can suffer a heart attack or go into shock, which causes its gut to go into stasis, which will cause its starvation.

Frances Harcourt Brown. Publisher: Butterworth-Heinneman. Lie down with it. In order for the rabbit to get used to you and not see you as hostile, you should decrease your height when approaching it.

This will make it seem less threatening to it. If she does approach you, do not react to it at first. Sit immobile for as long as it takes, which may be hours. It may also take multiple tries over many days, as she gets used to you. Avoid smelling like other animals. If you smell like other animals that are predators of rabbits, such as dogs or cats, she may not approach you. Put on freshly washed clothes and wash your hands before going outside to ensure you don't smell like any other animal.

Leave a trail of food. When you are trying to get the rabbit to trust you, leave a trail of tasty food the rabbit will like to lead it towards you. This includes leafy green like arugula, dandelion leaves, and carrot slices. This will help it trust you and go towards taming it. Talk gently to it. When you are trying to tame it, talk to the rabbit in a calm, gentle, low voice. This will help soothe it and not cause extra alarm. Never shout at the rabbit or make loud noises.

This will cause it to run away and hide. Deal with a scared rabbit. If you do manage to scare the rabbit, she may completely freeze.

A rabbit uses this reflex to fool predators into thinking she is dead or to help it hide. If the rabbit approaches you in this manner, she is not happy to see you and does not want you to pick it up.

She is actually terrified. This will likely send it into shock and cause major problems for it. This can cause a heart attack or shock and eventual death. On the other hand, domesticated rabbits are often used to people, so may approach you — even if found outside. What happens when a pet rabbit is released into the wild? Cottontail rabbits, pros at life on the streets, only live for about years. Domesticated rabbits are used to having rabbit food and timothy hay provided for them, and may not be able to find food on their own.

Wilkinson points out how pet rabbits are especially at risk in hot weather. They may not be able to find a place to dig a burrow to cool off. While some may still wear the camouflage outfit of their European ancestors, predators will easily spot those with light-colored coats.

What should you do if you see a domesticated rabbit running loose? Have you seen a suspected pet rabbit running wild?