Okay, you I have these wild cottontails, about a month old. Only they are no longer wild. I tried to keep them wild, but it is not working. If I kept them (state has no laws concerning cottontails) are they compatible with my domestics? What about for breeding? What will I get? Is there any diseases I need to be aware of? So many questions! Thanks, Sissy

-- Sissy (iblong2Him@ilovejesus.net), May 06, 2002

Answers

Sissy, wild rabbits are solitary by nature and do not like close company with other rabbits. They are also very nervous by nature and do not enjoy being handled as adults. For a number of years, I raised domestic rabbits but also had wild cottontails. I found that although they would get along with the big New Zealand whites, they would not get along with each other even when it may be two females in the same cage. I would never see them fighting since cottontails are nocturnal animals rather than day animals like the domestic rabbits. And when you determine which of the young are males, they should be given separate cages. And if two males end up in the same cage, there will soon be a fight in which they will each attempt to castrate the other. With my rabbits, I had third generation cottontails that were raised with the tame rabbits and they even adopted the habbit of laying on their side instead of resting on their haunches like a wild rabbit. Good luck.

-- Martin Longseth (paquebot@merr.com), May 06, 2002.

I had a wild rabbit that was a buck when I was a kid, and he was very nice, but I had handled him quite a bit. I kept him in his own cage, and used him for breeding, his kits were nice although not as growthy as the meat rabbit stock I had. With the dutch bunnies they made some very interesting markings. Keep them by themselves until they are certain to be disease free. God bless!

-- Doreen (animalwaitress@yahoo.com), May 06, 2002.