domestic rabbits x wild rabbits

[greenfaery]

hello...my name is susie ...about 6 months ago i aquired a german giant x harlequin lop from a neighbour who had bought him for his children 18 months prior ...but as they had become dissinterested and he was spending his life in a less than spacious hutch they decided to let him go ...having an allotment and a brick bulit double glazed room next to my hens room free (and an 8 year old daughter determined to have a bunny) he was happy to let peter come to us ... and we were over the moon to have him ...several weeks ago we went up on our daily visit to find that peter had got out of his alloted room ...and seemingly into the chickens room and out of their little door..he wasnt in their pen or their rec pen ..which is massive ...or on the allotment at all ...the next day a neighbour brought him back ...he had wandered right down to the allotments down the hill..we were glad to have him back and fortified his room...a few weeks later there were "aliens" as my daughter put it ..in his bed ...he was a she and had made a furry nest and birthed half wildlings . There are 4 little beauties ..they are 6 weeks old now ...3 look much like wild rabbits and are a little shier than the brother who seems to have more of mums genes and is big with ears like mum and likes people more .. i have advertised them as free to good homes but the people that have visited them have remarked upon how much they look like a normal wild rabbit and havnt taken one ...we have a local feather & fur auction every friday andi know they would be snapped up there ..but probably for the table ...i cant keep them all as i believe 3 are male and would breed with mum....the old guys up the allotments tell me to release them in a place where rabbits thrive ...but i worry about the consequences that could have for them and the local ecology..they will be a tad bigger than wild rabbits...but rabbits arn't native anyways they were introduced ..any ecolgists out there with a veiwpoint? or does anyone want a half wildling 1/4 german giant 1/4 harlequin lop?... i really want whats best for them...considering i have gutted and cooked wild rabbits and leverets before my concern for my baby bunnies catches me unexpected ... since getting peter my hubbies gun has been sold ..no more game on my table ...rabbits have much more about them than i ever imagined ....peter is awesome and so are his/HER half wildlings ...what should i do for them ???

 

[Ilovemyrabbit]

I definitely wouldn't let them free in the wild, I don't think they would survive.

By the way I don't know if its true or not but I read that its best to wean rabbits at 8 weeks of age :? I don't know you'll have to call a rabbit savy vet and ask him/her about it.

If you are looking to give them away than I advise putting them in classified ads for your area, maybe you can even advertise them in the newspaper. If nothing else works maybe you can ask everyone who lives close to you who is on this forum to take them for you, or if you can't come up with anything else I guess you will just have to let the shelter take them

Also I noticed that you joined today so welcome to RO :big wink::welcome1 maybe you can post some pictures of mum and her kits I'd love to see the sweeties

 

[littl3red]

Those are unfortunate circumstances but really cool results. Half wild babies? I would like to see pictures. I can't really help find a home on account of I live in a different country, but I would not suggest letting them go outside. They were born in captivity, raised by a domestic rabbit under the care of a human being. They probably wouldn't make it. If you need to you could have a humane society or shelter help you find homes for them, and maybe hold onto them until you find a home. I'm surprised people are turning them down because they look wild. I would love to have a rabbit that looked wild.

 

[kmaben]

I just saw German Giant and phased out. I have one that I bought in Germany and traveled with us back to the states. Maybe focus more on the actual breed part than anything else. Kai looked pretty wild except he was a HUGE baby at 9 weeks when I got him. I could gush about German Giants all day.

 

[Imbrium]

yeah, 8 weeks is when they're ready to say good-bye to mom and go to new homes.

if you do keep the female, be warned that in order to safely keep her with her mother as she grows older, both she and mum will have to be spayed or else they might get into vicious fights.

best of luck in finding homes for your surprise litter and welcome to RO!

 

[Nancy McClelland]

:yeahthat:

 

[Kipcha]

Wow, that's pretty amazing to have half wild babies. I'd love to see pics!

Mind you, I would not release them. Mom would not have taught them necessary skills to survive and they have been raised in captivity.

 

[LakeCondo]

Here in the Americas the wild rabbits are a different species, so that couldn't happen here, though there are feral rabbits that could breed with a roaming pet. I'd leave out mentioning the wild part. It was an accidental breeding & the buck is unknown,