Being that cats years ago wiped out our rabbits I tryed to trap wild ones.no luck.so I got domestic ones and let loose.i have thick forsenasis then built pen.started out with 8 got a few more lost a couple.ive had 4 or more litters 4-8 in a litter.it seems like I lose 2 out of each litter.healty rabbits dead the next day flat as a pancake.no anamal injury.is that just how it is or is there something I could do.again there not sick the day before.the ones I lose are about 8 weeks old.anyway some rabbits went next door had nice litters I don't feed them there nice.up the back more rabbits took hold.now there up the barn with a new litter.there adapting to the wild.
Free ranging rabbits 1 year old results
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Wait. You are purposely trying to make your domestic rabbits into feral rabbits?
You wrote that you let them loose and some even 'went next door.' You've also already had many die.
It is both illegal and cruel to release domestic rabbits into the wild:
https://rabbit.org/never-abandon-a-rabbit-outside/
It is both illegal and cruel to release domestic rabbits into the wild:
https://rabbit.org/never-abandon-a-rabbit-outside/
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First “next door” is within 100 yards of our home
Second no one “is abandoning”these bunnies”
We currently have a very large custom made bunny hutch
Bunnies have adequate food indoors and outdoors every evening they come back to there “hutch” to sleep.
So don’t make it sound like we don’t take care of them
I was in contact with the rabbit breeder we original bought the first bunnies from to explain the death (ususally 2 to a litter)
He told us he has experienced the same thing
Furthermore we live on a 15 acre farm
Creating a feral population of an invasive species might not go down well with locals. It's just a matter of time when they decide to breed somewhere else, doesn't need much, happend with mine recently (but inside the fence)
https://www.rabbitsonline.net/threads/nest-in-tunnel-pictures.98176/
Domestic rabbits still have most of their instincts, some more, some less, and they cope well with living in the wild, average age of wild rabbits is about 3 years though, predators, parasites and diseases take their toll. That's one reason for them to breed in large numbers.
Here in Europe, that doesn't matter much, either those rabbits get absorbed in the wild population (here that's the same species), or they and their offspring are wiped out every 5-10years when there's the next Myxomatosis outbreak since, countrary to a small but rising percentage of the wild population, they have no immunity to it.
But that's here, where they come from anyway.
It's ok as long as you have things under control, but that can change rapidly with rising numbers and no fence. Predators in the US seem to be pretty good at dealing with that on the grand sheme since they didn't turn your country into an arid wasteland like parts of Australia, but there's still the risk of creating a local feral population.
https://www.rabbitsonline.net/threads/nest-in-tunnel-pictures.98176/
Domestic rabbits still have most of their instincts, some more, some less, and they cope well with living in the wild, average age of wild rabbits is about 3 years though, predators, parasites and diseases take their toll. That's one reason for them to breed in large numbers.
Here in Europe, that doesn't matter much, either those rabbits get absorbed in the wild population (here that's the same species), or they and their offspring are wiped out every 5-10years when there's the next Myxomatosis outbreak since, countrary to a small but rising percentage of the wild population, they have no immunity to it.
But that's here, where they come from anyway.
It's ok as long as you have things under control, but that can change rapidly with rising numbers and no fence. Predators in the US seem to be pretty good at dealing with that on the grand sheme since they didn't turn your country into an arid wasteland like parts of Australia, but there's still the risk of creating a local feral population.
Chickens are domesticated for thousands of years, rabbits, in a way that makes a difference, just about two hundred years. They still have the ability to survive in the wild, most instincts intact, and after 2 or 3 generations there isn't much difference to their ancestors. Chicken, on the other hand, are just snacks running around.
As long as you have things under control, fine. I had escapees, two does, that joined the wild population, saw them for about 4 years now and then, I totally understand that watching rabbits do rabbit things is something nice. Once those two tasted the freedom, with all its drawbacks, they had no intentions of comming back, and I didn't have the heart to force them. But those rabbits are native here anyway.
As long as you have things under control, fine. I had escapees, two does, that joined the wild population, saw them for about 4 years now and then, I totally understand that watching rabbits do rabbit things is something nice. Once those two tasted the freedom, with all its drawbacks, they had no intentions of comming back, and I didn't have the heart to force them. But those rabbits are native here anyway.
"Free range" chickens are those that have access to the outdoors at least part of the day but are still protected via large enclosure, fencing or structure. It does not mean letting them run around unprotected.
If the rabbits are free to wander off of your property or even to an unprotected area of your property, than that would constitute releasing them into the wild. Those that went "next door" are off of your property (by common definition of 'next door'). Even if 'next door' was only 10 feet away, the rabbits would still be considered escaped. If allowed to remain off of your property, they would be considered abandoned.
Not sure how you can claim that they are simultaneously well-cared for and "adapting to the wild."
From your prior thread, it sure sounds like you are trying to make a feral population:
"these rabbits are smart trying to repopulate woods.bid farm land neighbors want me to stage some new Borns "
You've twice mentioned that your wild rabbit population was wiped out by cats so you decided to attempt to repopulate with domestic.
If the rabbits are free to wander off of your property or even to an unprotected area of your property, than that would constitute releasing them into the wild. Those that went "next door" are off of your property (by common definition of 'next door'). Even if 'next door' was only 10 feet away, the rabbits would still be considered escaped. If allowed to remain off of your property, they would be considered abandoned.
Not sure how you can claim that they are simultaneously well-cared for and "adapting to the wild."
From your prior thread, it sure sounds like you are trying to make a feral population:
"these rabbits are smart trying to repopulate woods.bid farm land neighbors want me to stage some new Borns "
You've twice mentioned that your wild rabbit population was wiped out by cats so you decided to attempt to repopulate with domestic.
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You might be the one to ask that’s why I posted my rabbits out of the litter at least 7 weeks old I’ve been losing like 2 rabbits for no reason ‘ is there something I’m missing I give them worming medicine added to there water and we feed them good pellets and she gives them lettuce and carrots.its almost like they block up there on grass but have been for weeks’any ideas.
Apollo’s Slave
Well-Known Member
Could it be the diet that is wrong? Rabbits should have unlimited access to grass hay (such as Timothy hay or meadow hay, there are various others also). Certain types of lettuce are dangerous for rabbits and carrots should only be fed in moderation as a treat. Suggested Vegetables and Fruits for a Rabbit Diet | House Rabbit Society
What brand of pellets do you feed? Good rabbit pellets should be Timothy hay based and have at least 22% crude fibre, no more than 14% crude protein, about 1% fat and 1% calcium.
Rabbits that are given the wrong diet can go into Gastrointestinal Stasis, which is an illness that can shut a rabbits digestive system in a matter of hours. The worst part is that if you don’t know the signs, it can go completely unnoticed. The symptoms can be: not eating, not drinking, not moving, lethargy, gas, small poops. GI Stasis in Rabbits | Causes | Symptoms | Treatment
I’ve also heard that RHDV2 is in the United States now, but I don’t know too much about it.
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Well, that's a good and convinient indoor pet diet.
Not what I feed though, feeding rabbits isn't rocket science, 4 or 5 decades ago they were a simple and cheap staple food around here, where my grandparents lived about every 5th house raised them.
When they have access to grass and weeds and do forage on their own they don't need much hay as long as there's growing enough grass, in summer I offer it anyway just for the case that they need it (good for any tummy problems), they know that by themself when growing up that way. In winter it's their staple food though.
The brand and ingredients of pellets don't matter much in such a case since it's just a small part of their diet, when it's low on protein they just eat a little more of it, same result. Rabbits over about 5 lbs profit more from those supplements since they are bigger than their digestion tracked evolved for.
Also, pretty much all kinds of grass are ok, not just timothy.
Lettuce is pretty emty stuff, and carrots also not a great staple food. What is their main diet, do they graze on their own or get fresh green forage?
How did you lose those two? Just found dead, or literally lost? Any symptoms beforehand, anything out of the ordinary when you found them, if you did?
Did they have worms before you medicated them, and what did you use?
Did you change their diet at that age, or grow they up with whatever the adults eat (which would be perfectly fine)?
There are other things like coccidioses to consider, that depends a lot on your local climate (not a problem for my rabbits here, in warmer, more humid conditions it can be one, and it depends on the breeding lines too). Or weaning enteritis. Flystrike, and so on. Or other stress factors.
Not what I feed though, feeding rabbits isn't rocket science, 4 or 5 decades ago they were a simple and cheap staple food around here, where my grandparents lived about every 5th house raised them.
When they have access to grass and weeds and do forage on their own they don't need much hay as long as there's growing enough grass, in summer I offer it anyway just for the case that they need it (good for any tummy problems), they know that by themself when growing up that way. In winter it's their staple food though.
The brand and ingredients of pellets don't matter much in such a case since it's just a small part of their diet, when it's low on protein they just eat a little more of it, same result. Rabbits over about 5 lbs profit more from those supplements since they are bigger than their digestion tracked evolved for.
Also, pretty much all kinds of grass are ok, not just timothy.
Lettuce is pretty emty stuff, and carrots also not a great staple food. What is their main diet, do they graze on their own or get fresh green forage?
How did you lose those two? Just found dead, or literally lost? Any symptoms beforehand, anything out of the ordinary when you found them, if you did?
Did they have worms before you medicated them, and what did you use?
Did you change their diet at that age, or grow they up with whatever the adults eat (which would be perfectly fine)?
There are other things like coccidioses to consider, that depends a lot on your local climate (not a problem for my rabbits here, in warmer, more humid conditions it can be one, and it depends on the breeding lines too). Or weaning enteritis. Flystrike, and so on. Or other stress factors.
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