Anyone raised wild cottontail babies

[BIG ORDEAL]

Getting ready to do some bushhogging in a grown up field for a man and have a feeling there will be lots of babies around.I would like to get one just big enough that it is weaned to cross with my Miss. cottontail.Anyone succeeded in this?

[rabbitearl]

I learn this on here.Wild rabbits and tame rabbits will not breed.I could never keep a wild rabbit cage up.They always die out in no time.

[Huntin54]

They will breed but there will be no babies because they don't have the right number of Chromosomes and they are a different species.

[bill huttozac]

Big Ordeal - Forget about cross breeding wiyh wild rabbits, they do not reproduce. Likewise, their survival rate is very low when caged. If you have a Starter or Running Enclosure, catch the baby rabbit, this is easily done when they are only 3 to 4 weeks of age. Minimize stress by releasing them in your pen without delay. Wild rabbits can survive alone by age 3 weeks which is the normal age for leaving the nest. Good luck !!!

[Newt]

You can raise wild rabbits in a cage but you must have a place where they can hide during the day light hours. They don't feel secure in a cage that is in open view ifo predators. In addition, I don't believe weaned baby rabbits will drink water from a container. So you must have green clover or grass for them to eat untill they mature. I'm not an expert but I have raised a few and have had several that died after a few days.

[bill huttozac]

Newt - You are right on target about the baby wild rabbits needind a place to hide during daylight hours. A kitting box (same as dame rabbits use to kit in) works fine. Little rabbits will get all of the fluids they need from fresh green grass. As they get older, a water bowl is needed. They can be fed rabbit pellets however, supplementing with green folage is a plus.
Best policy is release them in the area that you train or run in.

[ncbeagler]

cottontails in small cages stress out and die. also they eat certain plants that supposively have a medicial effect according to biologists. I have heard New Scotland Beagle Club had some success raising cottontails. The key to a raisiing pen is its large enough to provide security and protection fron varmints on the ground and air. It should not really be used as a starting pen very often either. Cottontail bucks fight to kill each other and any young in their territory. A gentleman at Down East Beagle Club told me he raised 53 baby rabbits from 1 buck and 3 does . He put alfalfa hay inside the rabbit traps without the trap door daily then he just set them n trapped them out. He says you can build a raising pen next to the main running pen 10 x 50 with 3 outside fence walls one wire the side facing the running pen 1 1/2 . He says to plant food and cover on just the other side of the fence that the babys are small and will feel pressured by the bucks and leave through that wire. The breeding programs that clubs that I know use SPECIALLY FORMULATED rabbit feed with a coccidiostat in it. OR USE Sulmet is $10 per 16 ounce bottle once every 2 weeks you can place 2 tbs/ gallon of water left in there for 4-5 days to cure any cocciodosis and many other microbial problems.Piperazine can be placed in the water for tapes. USE ONLY 1 BUCK THAT WILL HELP WITH FIGHTING DEATHS AND INJURIES. You can use 5-6 pallets with limbs on top place plywood or tin so they stay dry. If u have fire ant prbs mix sevin dust in the soil.ALSO U CAN USE SMALL 2 INCH PCV PIPIES FOR THE BABIES IF HARRASED BY THE BUCK TO GET AWAY.I DID TRY IT 1 YEAR AND HAD 1 BUCK N 2 DOES RAISED MAYBE 20 WILD RABBITS TIL A PACK OF COYOTES DESTROYED THE PEN. KEY MUST BE DECENT SIZE SIMULATE THE WILD SECURITY FOOD PROTECTION MEDCATIONS WORMERS.

[BIG ORDEAL]

Well boys them rabbit beetles dont have nothin on me,I ran down 3 little ones that I busted up their nest with the tractor.One of them I circled twice before I caught it check free I might add. Gonna see what I can do with them.They are about the size of my fist.