Find out if you can keep a wild rabbit as a pet in this Howcast video featuring bunny lover Amy Sedaris and rabbit expert Mary E. Cotter.
Ideally, grass is the main dish in every meal for both pet rabbits and those in the wild. Hay is grass that's been grown specifically for feeding animals, so when you feed your pet rabbit hay, you're actually giving him a type of grass. In the wild, rabbits must eat whatever grass is available to them. They also spend a lot of energy searching for food. Your pet rabbit doesn't have a choice and has to eat what you give him, so make sure it's a type of hay that won't make him too fat. Timothy, oat, bermuda, orchard grass or wheat hay are all good choices for pet bunnies. Alfalfa hay has too many calories and too much calcium for rabbits and should only be given as an occasional treat.
Even though he's domesticated, your pet rabbit has nearly the same nutritional needs as a wild rabbit. The difference is that he can't just go nibble on different types of grasses and plants throughout the day like a wild rabbit, so he needs a little extra help from commercial food.
Can wild rabbits raised as a baby be good pets?
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It still amazes us that people abandon lovely pet rabbits in the wild, believing that they will live off the land," says Mary Morrison after repeated calls to rescue domestic rabbits "set free" in New Mexico . Abandoned rabbits are expected to survive in rural and urban areas where even dogs or cats would have trouble existing. And reports of stray rabbits are increasing. But how do you know if the rabbit you see is a stray or even domestic? Here are some guidelines. Appearance: The obvious domestic stray is a lop-ear, albino, or spotted individual. Less obvious in appearance is a domestic rabbit with agouti coloring. Agouti is the natural coloring of many small animal species, including cottontails and jackrabbits. If appearance doesn't tell you, observe the rabbit's behavior. Although many house rabbits don't enjoy being held, surprisingly many stray rabbits solicit interaction, rescue, and handling by human passers-by. (If you do pick up a stray, be prepared to hug the rabbit safely to you if he suddenly changes his mind.) If a stray is following you or hanging out near your back steps, you can bet it's not a cottontail. But is the rabbit abandoned, or could he have escaped?A Wild Rabbit visits my brothers girlfriends pet rabbits Tag (grey & white) & Winston (white albino), and runs round the outside of their cage. Tag is at the back of the run digging like mad to try and get out! Don't worry, he didn't escape!My pet rabbit meets the wild rabbits for the first time! The link for the brain illness fundraiser: refresh the page if it doesn't work. It is in support of BRACE, which researches Brain illnesses like Alzeihmer's. If you can, please vote for it, doesn't cost any money, just an email address. I do not get anything for putting this link here; it's to aid the fundraisers and the charityNo pet or domestic rabbit can survive on his own outside. Just because wild rabbits live outside does not mean that a pet rabbit will be OK. Pet rabbits that are dumped outside become prey for all kinds of creatures--dogs, cats, owls, coyotes, foxes, abusive human beings—as well as hosts for any number of deadly parasites.