Jack Rabbits?

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Shara

Shara

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Okay, so I'm crazy. I know that, and it's best to get it on the table right from the bat. But I have a question. We have LOTS of JackRabbits here, and I was thinking, is there any REAL reason (provided I keep them separate for disease issues) why I shouldn't try catching and creating a domesticated Jack Rabbit? They are a nice size, babies grow fast, and I think there could be a market for the meat, potentially. They wouldnt remain like "wild" for long, I figure selecting for certain traits would quickly alter them to a point. And they eat a diet high in Sage brush, so could be fed what I have here, for CHEAP. And it would be an interesting flavored meat.

Any clue?
 
It takes generations and generations to domesticate a wild animal, and "social" wild animals are easier to domesticate than "loner" species. Hundreds of people have tried to domesticate the "Eastern Cottontail" the most common rabbit species in the eastern half of the North American continent without success. The European Wild rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) is the only common species of rabbit that is social (lives in colonies and not as individuals) and to my knowledge is the only rabbit that has ever been domesticated.

I one thinks about it, almost all tamed animals except cats come form wild animals that lived in flocks, herds, packs, or colonies. I am not saying your venture is impossible, simply unlikely in your lifetime. It might be a lot easier for you to manage your land for them, and harvest them, during the normal hunting season.
 
hhmmm...Food for thought, certainly! I AMMM pretty set on it, though prepared for it not to work. :p Perhaps I could pass the crazy gene to a child of mine and pass it on when I die! But it should be fairly easy to at least start a "refuge" for them to live in, a reliable water source, ect. Until I am either prepared to take the plunge into the experiment or to give up and just harvest.
 
Is that even legal in your State? Here one must have a special license to keep any wild species. Why not just get some Belgian Hares, they look like hares quite a bit, but real bony so not a good meat animal.
 
From raising orphan cottontails I can tell you they don't tame well. Just keeping adults alive long enough to get the next generation may take some extra care. They will bash themselves to death on the sides of a cage if something spooks them. Then you'd have to get them to breed and raise kits under what they see as very stressful conditions.
 
Okay, so thinking about all the things nessassary to make this feasable, I am thinking there is no way I will be able to pay for all it would take, and then with the inevitable liscening to legally have them, I guess I will go with plan one and go catch some of the desendants of my original stock in ukiah, if I want a fun challenge.

So you all have talked me out of it, for at least the next five or ten years, or so...
 
Brandy the enabler says: I saw some belgian hares in person last week, adults and kits, they are beautiful! So elegant...
 
Still the idea of selecting for low flight reaction, that makes some sense...and are foxes "pack" animals? I thought they were solitary? Maybe they pair off some places but here-about the momma seems to raise the kits by herself.

But the important point is that though it worked, it took the guys' whole career! It could be done, but why reinvent the wheel if there are great breeds of rabbit now? If you got those jackrabbits to breed in captivity you just have more cages to clean, easier by far to become a good shot...:) Throw out a little hay in winter, provide lots of brush for cover, leave a water source out in summer and build a hunting blind. I imagine you'd get plenty!
 
I know, I know. Actually, that thing allranger brought up was what created the idea. I mean, think of it, true, it would take forever, but breed, save the tamest, butcher the parents and all the rest of the sibs, and next year, repeat. Once you get a reasonably tamish hare, you have an extremely exclusive product. Cant be interbred, Can't really be "created"....I don't know, it sounds like a great challenge. I may do it someday. I will have to spend the next few years thinking it over...
 

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