Has anyone gone totally wild?

[GBov]

I am toying with the idea of turning loose three of my mutt buns at my mums new place. It it suitable for rabbits as we see wild ones every morning.

The three I am thinking of were burrow raised so will take very little time to acclimate and I doubt they will be lost to the many predators out there - and here at home, for that matter.

I cant turn them loose in my yard because of the HUGE piles of earth/sand they throw when digging and the falling into burrows unexpectedly when they dig them under the path. I fell into one a couple of months ago and went in up to my mid thigh!!!

But if I turn them loose in the pasture with the goats - two goats in a half an acre of very overgrown pasture will leave a bit of room for some buns - I can just pick the offspring off with my .22 when I want to reduce the numbers and being my meat mutts, the colors are very easy to tell one rabbit from another so I shouldn't be killing a keeper, as it were.

But I thought I would ask if anyone else has done a totally wild colony set up before I set out to do it myself. Pro's and Con's first this time

 

[Pink]

Why set them free? If you really like them and want them to stick around, why not just build an enclosure at either your or your mother's home?

Turning domestic rabbits into the wild (even if the "wild" is your mother's backyard) just seems like a bad idea in my eyes. I've never heard of a predator-free location either. If they were to get out, they could easily become road-kill. Or what if they eat greens that are poisonous?

Don't know... Maybe I've spent too much time with animal rescue-fanatics.

 

[Mary Ann's Rabbitry]

I have to agree with Pink. I wouldnt do it either. The wild rabbits are not the same as the meat rabbits we have now. They carry lots of parasite ect.

 

[MaggieJ]

I would think it is illegal to release domestic rabbits into the wild. There could be serious repercussions in the ecosystem. Think Australia...

 

[rittert3]

Ya, I agree. If your rabbits do survive (not likely) they could become invasive and FL has enough problems with invasive species as it is. I'm sure this is illegal. you might try a secure pasture type pen but keep in mind that they will dig and so will predators. You would have to extend the fence under ground.

 

[skysthelimit]

I am sure I read it somewhere too that releasing rabbits into the wild was punishable by fine.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

Definitely not a good idea. You mention "the many predators out there"- why do you doubt they will be lost to them? Just because they were raised in a burrow does not mean they will be predator savvy- rabbits have been domesticated for too long for one generation to make a difference.

You also mention falling into a burrow in your own yard- they will create extensive burrows there as well, and if they should move to one of the neighbor's properties you could be held liable for damage to structures as well as injuries to people or livestock.

Additionally, rabbits are notoriously destructive to trees and shrubs, as well as other plants.

I would raise them in traditional wire cages until you can make a safe, fully enclosed colony for them if your goal is to raise them in a more natural setting.

 

[ohiogoatgirl]

i would have to agree... i would only do that if there was a way of fencing the ground over your area and fencing around the perimeter with small squared fence.
but not in just a regular ol pasture. thats just asking to have a rabbit problem. and thats only if they dont get eaten by animals before they can populate... :/

 

[Miss M]

Domestic rabbits also tend more to burrow around structures than wild rabbits do, causing structural issues to homes and such.

It would likely be only a matter of time before you lost a goat to one of those burrows, too.

 

[LilFish_JWQueen(:]

To be honest ive only set some free in the "wild" (aka my backwoods) cause I didnt have someone to cull them from me so I didnt care if they survived or not I just needed them out of my barn and couldnt bring myself to kill em myself.

 

[Pink]

Human intervention disrupts the ecosystem and causes an imbalance in the population of living organisms. Don't set your rabbits free -- no matter the circumstance. Your actions could "accidentally" cause the population of a predator species to increase, thus possibly whipping out a species of endangered prey (and then of course putting the predators at risk).

 

[MaggieJ]

To be honest ive only set some free in the "wild" (aka my backwoods) cause I didnt have someone to cull them from me so I didnt care if they survived or not I just needed them out of my barn and couldnt bring myself to kill em myself.

Anyone who raises rabbits needs to be able to dispatch them if necessary. Releasing them to fend for themselves is not fair to the rabbits or the habitat. It is also against the law in most places.

 

[GBov]

Goodness! I seem to have hit a nerve lol.

The field is fenced against dogs, there is HEAPS of thorny cover so I doubt a hawk or owl is going to get them and if a raccoon or 'possum gets a rabbit that has a hole to bolt down, it deserves a rabbit dinner.

As I said, I was just wondering if anyone has done it and how it went for them.

I know that the island I grew up on has a thriving feral domestic rabbit population and it has all the predators we have here.

 

[Frosted Rabbits]

It IS illegal in EVERY STATE, to release a 'non-native' animal into the wild-and our domestic rabbits fit that description.- and that includes your back yard! Plus, if you plan to 'pick them off' when the population grows, you will be dealing with a bunch of parasite riddled animals that you could not eat.

Yes, you hit a nerve-- most of us here are VERY much aware of the problems caused by domesticated animals not being where they belong. Most of us condone SSS, as well. If you turn rabbits loose, you will also give the rest of us a bad reputation-- you would not believe how something as 'innocent' as letting a domestic rabbit loose can turn into fodder for the AR people...the very same people who want to make it illegal to own ANY animal!!!

 

[a7736100]

Yes.

I wrote a big piece and after clicking the submit button, and view new post button it was lost. I'm not writing it again.

 

[Cattle Cait]

Two of my former colony rabbits escaped and are running rampant. I did NOT release them intentionally, and I wouldn't ever do it on purpose. Under any other circumstances, the rabbits would suffer immensely (sp?) because they do not have the natural capability to find their own food, survive in our climate (which is foreign to domestic rabbits), or reproduce and raise their young.

On that note - the ones that have escaped have survived. I cannot catch them. Our dogs keep predators away, save for the coyotes which are heavily hunted by a local farmer and his buddies. They're as professional hunters as I've ever seen. I leave out feed for them near the burrow they've dug under the corncrib, and they eat it. They seem to be doing fine, but I have seen no babies and they were bred when they escaped, so I assume the kits have not survived.

 

[Starsider]

Not a great idea. Just too much in the way of predators, parasites, and exposure to weather. They're rabbits, yes, but they're domesticated rabbits. I'm also pretty sure turning a domesticated animal loose is also grounds for animal cruelty/property abandonment charges, depending on where you live and who catches you. You might not serve jail time, but why risk having to pay a fine?

 

[MamaSheepdog]

I wrote a big piece and after clicking the submit button, and view new post button it was lost. I'm not writing it again.

If that ever happens again, hit the "back arrow" in your browser.

Before I figured that out, I would occasionally cut and paste what I'd written to my email drafts just so I wouldn't lose it. I am a complete computer incompetent, so I figure ways around my ineptitude using the few skills I have.

 

[GBov]

Alright, alright! I wont do it then lol. Being use to seeing feral domestic rabbits hopping about where I grew up I didnt realize how bad it would be turning some of them loose on my own property.

Colony set up it shall be

 

[MamaSheepdog]

Good decision, GBov!

Peer pressure still works, I see! :twisted: