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wild rabbits - thoughts

happypreso

Alpha Buck
Hi, I was just thinking about my situation and was wondering if anyone knows what happens in the wild?

My situation is that within a few months I have gone from 2 rabbits to 9 (maybe 10) rabbits! I have the dad in one hutch/run, the mum & the second litter in another hutch/run and the original babies in another hutch/run .....

In the wild the rabbits dont get spreyed, have warm sheds/houses, have to live with each other if they like it or not etc and was wondering how it all works?

No real 'point' to the post just wondered about the difference in life from being a pet rabbit to a wild rabbit ....
 
yup we have them spoilt rotten and they love it:)
ive 10 rabbits unil today -now 11 as we got one from adoption
 
Well obviously the threat of predators is higher for a wild rabbit than domestic. Also as mentioned, disease will kill many wild buns too.
Also in a wild situation, because of a high mortality rate the aim would be to reproduce as much as possible whereas thats not appropriate in a domstic setting.
Also I did read, but not sure if it's correct, that in a wild rabbit, if the doe is mated too soon after her last litter, her body will reabsorb any embreos.
Where as a domestic rabbit will not, hence why many does in captivity whose owners have been neglectful and let her live constantly with an unneutered male, will suffer malnutrition and exhaustion because she will deliver if mated constantly :(
Also not really an incidence of uterine cancer in wild does i wouldnt have thought as they dont live long enough.
 
Presumably in the wild they multiply quickly because their chance of being eaten or killed or dying for some other reason is so high, so nature has provided them with the capacity to reproduce voraciously!
 
Also I did read, but not sure if it's correct, that in a wild rabbit, if the doe is mated too soon after her last litter, her body will reabsorb any embreos.
Where as a domestic rabbit will not, hence why many does in captivity whose owners have been neglectful and let her live constantly with an unneutered male, will suffer malnutrition and exhaustion because she will deliver if mated constantly :(

That is more what I was wondering, my girl rabbit has been unlucky in having two litters so close to each other (it was an accident as the dad escaped and had his wicked way with her and it was a few seconds only that they were together) and we were 'lucky' that because the dad was with the mum at the first litter's birth that the second litter didn't happen sooner ....
 
How old are the babies - you may have a lot more than 10 if they start mating:shock:

no chance of that, I am making sure of it! The first litter are about 7 wks and will be sexed soon and seperated (if needed) and will be going to their new homes shortly. The second litter were born on Christmas Day.
 
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