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How rabbits breed in wild vs domestic??

adoptafosteredbunny

Warren Scout
Odd question here.

So all through the year we see domestic rabbits having litters. On my way to school I used to go along a path between a fieldy bit and lots of bushes. There used to always be wild rabbits hopping around the path (and scarpering into the hedges when they saw me!) but I only ever noticed any baby rabbits in the spring time. Throughout the rest of the year I never saw baby rabbits.

Now, do domestic rabbits 'do it' whenever they can as a matter of opportunity, whereas wild rabbits naturally have good timing and have babies in the spring so they have a better chance of survival?

I'm curious as to why (for me) this has appeared to be the case, or are wild rabbits randy all year too?
 
It's to with age of the population (the time youngsters reach sexual maturity - slower than domestic), resource availability (no point having babies when there is only enough for existing population, weather/day length (trigger for spring). They do have several litters a year but squished together in the spring/summer when resources are at highest.

Domestic rabbits are well feed and comfortably housed all year around so season doesn't have a big impact.
 
I must admit it's something I had pondered too :lol: We have wild bunnies in the garden and yes, it's only in recent weeks that we've seen baby bunnies. All winter it was just the adults, so Tamsin's explanation makes perfect sense.

I wonder if because their territory is much wider and they have their own little places in the warren, the females are able to stay away from the males until they are ready to mate (i.e. when food supply is plentiful, it warms up etc etc as Tamsin said), whereas in captivity, they're popped in a cage together and there's nowhere to go and nothing to stop them from doing the deed!
 
Thanks for the replies :)

It all makes sense. But yes I do wonder if the bunnies also have their secret agendas! I like to imagine that the female bunnies don't want to have babies all year around (sounds awful to me!) and the male bunnies would be in deep trouble for even trying. I wouldn't want to be a buck sharing a warren with an angry doe! :lol:
 
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