You’re working in your garden, cutting grass or going out for an afternoon stroll, when you come across a cute baby wild rabbit. Our first thoughts are, it’s so tiny and cute, this would make a great pet. You decide to take the wild rabbit home. Not knowing much about wild rabbits, you buy a cage or find a box to keep the rabbit in. As it gets older, you notice the rabbits way more active and seems scared. What do I do with the wild rabbit now? This is a mistake that many people make, and having over 20 years experience with both wild and domestic rabbits, I want to answer the question, “Can you Raise a Wild Rabbit in Captivity?”
You’ll find it funny but the answer to this question is both yes and no. Yes, you can raise a wild rabbit in captivity if you have a big enough area. The wild rabbit needs to feel like it’s in a natural habitat. On the other side, you can not raise a wild rabbit in your typical rabbit cage or box. Below I’ll explain more on each scenario so you’re not confused.
Raising Wild Rabbits in a Large Enclosure
Now when I say you can raise a wild rabbit in a large enclosure, I mean a very large enclosure. So for instance, we train beagles for rabbit hunting and have a rabbit pen (these wild rabbits are not harmed). The rabbit pen is made up of 2 acres of fenced in land. We keep these two acres overgrown with tall grass, bushes and brush so the rabbits can hide. This is a big enough area and set up so the rabbit still thinks it’s in the wild.
With an area this big and set up properly, it’s more then possible to keep wild rabbits in captivity. The area gives the rabbits a way to find food and water naturally, hide if they sense any predators and even reproduce. Of course, parts of the year like winter, you’ll want to plant some type of grass for them to eat while food is scarce and provide more water during hotter months.
Can I Raise a Wild Rabbit in a Cage?
The easy answer to this question is NO!
If you notice, anytime a wild rabbit senses someone or something is near, it will run to the nearest patch of grass or structure to hide. This is because rabbits are very big on using their senses and register most animals or humans as predators. Because of this, wild rabbits spook very easily and need space to hide.
Keeping a rabbit in a small space, like a typical rabbit cage or box, will only cause the rabbit to injure itself. The rabbit will spook very easily and constantly run into the side of the cage. You may be able to get away with it for a while if the wild rabbit is a baby or injured, but I strongly advise you to release the rabbit once it can get around on its own before the wild rabbit hurts itself more.
If anyone has a full grown rabbit in a small cage and claims it to be a wild rabbit, more then likely it’s a San Juan. San Juan rabbits are a breed of rabbit that look identical to most wild rabbits.
