Here comes Peter Cottontail…….ok……we’re past Easter but I have a question about a certain cottontail rabbit in my backyard.
Your typical outdoor wild rabbit looks like that first picture. Cottontail rabbits are different from domesticated rabbits. Their differences are listed below. My husband and I have a rabbit running around our yard that is clearly a wild rabbit.
What I find interesting is wild rabbits are supposed to show fear while a pet rabbit won’t show fear towards humans. Then can someone please explain the behavior of the rabbit in our yard.
Our rabbit resembles this rabbit , pictured here. No this is not her. But she lies around like a puppy at one of our ponds and is so approachable. She’s not even afraid of us. She would allow us to pet her. But we don’t. Her behavior is indicative of the one in this picture- laid back and just so relaxed. Not even scared of our two dogs. It really is a treat to watch her.
I’m not the expert on rabbits, so can anyone explain why this rabbit is unafraid of us and our dogs? She is not a domesticated rabbit.
How to Identify Wild Cottontails
Cottontails are always agouti (reddish-brown with black and gray hairs throughout.) They average 3 lbs. at adulthood. They have longer legs, slimmer ears, and a more narrow face than the domestic rabbit. If you find a nest of baby cottontails outside, unless you know the mother is dead or a baby is injured, you should not disturb the nest. Mother cottontails nurse only a couple times a day, and otherwise stay away from the nest to divert predators. Cottontails are naturally wary of humans.
How to Identify Domestic Rabbits
There are hundreds of domestic breeds of different shapes and sizes, from tiny lionhead dwarf rabbits to huge Flemish Giants. If you see a rabbit outside that is any color or pattern but agouti, it is a domestic rabbit. If the rabbit has lop ears, spots, wooly fur, or pink eyes, it is domestic.
” If it shows no fear of humans, it is a pet rabbit.”
“Our” rabbit shows no fear of humans but is not a pet rabbit, then what is she?
Anyone have any answers?