My friend wants to keep wild rabbits?

Question

My friend found 3 wild young rabbits without their mother, and wants to get them as pets. I kbnow this is a VERY bad idea, but she insists on it. I have a tame baby rabbit that she can have and it is healthy. How do I convince her not to torture these innocent creatures.

Answer 1

well if the mother is still around i would tell her to definitely leave them alone but the babies have to have some kind of nourishment... me and my mom raised a wild rabbit and she is still alive and healthy so it is possible just tell her to make sure they get all the nutrients they need

Answer 2

Show this article to your friend: http://www.arcwildlife.org/cottontail.ht...

Wild rabbits do not do well in captivity, even when brought to trained wildlife rehabilitators. The ONLY acceptable time to try to raise them in captivity is a. if they have ACTUALLY been orphaned and are too young to survive in the wild and b. if you know what you're doing.

Too many young rabbits are taken from the wild unnecessarily when people assume that they need to be "saved" when they don't or when people just want to raise them as pets. Wild rabbits have a very high mortality rate in captivity.  

Answer 3

tell her to take em to the vet to check if they have rabies.

Answer 4

she CANNOT keep the rabbits, under no circumstance. dont care that she insists on it and firmly say, "those rabbits are wild, and they need to be in the wild" convince her to get domesticated rabbits, she cannot have them as pets, and maybe she'll agree when her rabbits bite her

Answer 5

tell her that if she has rabbits u can teach them to live around but get animal control if they get in her house or just keep the i would

Answer 6

if there is a male and female between the 3 of them then she better be prepared to have ALOT of rabbits. This is no joke rabbits do multiply like they say. I had a few as a kid and soon has over 2 dozen and had to get rid of them. Overall it sounds like a very bad idea.

Answer 7

Tell them that they are wild animals so they should be left in the wild. They won't make good pets when they're meant to be wild! Tell her she can get a domesticated rabbit from the animal shelter. Shelter rabbits need homes while wild rabbits don't. Their home is out in the wild!

Answer 8

tell him/her that it will cost alot

Answer 9

tell her they can have rabies, they arent people pets cuz they are wild. tell her to get one from the store.. if she keeps them and gets bit she will learn her lesson

Answer 10

tell her that they have a possibility that they can die just tell her to wait for a couple of more days to she if the mom will come back and if it doesnt then tell her to take thwm to a vet because my freind found wild bunnies and they all died 1 by 1.

Answer 11

TELL HIM/HER THAT ANIMALS ARE HAPPIEST IN THEIR NATURAL SURROUNDING , YOU CAN GIVE THEM GOOD AMOUNT OF FOOD OR MORE SECURATY, BUT NOTHING IS COMPARED TO RABBIT'S SATISFACTION AND FREEDOM. LET THEM FREE.

BUT IF THEY ARE HURT OR SO THEN NURSE AND THEN LET THEM GO, ALL AMINALS LEAVE THEIR NEST AT A YOUNG AGE

Answer 12

if there babies  it's a good idea to keep them , my uncle has a bunch of wild rabbits tell her if she wants to keep them they have to get a vaccine  and check if they have worms and since they are baby rabbits and you treat them well they will ne innocent

Answer 13

You should never keep a wild rabbit, as it is their nature to live in the wild. You must explain to her very carefully, that it would be cruel to keep these wil animals as pets. They will not, nor ever will become tame. They are born to be wild, and they should stay wild. Hope I helped. :)

Answer 14

^^^

Most wild small mammals can be tamed while babies, of course, they do get a little rebellious. However, rabbits as babies can be tamed, because they are social critters that eat and group together. However, if your friend insists, and has a mind of bricks (like a brick wall, she'll do it anyways) tell her to take one, because the mother may still be around.

Answer 15

tell her that fox eat wild rabbit and u will never forgive your self if they get them  

Answer 16

tell ur friend they miss there mom and need to b wild and can have urs

Answer 17

I am not going to justify keeping wild animals, just relate a story. I have friend who accidently killed a mother rabbit whlie cutting brush. The 4 babies were not harmed and were old enouogh that they had their eys open and fully covered in fur. Therefore would have been old enough to survive. But becuase the nest was now exposed he knew they would be easy prey for a cat, dog or raccoon. Feeling a little guilty he took them home and kept them in a pen planning to release them when they were a little bigger. They became very tame and he eventually decide to keep the in the covered pen ( Owl tried to get them ) They are now what I would consider domesticated as they come to him to be fed and have their ears scratched.

No, you should not try to keep wild animals. True they might be eaten but that is nature.

My friends behavior is unusual for since he is a farmer, but he does like his little rabbit buddies. They also come back to their pen on their own. He did try leaving the pen open. He now keeps it closed to keep the predators out.

Answer 18

NO, NO, NO.

The mom is around, but is smart and is hiding.  Don't take the babies away from their mom.  THEY WILL DIE.  Wild rabbits won't survive in captivity. Ask your friend if they want to be responsible for killing the babies.    If your friend is worried that something happened to the mom, have them keep an eye on the bunny nest FROM A DISTANCE.  If no mom after a day, have the friend contact a wildlife rehabilitator to come get them, otherwise they will die.  Baby bunnies will survive being captive.  They're not built for it.  And it's just MEAN.