A newly dumped domestic pet rabbit will stand out to humans and predators alike, so they typically do not last long outside. If you are looking at a big white rabbit with pink eyes, one with floppy ears, or one with a fuzzy mane or long hair, these are likely recently dumped pets. They will often die from starvation or are killed by a predator or a car, as they do not have the natural survival instincts of a wild rabbit.
How to tell them apart
Wild cottontails and domestic breed rabbits are two different species. Domestic rabbits have been selectively bred for centuries and do not have the survival instincts their wild counterparts have.
Wild cottontail rabbits are always small (~ 2-3 pounds), with a brown agouti coat, upright ears, long and thin legs, and a lean body condition. Wild rabbits have a life-span of around one to three years, although due to predation, many do not survive longer than a year. Conversely, domestic breed rabbits can come in many different colors and patterns, long fur or short fur, upright ears or floppy ears, large or small. Domestic rabbits can live as long as 8-12 years if properly cared for and housed indoors.
A ‘wild’ rabbit in British Columbia is an Eastern cottontail or a hare. Their brown ‘ticked’ colour (called agouti) can also be the colour of a domestic rabbit, but cottontails are more angular, with thicker hind legs. Cottontails don’t burrow, other than to make shallow impressions in the ground for their nests, and their kits are born with fur. Loose domestic rabbits, on the other hand, tend to burrow on hillsides and under structures, and give birth to naked babies underground.
Read more on our blog: Wild and Domestic Rabbits Are Not the Same and Domestic Rabbit or Snowshoe Hare?
Feral rabbits
Feral rabbits are not wild rabbits. A feral rabbit is a domestic rabbit that has escaped or been released, or was born outside to dumped domestic rabbits. They are descendants of domestic breeds, so they look like domestic rabbits and can be a variety of colours. They tend to stay near humans (and away from predators) and remain friendly, until you try to catch them.
Why feral colonies are a problem
Think you’ve found one?
Not sure whether a rabbit is domestic? Take a picture and email it to us, noting where you saw it, and we’ll help work out whether it’s wild or domestic.
We are only looking for reports of loose domestic breed rabbits. Reports of injured wild rabbits should go to your local wildlife rehabilitation centre.