Let’s Meet England’s Wild Rabbits
Wild rabbits live different lives to pet rabbits. For domestic rabbits, read our post on happy healthy rabbits!
Native to Spain, sadly wild rabbits were first introduced to England for food and fur. But today thankfully they just run free like hares (much taller with longer legs and ears with black stripes – rabbits live in underground burrows, unlike hares).
Rabbits live in warrens, and the females produce a litter of three to seven babies each month during the season, which means often that’s a lot of rabbits!
Numbers are kept in check naturally as rabbits have lots of natural predators (in the wild, foxes eat rabbits and rats, not contents from litter bins).
Wild rabbits are grey-brown and fluffy white tails. Most are active at dawn and dusk, and powerfully thump their hind legs, to alert of dangers. They constantly gnaw, as their teeth are constantly growing.
Help Wild Rabbits with Myxomatosis
Sadly the infectious disease myxomatosis was introduced to stop the spread of wild rabbits, but it can spread to domestic rabbits, and is an awful disease.
If you find a wild rabbit with lumps on the head and body and swelling around the lips, nose, eyes and ears (and back end) with runny eyes and pus, it’s best to cover it with a towel and place in a carrier, and take it to a vet, who can put it to sleep, at no cost to you.
This disease can transfer to domestic pets, so wear thick gloves, when handling the animal if possible. Or if not possible, check you are disease-free, before handling other animals.
