# WHY WHY WHY did I get suckered into trying to raise a cottontail???



## harleybabe (May 16, 2011)

DH and DD found a rejected eyes closed cotton tail..... the end of this story is already written...,. I KNOW THIS..... I tried to ignore the little runt.... it did not work.

We nursed it 2 days and YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENED.  Now DH is heart broken, it died in his hands......sigh....

WHY am I such a sucker??


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## terrilhb (May 16, 2011)

I am so sorry. You are not a sucker. It takes a special person to take animals in and try to help them. I think you are awesome.


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## Tracey (May 16, 2011)

Sounds like a sad day 

BUT, you tried, and that is great


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## hoodat (May 16, 2011)

harleybabe said:
			
		

> DH and DD found a rejected eyes closed cotton tail..... the end of this story is already written...,. I KNOW THIS..... I tried to ignore the little runt.... it did not work.
> 
> We nursed it 2 days and YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENED.  Now DH is heart broken, it died in his hands......sigh....
> 
> WHY am I such a sucker??


Chances are it was already sick or defective. When only one rabbit kit out of a litter of wild rabbits is rejected the mama usually has a good reason. She was probably trying to save the healthy ones by rejecting a sick one.


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## harleybabe (May 16, 2011)

hoodat said:
			
		

> harleybabe said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I KNOW, sigh, I KNEW, I took it in anyway.  I think it had a neurological issue.  It shook all the time.

Thanks everyone.


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## rockdoveranch (May 16, 2011)

Sad ending to a good hearted story.  

From what I understand, it is very difficult to successfully raise a bottle fed domestic rabbit.  

hoodat is right to say it probably was already defected and sick to have been rejected by the mom.

HOWEVER, I would love to have a swamp rabbit or jack rabbit.  Childhood dreams from a senior.


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## hoodat (May 16, 2011)

Find a Belgian hare if you can. They're a domestic breed but you'd swear you were looking at a jack.


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## Bossroo (May 16, 2011)

When I was a mere lad, I braught home a rain soaked, barely weaned baby Jack Rabbit.  Nursed him back to health, grew up in our back yard and became very tame male. He would hop over to everyone who came into the back yard for scratches and treats. He even became a " soccer" star as all of us and neighorhood kids played with him with a soft rubber soccer ball. We would kick it, Jack would chase after it, then as he would pass it, he would kick out with his back legs and the ball would go off in a diffent direction. He dissapeard 3 years later. Fun then, but illegal to keep a wild animal now.


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## hoodat (Jun 6, 2011)

Wild rabbits are bad to have around tame ones because they often carry diseases that do them little or no harm but will wipe out tame rabbits.
That being said, in most states you can have a wild animal around so long as it is not penned in any way to keep it in. If it wants to hang around on it's own it is not illegal. As you found out unpenned wild animals will sooner or later return to their own kind. I raised a skunk like that and one day it just decided to leave.


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