our little Roo(wild cottonrail)

Question
Dear Dana,

i just told my mom about this site. she loves the idea of it.
My mom also said: he only kicks when we take him in and out of the hutch.
he is VERY loveable with humans the rest of the time, thats why we're afraid to release him and we think he wouldn't know what to do in the wild.he would be too easy-a target as prey.
we have had him since he was 2 days old.
he really does cuddle. can this be done with any rabbit, or is Sir Roo hops-alot(roo) Special?


Answer
Dear Evie,

Well, if Roo is habituated to people, then it probably is safer for him to stay with you.  (You didn't hear that from me, since it's technically not legal for you to keep a wild cottontail, but...)

Are you absolutely sure he's a cottontail?  Most cotties don't like to be touched or cuddled.  He'd be pretty unusual if he really is a cuddler. (But how fun.  I adore cottontails!  They are so intelligent and beautiful!)

Still, the picking him up to get him in and out of his hutch should be modified.  You really should change his hutch so that he can go in and out by himself, and coax him back inside by tempting him with a salad.

Be sure to feed him a healthy diet, which you can find here:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/diet.html

We want Roo to live a long, healthy life.  And for rabbits of any kind, the most important thing you can do to ensure that is to give him a healthy diet that will keep his intestines (and the rest of him) working well!

I hope this helps.  If you're not sure Roo is a cottie, you could email me a picture at dana@miami.edu and I'll probably be able to tell you.

Good luck,

Dana