jef29

Hi, I was wondering if you can breed cottontails in captivity? By cottontail I mean: the Eastern Cottontail aka Sylvilagus floridanus (from Wikipedia).
Thank you for all comments/hints/links/books/research etc.

jrbsr

I found this,

http://www.newenglandcottontail.org/...eding%20%20%20

Oldtimr

Only if you are wery wery quite and sneak up on em. seriously check with your state game agency before you start, there could be legal problems.

ojibwa

ditto ..in most states it is illegal to keep wild game animals as pets or in captivity without the correct permits..

jef29

Thank you all for your comments.
There are plenty of game breeders, breeding e.g. pheasant and bobwhite quail. Pheasant is an introduced species, but bobwhite quail is indigenous. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_bobwhite
I guess it cannot be too hard to get a permit.

jef29

When searching the internet I find a lot of breeders of game. But all I find are pheasant and quail breeders. Does anyone know of a (licensed) breeder of cottontail rabbits? Thank you.

jef29

When searching the internet I find a lot of hunting preserves that stock quail and/or pheasant. Why isn't it legal to keep and breed cottontail rabbits?

Oldtimr

It is illegal to take game from the wild or to possess wild game so you cannot propagate native rabbits. Years ago, 50's and 60's sportsman's clubs used to bring Cottontails rabbits in to PA from Kansas to stock. My dad's club used to give him about a dozen rabbits after he sexed them to propagate and after the litters were grown they would be released on land open to,hunting with good rabbit habitat. However, the laws have changed and it is now illegal to import cottontails from other states because of inadvertently importing diseases that could be spread to our wild rabbits. They also used to import San Juan hares which looked like giant cotton tails. My dad also propagated them for his club but they for some reason never took hold and propagated in the wild, and in addition, they would dig warrens, meaning lots of them lived in an area with a lot of holes which did not please the farmers. It is now illegal to possess a San Juan Hare in PA.