Rabbit Domestication

[Vincent Atticus]

The general tl;dr is in the title - rabbit domestication, like what was done to European rabbits in real life! I have bred rabbits, I frequently keep rabbits and keep in contact with a number of knowledgable rabbit people. 

General Domestication mechanics are already in game, so there is a precedent. 

More in depth suggestions: 
- Hutches OR wire caging for housing? 

(Wire bottom caging if the right gauge does not in fact hurt rabbits feet. For rabbits with more sensitive feet / poorer fur coverage, like standard and mini Rex, resting mats or a board in the cage works well.)

 

- Similar behavior to the undomesticated chickens to manage early on would work well in my experience. Rabbits naturally tend to be flighty, so the behavior is near on par already. 

- Feed: Dried Grass or Grain would work best, though I could also see a reasonable argument for Mashes. I would personally lean away from mashes, as sometimes the high sugar level in fruit or some vegetables (carrots included) can trigger bloat or gastric stasis in a rabbit - so anything of that ilk is best left for very small amounts occassionally as a treat in real life - so considering VS's general realism lean, I'd veto mash as a rabbit food source. 

Uses: Meat, pelts, bones. 
Rabbits can also be milked irl or used for wool production, so meat + one of these options might suit well. Probably not the milk, as milking rabbits is rare (though not borderline impossible like pigs.) 

Feel free to add on to this suggestion! 

Things I have not suggested on purpose, because they would be too complex / difficult for the game to manage: 
- Realistic rabbit color genetics. They are... very complex, and none of the other vanilla animals have realistic color genetics. 
- Dwarf gene + peanuts. This is complex and annoying to manage irl, and I don't think having Dwarf rabbits would suit the game's themes. 

[sharptile]

14 minutes ago, Vincent Atticus said:

- Hutches OR wire caging for housing

i absolutely agree

i think working cages are a great idea

not just for rabbits but for chickens too

i would say primarily for transportation

the game already has a cage block but to my knowledge it does nothing

the ability to cage up rabbits and chickens could add another option for traders to buy and sell

also maybe a way to cage up the puppies that traders are already buying and selling without having to trader hop

getting puppies would already be hard enough as you have to basically fight both parents and orphan it in order to be able to catch it and even then its running away from you so you have to chase it through a (usually)bush and tree infested area where you can hardly even see where its running

so having working cages would be great

27 minutes ago, Vincent Atticus said:

Rabbits can also be milked irl or used for wool production, so meat + one of these options might suit well. Probably not the milk, as milking rabbits is rare (though not borderline impossible like pigs.) 

again i agree at least for the wool

i think another way to get clothing material would be useful

[Professor Dragon]

I'd love to have a rabbit (or two) as pets.

I like the thought you've put into it.

 

I'm not sure that I wish to micro-manage the critters too much. Treat them like the sheep - if you feed them, well and good - they prosper. But I also don't want to have to come back to my main base every day just to feed the livestock. (Automated rabbit feeder?)

 

I'm not sure that I could bring myself to bop them on the head for meat and pelts. I already mostly leave the rabbits alone anyway.

 

But yeah . . .  I'd call my first rabbit "Nibbles," I think.

Although "Mr Fluffy Bunny Ears" could also work.

[Maelstrom]

I don't want bunny pets.  I don't want to serve a cute, furry evil overlord named Miss Cuddles.  Those glowing red eyes when she's angry and the loud thump when she pounds the ground with her back feet?  Miss Cuddles has a mean streak a mile wide and only hand grenades are sufficient to manage her foul mood.

[BenLi]

Most of the mechanics is already implemented:

Rabbits can eat food thrown on the floor

Rabbits can breed when eating.

 

What is missing so far:

1) make the rabbits to eat from troughs - vegetables and grains from large and small troughs respectively.

2) fence/generations mechanics of 10th generation not to flee

3) possibly a nest like henbox, may be reuse henbox to serve also rabbits

[Maelstrom]

Rabbits are too small to use a large trough.  Otherwise excellent suggestion.

[Professor Dragon]

18 hours ago, BenLi said:

What is missing so far:

Add:

4) "Taming" chance with each generation, like sheep.

I don't want my pet rabbit going nuts each time I approach. I want a calm happy bunny flop-earing around a pen.

[Davis]

Definitely agree with this. 

[Joseph Fowler]

At least for now we can breed them. Since rabbit breeding does exist it would be neat to be able to domesticate them as a quickly reproducing source of redmeat. since they are the only non-tamable wild animal that can be bred by the player, it would make sense that they would eventually implement a proper way to domesticate them. 

Maybe they will add either a new trough, or allow us to fill the already existing small trough with veggies and grass for the rabbits. I like the idea of making a little box or warren for them to hide inside and reproduce similar to how chickens work, except since the box would have walls and a roof, the rabbits wouldn't get spooked by the player like the chickens do.

Edited September 11, 2022 by Joseph Fowler