# Breeding Sled-pulling rabbits **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 3, 2013, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breeding-sled-pulling-rabbits/645945 "2013-01-03T12:22:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Namkcalb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c89c15/32.png) [@Namkcalb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Namkcalb)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2013, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breeding-sled-pulling-rabbits/645945/21 "2013-01-04T03:11:21Z")
> [@For You](#): > > Looks to me like hares would be a much better choice than rabbits. Hares can run pretty well, while rabbits tend to have a lot more vertical in their locomotion. A carriage or sled pulled by rabbits would be a rough ride. Good point, I’ll use hares then. > [@DrFidelius](#): > > Rabbits (and hares) are not rodents. Yes they are! And Pluto is a planet goddamit!. Seriously though, It seems they were reclassified into their own order a century ago, and have little common ancestory with rabbits. > [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I think if you bred rabbits up to the size where they could pull a cart, you’d have animals that look a lot like deer. Not really, giant rabbits wouldn’t have hooves nor horns. The smallest deer species don’t look like rabbits. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2013, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breeding-sled-pulling-rabbits/645945/22 "2013-01-04T04:59:05Z")
> [@Namkcalb](#): > > Not really, giant rabbits wouldn’t have hooves nor horns. The smallest deer species don’t look like rabbits. I said like a deer not identical to a deer. My point was that you wouldn’t have a five foot tall rabbit. You’d be more likely to end up with a rabbit that’s shaped like a deer ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2013, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breeding-sled-pulling-rabbits/645945/23 "2013-01-04T05:47:11Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > Whoever the other two were, I know they weren’t balrogs. Balrogs don’t have Wings. They have wings, but only the young can fly, the adults have eaten too much pie and can’t get off the ground. We’ve been over this. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2013, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breeding-sled-pulling-rabbits/645945/24 "2013-01-04T05:57:27Z")
Looks like the European Hare has you half-way to what you want. They get as big as 30" (75cm) in length, not counting the tail, and can run as fast as 45mph. Hares do have an articulated skull (“cranial kinesis”), so you will have to put some effort into designing the right kind of bridle (I think they gnaw a lot to keep their teeth under control, so you will have to account for that on longer trips). ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2013, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breeding-sled-pulling-rabbits/645945/25 "2013-01-04T08:03:32Z")
> [@August\_West](#): > > For humanity’s sake, do not conduct this experiment or we’ll end up experiencing the terror of [Night of the Lepus](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_of_the_Lepus)! It’s never Lepus. ---
**Author:** ![Namkcalb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c89c15/32.png) [@Namkcalb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Namkcalb)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2013, 10:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breeding-sled-pulling-rabbits/645945/26 "2013-01-05T10:24:14Z")
> [@For You](#): > > Looks like the European Hare has you half-way to what you want. They get as big as 30" (75cm) in length, not counting the tail, and can run as fast as 45mph. Hares do have an articulated skull (“cranial kinesis”), so you will have to put some effort into designing the right kind of bridle (I think they gnaw a lot to keep their teeth under control, so you will have to account for that on longer trips). The thing is, there is a heck of a difference between propelling a 8kg body 45mph, and pulling a 80kg body, we still really need to scale them up. What would be the quickest way to get them big and strong? I doubt I’ll live more than another 90 years or so ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2013, 10:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breeding-sled-pulling-rabbits/645945/27 "2013-01-05T10:27:54Z")
I still think it would be a hair-raising experience. eta: “The following errors occurred with your submission: This forum requires that you wait 60 seconds between posts. Please try again in 1 seconds.” :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Namkcalb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c89c15/32.png) [@Namkcalb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Namkcalb)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2013, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breeding-sled-pulling-rabbits/645945/28 "2013-01-05T12:17:44Z")
> [@Malacandra](#): > > I still think it would be a hair-raising experience. Don’t give up the day job ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2013, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breeding-sled-pulling-rabbits/645945/29 "2013-01-05T21:33:51Z")
I suppose you think you’re some kind of bigwig. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2013, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breeding-sled-pulling-rabbits/645945/30 "2013-01-05T21:37:55Z")
Sadly, I think this would be one of the rare times that you could reasonably state that a wizard did it. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2013, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breeding-sled-pulling-rabbits/645945/31 "2013-01-05T22:42:16Z")
This is all old hat. VW came out with the Rabbit what, 35 years ago? ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2013, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breeding-sled-pulling-rabbits/645945/32 "2013-01-05T23:45:30Z")
> [@August\_West](#): > > For humanity’s sake, do not conduct this experiment or we’ll end up experiencing the terror of [Night of the Lepus](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_of_the_Lepus)! I read the book first. “The Year of the Angry Rabbit” The only thing the movie and the book have in common is big rabbits. They don’t even take place on the same continent, for crying out loud. > **[The Year of the Angry Rabbit](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Year_of_the_Angry_Rabbit)** > > The Year of the Angry Rabbit is a science fiction novel by Australian author Russell Braddon, in which giant mutant rabbits run amok in Australia while the Prime Minister uses a new superweapon to dominate the planet. > The pulp narrative was played for laughs, and designed as an indictment of war, nationalism and capitalism. The novel was also notable as being part of a small revival of Australian science fiction in the 1960s. Its comic-horror tone was well received and a movie version was releas... ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2013, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breeding-sled-pulling-rabbits/645945/33 "2013-01-05T23:50:16Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I said like a deer not identical to a deer. My point was that you wouldn’t have a five foot tall rabbit. You’d be more likely to end up with a rabbit that’s shaped like a deer Not quite, but: [chevrotain!](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevrotain) ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2013, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breeding-sled-pulling-rabbits/645945/34 "2013-01-06T01:29:06Z")
> [@NitroPress](#): > > This is all old hat. VW came out with the Rabbit what, 35 years ago? True, but it can barely pull a hill, let a lone a sled a rider. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2013, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breeding-sled-pulling-rabbits/645945/35 "2013-01-06T01:55:33Z")
> [@Namkcalb](#): > > …What would be the quickest way to get them big and strong? I doubt I’ll live more than another 90 years or so Talk to basically any professional athlete, but maybe weightlifters and bodybuilders would know the best steroids for the job. Of course, then you risk Rabbit Rage! ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2013, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breeding-sled-pulling-rabbits/645945/36 "2013-01-06T02:23:36Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > Talk to basically any professional athlete, but maybe weightlifters and bodybuilders would know the best steroids for the job. Of course, then you risk Rabbit Rage! and they have an annoying habit of running backwards in a single file line. ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2013, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breeding-sled-pulling-rabbits/645945/37 "2013-01-07T04:29:34Z")
> [@Baker](#): > > I read the book first. “The Year of the Angry Rabbit” > > The only thing the movie and the book have in common is big rabbits. They don’t even take place on the same continent, for crying out loud. > > [The Year of the Angry Rabbit - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Year_of_the_Angry_Rabbit) Read the book in high school ('69, I think). Really enjoyed it - think I need to do another ILL… ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2013, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breeding-sled-pulling-rabbits/645945/38 "2013-01-07T22:26:08Z")
I happened across an informative article that may prove useful in the latter stages of this experiment: [Radagast’s Racing Rhosgobel Rabbits: A Recreational Musher Looks at the Realities of Bunny Sledding](http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2013/01/03/67872-radagasts-racing-rhosgobel-rabbits-a-recreational-musher-looks-at-the-realities-of-bunny-sledding/) I’m sure you can glean some handy tips about sled construction and proper harnessing for rabbits from it. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2013, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breeding-sled-pulling-rabbits/645945/39 "2013-01-07T22:45:20Z")
> [@simster](#): > > and they have an annoying habit of running backwards in a single file line. Not going to pick it up. Not. ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breeding-sled-pulling-rabbits/645945/40 "2013-01-08T22:27:44Z")
> [@Malacandra](#): > > I suppose you think you’re some kind of bigwig. :rolleyes: Nice one. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breeding-sled-pulling-rabbits/645945.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breeding-sled-pulling-rabbits/645945.md?page=3)