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Rabbit Facts

Rabbits are not rodents but belong to their own order called lagomorphs. The evolutionary split between rabbits and other living mammals probably occurred about thirty million years ago.

There are twelve species of rabbits in the United States with the eastern cottontail being the most widely distributed.

Cottontails vary in color from gray to brown and have large ears and hind feet and fluffy tails. They average about a foot in length and weigh 2 to 3 pounds.

Cottontails are generally found in brushy hedgerows and the edges of wooded areas with dense cover, but also do very well in suburbs and urban areas. Rabbits feed on leafy plants during the growing season and the buds and bark of woody plants in the winter.

Famous for their reproductive abilities, cottontails breed from February through September. Gestation is about 28 days. Three or four litters of four or five young known as kittens are born each year. Young are born helpless in a shallow depression lined with grass and mother’s fur, but they grow rapidly and are weaned when less than half the size of the adult.

Mothers nurse their babies for approximately 5 minutes a day. The milk is very rich and the babies fill up to capacity within minutes. Mother rabbits do not sit on their babies to keep them warm. Baby rabbits are often "rescued" by well-meaning humans who think that they have been abandoned. Fewer than 10% of these babies survive.

Cottontails may live to two years in the wild, but where predators are numerous, they seldom live more than one. 85% of the rabbit population dies each year. This includes at least one out of every three babies that are born per year.

Many mortality factors affect rabbit populations. Weather is a major factor in nest mortality as ground nests are susceptible to flooding in heavy rains.

Tips:
	Show the animals that you are in charge by staying in control (clap loudly and firmly say, "NO-NO-NO-NO-NO' when they begin to fight).

	Animals who groom one another for several minutes at a time, lie down next to each other and snuggle, and romp about playfully together exploring their play area and do not fight, are usually beginning to bond.

	Stop any fighting, harsh nipping, or biting immediately. Rabbits are fierce fighters and can seriously injure or even kill a smaller animal in a matter of seconds.

	Rabbits will nip one another when mating. Don't confuse this nipping with the harsh nipping rabbits do when fighting.

	Rabbits who are bonding with another animal often will mount the other animal as part of the bonding process. This is a bid for dominance with the rabbit asserting his or her status as the 'top rabbit.'

	You can separate the animals, if they are fighting, with your hands, if you're wearing heavy gloves to protect yourself from being bitten. Rabbits have very sharp teeth and they can draw blood when they bite, so make sure you wear gloves.

Rabbit Facts -

A male rabbit is a buck
A female rabbit is a doe.
A baby rabbit is a kit.
When the doe gives birth her babies are collectively refered to as a litter.
The gestation period for a rabbit averages 31 days.
A rabbits teeth never stop growing.
The American Rabbit Breeders Association has 45 recognized breeds of rabbits
The ARBA has over 30,000 members
Rabbits can be litter trained
A pet rabbit can live as long as 10 years
Bunnies get weaned at about 8 weeks old
Adult bunnies can weigh between 2 lbs - 20 lbs depending on breed
Rabbits can purr similar to a cat
Domesticated rabbits are born without fur
Domesticated rabbits eyes do not open until they are about 2 weeks old
Rabbits cannot vomit
Rabbits need hay to assist the digestive system and prevent fur balls in their stomach
A group of rabbits is called a herd
A group of rabbits live in a warren
Mothers typically only feed their kits about 5 minutes a day
Rabbit meat is lower in fat, cholesterol and calories than chicken, pork and beef
Rabbit meat is all white meat
Rabbit droppings make an excellent garden fertilizer
Rabbits have 28 teeth
A 4 pound rabbit will drink as much water as a 20 pound dog
Bunnies love to chew
Rabbits do not hibernate
Rabbits can jump 36″ and higher
Rabbits can suffer heat stroke
Rabbits can see behind them, but have blind spot in front of their face.
When rabbits are happy, they will jump and twist, this is called a binky
Rabbits can start breeding as early as 3-4 months of age
Predators can literally scare a rabbit to death
Does will pull fur when pregnant to assist in the building of their nest
Rabbits can have false pregnancies
Rabbits groom themselves
Domestic rabbits cannot breed with wild rabbits
The only place a rabbit sweats is through the pads on its feet
Rabbits eat their own night droppings called cecotropes

A rabbits teeth never stop growing.

-1/4 " per month, which s why they need chew toys to wear the teeth down. Apple Tree twigs work the best.

The American Rabbit Breeders Association has 45 recognized breeds of rabbits

-When Lionheads become official, it will be 46 breeds.

Rabbits can be litter trained

- Tell that one to Lady Re, who flips her box over and does a dance on it. She also jealously guards her pellet pile. Ernie isn't much better, as he simply flips his over.

A pet rabbit can live as long as 10 years

-Actually, it seems to be 14 years with the average being 7. I had an acquaintance whose bunnies lived 17 years. We are lucky to have a rabbit living 6 years since most of the bunnies that come here have been abused, neglected, interbred, etc. It depends on the genetics, care, once a year check ups, diet, etc. as to how log the bunny lives.

Rabbit droppings make an excellent garden fertilizer

-Especially for rose bushes.

Bunnies love to chew

-Especially on wires, so you would need to encapsilate tem in plastic, tuck them out of reach, or coat them with tobasco sauce.

Domestic rabbits cannot breed with wild rabbits

-Two different species

Rabbits eat their own night droppings called cecotropes

-Full of B vitamines which they need.

Most rabbits have long ears. These ears are located close to their head.

In fact, the longest rabbit ears were over 31 inches long! That is almost 3 feet in length.

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