Domestic Rabbit

ANIMAL:
Domestic Rabbit                Oryctolagus cuniculus

Type of Animal:
Lagomorph

Habitat:
Farms, houses, grassy areas

Location(s):
Worldwide

Appearance:
Many different breeds w/ many colorations such as brown, gray, black, golden, white, blue, spotted etc. Pointy ears on top of head, somewhat bushy tail.

Food/Diet:
Hay, greens, veggies, fruit, berries, grapes, rabbit pellets, leaves, alfalfa, herbs, grasses, grains, roots, tubers, cecotropes (their own night droppings)

Status in Wild:
Domesticated

Conservation:
Breeding from farms & private breeders. Bred for meat, wool, fur & pet trade.

Lifestyle:
Usually kept in groups.

Additional Info:

Called:
Male-Buck
Female-Doe
Young-Kit
Group-Warren

Weight:
Male- 2-13 lbs
Female- 2.5-15 lbs
Young- 1.6-4.8 oz

Gestation: 
1 month

Height:
0.6-1.5 ft

Body Length:
0.6-2 ft

Life Span:
6-8 years

Tail Length:
1.2-1.5 in

Main predators are canids, felids, snakes, large lizards, crocodilians, civets, badgers, wolverines, martens, quolls, Tasmanian devils, raptors, raccoons, bears, weasels, ferrets & mink. Opossums & roadrunners prey on kits.

While wild cousins found in rabbit warrens, each group has its own territory. Dominant male leads the warren.

Fun Fact(s):
They can jump 3′ or higher.

Rabbit droppings make great fertilizer.

Seeing a predator can scare a rabbit to death, literally.

Many breeds docile while other breeds can be somewhat unpredictable. Best to spay/neuter pet rabbits. Unspayed females have better than 80% chance of developing uterine/ovarian cancer by 3 years old. Intact individuals more unpredictable. Abused rabbits often bite.

They don’t do well in temperatures above 80 F & temperatures below 10 F.

They’re not rodents, they’re in the order Lagomorpha which consists of rabbits/hares.

In one 9-month breeding season, usually from February-October in N. Hemisphere/July-January in S. Hemisphere, single female can have up to 800 children, grandchildren, & great-grandchildren since kits weaned at 1 month. Females have 4-15 kits in each litter. Bucks sexually mature at 4 months, does at 3 months.

Rabbit meat lower in fat than chicken, pork & beef.

Buck teeth never stop growing.

Overwhelming number of unwanted rabbits given to animal shelters a year. Most have to be euthanized.

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