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.
