Strange and interesting rabbit facts

This section of the site is about interesting informative and strange rabbit facts. With some of the facts you will see links where, if you wish, you can find out more on the subject.

Rabbits are lagomorphs (from the order of Lagomorpha), not rodents. There are two families within the order. Rabbits and hares ( Leporidae family) and Pikas (Ochotonidae family).

The scientific name for the rabbit is oryctolagus cuniculus.

Rabbits originally came from South West Europe and North West Africa.

The grass and plants wild rabbits eat at dusk and dawn can be poor in nutritional value, so the rabbit will eat its own faeces to squeeze every last bit of nourishment.

A rabbit can jump up to 36"(90cm) in height and up to 10 feet (3 metres) in length.

Perhaps some lesser known rabbit facts are that rabbits can see behind them without rotating their head but they have a blind spot directly in front of their face.

Rabbits can't vomit.

Rabbits are herbivores

A male rabbit is called a buck, a female is a Doe and a baby is called a kit. The babies are collectively called a litter.

A group of rabbits are called a herd and wild rabbits live in Warrens.

Rabbits live in burrows dug into well drained soil, often on slopes. These warrens may be under cover or in the open. The holes usually have a pile of excavated soil in front of them, often covered in droppings. Baby rabbits are born below ground, naked and blind.

The gestation period averages around 30 days. Rabbits are born furless and with their eyes closed. A rabbit's eyes open between 10 to 14 days.

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Continuing with our rabbit facts, Litter sizes are from 3 to 8 rabbits and each kit will be a different size and weight.

A mother rabbit feeds her babies for between 3 to 5 minutes a day.

Baby rabbits are weaned (no longer relying on mother's milk and introduced to an adult diet) between 6 to 8 weeks.

Rabbits have 28 teeth, which never stop growing throughout their lives.

Rabbits have 5 toenails on each front foot, and 4 toenails on each back foot.

A predator can literally scare a rabbit to death.

Rabbits can be litter trained.

When a rabbit is happy he/she will jump and twist. This action is called a binky.

Bucks can father a litter from 6 months, or even earlier. A Doe can start breeding between 3 to 5 months of age, depending.

A doe can become pregnant again within 2 or 3 days of having babies.

Does pull their fur when pregnant to assist in the building of their nests.

Not all rabbits breed like rabbits.

A normal litter is 4 - 8 kits. Although unlikely, a rabbit could fall pregnant as much as 10 times in a year, so doing the maths a rabbit could produce between 40 to 80 babies in a year.

If you're considering breeding, some rabbit facts that may make you rethink, are that In the UK there are more than 30,000 rabbits in shelters and in a 1997 survey carried out in US shelters there were over 43,000 rabbits.

The only place a rabbit sweats is through the pads on their feet.

Rabbits have 3 pairs of scent glands under the chin, anal and inguinal glands (either side of genitals).

Rabbits eat their own droppings called cecotropes. These are a good source of nutrients.

A rabbit's droppings make excellent fertilizer.

Perhaps, some unknown rabbit facts is that a rabbit's ears can be turned in every direction and help in regulating temperature.

Rabbits are not very good at regulating their own temperature and are prone to heatstroke.

Rabbits do not like being picked up at all.

Wild rabbits will not make good pets and you cannot breed a domestic rabbit with a wild rabbit. Domestic rabbits cannot survive in the wild.

Wild rabbits are usually smaller in size than domestic rabbits.

Spaying or neutering is actually essential for maintaining the good health of a rabbit.

Each rabbit has a separate, distinct identity and character.

Rabbits are crepuscular, meaning that they are most active at dawn and dusk.

Rabbits are very fast runners and can out run many potential predators.

At a top speed, some rabbits (depending on breed) can run as fast as 35 mph.

The average lifespan of a domestic rabbit is 8 to 10 years. Some do live longer, but the lifespan of any rabbit is dependent on the care and diet given.

Wild rabbits have a much shorter lifespan and usually only live for one year.

Other interesting rabbit facts are that a rabbit can chew a 120 times a minute. sometimes more, and has over 17,000 taste buds.

If rabbits do not get plenty of exercise, they can suffer from osteoporosis.

Rabbits are very clean creatures and clean their own areas.

They can learn to recognize their own name and simple words such as 'no'.

The skeleton is very fragile and can break easily if the rabbit is dropped or handled incorrectly. The legs are fragile as well.

Rabbits can make sounds/noises such as grunting and a low purring sound. They communicate by stomping, grunting, oinking softly, grooming, licking and petting.

Rabbits are related to hares, although hares have fur when born and their eyes are open. Jackrabbits are hares.

The largest domestic rabbit population is in North America.

In the UK, the rabbit is the 3rd most popular pet.

There are around 180 different breeds worldwide.

Rabbits inhabit every continent in the world apart from Antarctica.

wild rabbits can live in swamps, marshlands, forests, grasslands, prairies and deserts.

A couple of rabbit facts that may be debatable are that rabbits were let loose on islands in the 17th and 18th century to provide a good food source for shipwrecked sailors and it is also claimed that President Lincoln allowed his children to keep pets in the white house, including pet rabbits.

The eastern cottontail is the most common type of wild rabbit in the United States.

A Wild rabbit’s litter size ranges from 4 to 12 kits per litter with Some rabbits in the wild breeding approximately eight times per year!

The smallest wild rabbit breed is the Pygmy rabbit.

There are approximately sixteen species of wild rabbits living in the United States.

Wild rabbits will often fight over areas with limited shelter and or resources.

Rabbits have a great sense of smell and excellent eyesight.

Being alert at all times is essential for the survival of wild rabbits.

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