Rabbits

What to do if you find a Rabbit

If you have found a Rabbit in need of immediate help, please click here for information.

How to Coexist with Rabbits

  1. Rabbits are rarely considered a great nuisance but may get into gardens and eat flowers and vegetables.
  2. Decorative rabbit-proof fencing is readily available at hardware stores.
  3. Bitter-tasting plants, such as marigolds, placed around the perimeter of the garden, may deter rabbits and other small animals from entering.

About Rabbits (Order: Lagomorpha)

  • The rabbit's long ears, which can be more than 4 in long, are probably an adaptation for detecting predators. They have large, powerful hind legs.
  • The two front paws have 5 toes, the extra called the dewclaw. The hind feet have 4 toes.
  • Their size can range anywhere from 8 inches in length and 0.4 kg in weight to 20 in and more than 2 kg.
  • The fur is most commonly long and soft, with colors such as shades of brown, gray and buff. The tail is a little plume of brownish fur (white on top for cottontails).
  • Rabbits are prey animals and are therefore constantly aware of their surroundings
  • Rabbits have a very rapid reproductive rate. The breeding season for most rabbits lasts 9 months, from February to October. Normal gestation is about 30 days. The average size of the litter varies but is usually between 4 and 12 babies, with larger breeds having larger litters. A kit (baby rabbit) can be weaned at about 4 to 5 weeks of age.

Rabbit Facts

  • Rabbit habitats include meadows, woods, forests, grasslands, deserts and wetlands.
  • Rabbits live in groups, with some living in underground burrows, or rabbit holes. A group of burrows is called a warren.
  • Rabbits are herbivores that feed by grazing on grass, forbs, and leafy weeds. In consequence, their diet contains large amounts of cellulose, which is hard to digest.
  • They survive predation by burrowing, hopping away in a zig- zag motion, and, if captured, delivering powerful kicks with their hind legs. Their strong teeth allow them to eat and to bite in order to escape a struggle.