Rabbits are some of the most adored and benevolent creatures to grace our back yards and meadows. Their long, pink ears, powerful hind legs, black button noses, and cotton tails give them their distinctive, cuddly appearance and have made them the subject of childhood fables over the course of several centuries.
About Rabbits
During warmer seasons, rabbits will eat weeds, grasses, clover, wildflowers, and flower and vegetable plants. When the weather turns cold, rabbits will munch on twigs, buds, bark, conifer needles, and any remaining green plants.
Rabbits are famous for their ability to reproduce. They can have several litters of four to seven kits a year. However, rabbits will naturally have fewer litters or will have litters with fewer kits when food or water is scarce. Wild rabbits have relatively short life spans (typically, less than two years), but they mature quickly and have short (30-day) gestation periods. Their mortality is based on food availability, predator presence, and weather stability.
Rabbits are altricial—which means that they are born hairless, blind, and helpless. Mother rabbits leave newborns in their nests, visiting them only at dusk and at dawn to avoid drawing the attention of predators. If you find a nest of baby rabbits unattended and want to make sure that the animals have not been abandoned or orphaned, drape a thin string across the entryway to the nest or burrow and leave the area. Return at 12-hour intervals. If the string has been moved, you can rest assured that the babies are being cared for. If the string has not been moved in more than 24 hours, visit our Wildlife Emergencies page to find out how to best care for orphaned rabbits. Rabbits more than 5 inches in length need no assistance unless they are sick or injured. A good rule of thumb is, if you have to chase a baby rabbit to catch him or her, the rabbit is fine!
Rabbits and hares look similar, so people often mistake them for one another. The easiest way to tell them apart is by their physical appearance. Hares' ears are longer and, though both rabbits and hares often have brown coats, hares' coats have black tips. Most rabbits (except for cottontails) live underground, while hares live in aboveground nests. Since their nests are often not very well hidden, young hares need to be able to evade predators. Therefore, hares are precocial—meaning that they are born with hair and the ability to see. Most hares can hop within a few hours of their birth.
Did You Know?
Rabbit communities can reside underground in extensive, complex, engineered burrows.
When being chased, rabbits will run in zigzag formations to confuse, rather than outrun, their predators.
In the spring, some types of hares are seen chasing one another and having frequent boxing matches. It was once thought that this behavior signaled competition between males. However, scientists now know that it is typically a female boxing a male. The female is either signaling that she is not ready to mate or is testing the male's endurance and strength.
Rabbits scope out "bolt-to" locations before choosing a grazing location. Rabbits in open fields or yards will sit perfectly still to avoid their predators and bolt to their predesignated area when alarmed.
In arid areas, some rabbits are known to climb sloping tree trunks or limbs to access green or dew-laden vegetation.
Rabbits produce two types of droppings—one is a hard, light-colored pellet made of feces, and the other is soft, dark, undigested food material. To gain nutrients from undigested food, rabbits will re-ingest these droppings to further digest the material.
Solving Conflicts Compassionately
While many people love to watch these furry animals graze on weeds and clover in their yards, some people are not fond of rabbits' tendency to chew on garden or landscaping plants. Humane, effective solutions to perceived human-wildlife conflicts target the things that animals are attracted to in a particular area rather than the animals themselves. Killing or removing the rabbits is not necessary and, in most cases, not possible. In most cases, site aversion and exclusion methods alone will quickly solve any perceived issues.