EUROPEAN RABBIT

Able to adapt to almost any type of habitat, the sociable European rabbit lives in underground colonies that can be very large. So great are their numbers that they are considered pests in many parts of their range.

HABITS

Mainly nocturnal, the rabbit spends most of the day underground, emerging from the burrow at dusk. Because it has so many natural predators, it is constantly alert to danger. It pauses as it emerges from its burrow, twitching its nose to smell the air for the scent of predators. It never strays far from the safety of its burrow.

When is senses danger, the animal sounds a warning to other rabbits by thumping the ground with both hind feet before running off.

Generally, there is a dominant female in the colony, called a doe, and she will fight the others for the best nest site.

BREEDING

Rabbits bred continually. Litters of five or more rabbits are produced after a short gestation. within hours of giving birth, the female (or doe) will mate again. She can produce up to seven litters a year.

Spring and summer are the peak reproductive periods, but breeding can start as early as January. Beginning in August, breeding is less intensive, and the doe often does not give birth once she has conceived, but rather reabsorbs the embryos into her body. 

The newborn young are blind, deaf, and hairless. They are born in a nest make by the doe. After the birth, she returns to the nest for only a few minutes every 24 hours to suckle them. She then leaves, covering the nesting chamber with dirt to protect the young from predators.

FOOD & FEEDING

Rabbits are herbivorous (plant eating) and feed mainly on grass, clover, and selected herbs. In winter, when vegetation is scarce, they eat the bark of trees.

Their preferred feeding times are dawn and dusk. Because rabbits have enormous appetites and often feed together in large groups, they can cause wide spread damage to crops.

The rabbit's digestive system is unique. Unlike cattle and sheep, which chew to aid digestion, the rabbit rests in its burrow after feeding and passes soft droppings formed pf partly digested food. The rabbit then eats these droppings to extract the maximum nourishment from the food. Afterward, the rabbit produces hard, pellet-like droppings which it deposits outside the burrow.

KEY FACTS

Sizes

Length: Males up to 16 inches long. Female are slightly smaller.

Weight: Males, 4 lb. Females are slightly less.

Breeding

Sexual maturity: 4-5 months

Mating season: Spring and summer primarily, but year-round to some extent.

Gestation: 28-31 days

Number of young:2-8

Lifestyle

Habit: Highly sociable, lives in large communities.

Diet: Mainly grasses, clover, herbs.

Lifespan: About 9 years. Continue to breed until 6 years old.

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