Rabbits are cute animals with their innocent looks and playful jumps! These furry creatures are also very fascinating and very popular as pets. It is not always intuitive to read a rabbit’s body language. They cannot bark loudly like a dog or meow like a cat. Since these curious creatures are not very expressive and rarely make noise – patience and understanding will be able to create a strong bond with the rabbit. In this blog post we will look at 10 exciting facts about rabbits that you might not know!
1. The rabbit's history as a pet
The wild rabbit belongs to the hare family – but has shorter hind legs and ears than a hare. They are a good meal for many predators in the wild – but many people have used and still use rabbits as a food source throughout history. Rabbits come in many different colors and fur qualities and are also used for their fur. The domestic rabbit that we know as our pets today originates from the European wild rabbit. They were domesticated around 600 AD. Rabbits are not a native species in Norway – and their original homeland is Spain.
2. The rabbit lives longer than hamsters, rats and guinea pigs
The lifespan of a rabbit varies depending on whether it is a wild rabbit or a domestic rabbit. On average, a domestic rabbit will live for around 9 years – but can live as long as 13 years with proper care, exercise and health. Wild rabbits, on the other hand, are more exposed to dangers such as busy roads, untreated diseases and predators such as golden eagles and lynxes. The average lifespan of a wild rabbit is around 5–6 years.
3. Rabbits reproduce incredibly quickly
There’s a reason why the expression “to breed like rabbits” has been coined! These furry animals are very fertile and can have babies 4–6 times a year – with 4–7 babies in each litter. It’s also common for wild rabbits to have even more babies than this. While we humans have to wait 9 months to give birth, rabbits only need to be pregnant for about a month. When the babies are around 3–4 months old – they are already sexually mature and can start breeding too.
4. Rabbits are clean animals
Rabbits are very clean animals that thrive much better if they have a clean and tidy environment around them. In domestic rabbits, they like to have a designated corner in their cage to go to the bathroom. This behavior is also seen in wild rabbits – where they have a den that is used as a toilet – while they eat and stay in other dens.
5. Rabbits do not thrive alone
Rabbits are very social animals and value closeness to other rabbits. Therefore, they should not be kept alone. If, on the other hand, there are too many rabbits in a tight space, fights can occur. It is therefore important to have plenty of space and also to castrate the rabbits if you are going to have more together.
6. Rabbits should not get too many carrots
Rabbits are herbivores and in the wild they live off grass, herbs, roots, bark and fruit. Many people believe that rabbits love carrots – especially because of the cartoon character Bugs Bunny and other illustrations of rabbits munching on carrots. In general, rabbits do not eat this or other root vegetables naturally. Carrots have a high sugar content – so they should only be given occasionally as a reward.
7. A sick rabbit can be difficult to detect
A sick rabbit can be difficult to spot. They do not whine or hiss when they are in discomfort like a dog or cat might. This is because rabbits are prey animals and are therefore used to keeping illness and injuries hidden as best they can. They do not want to risk attracting attention from others so that they can be eaten. When the rabbit is in so much pain that it is impossible to act this way – they are often far along in the course of the disease. If you have a rabbit – you must therefore pay close attention to the little clumps of fur and study them every day. Rabbits are creatures of habit – so it is a good idea to notice if something is not normal. Do they not run to you as usual when you bring them treats? Also look for changes in stool, watery eyes, weight loss, obesity or different behavior. Behavioral changes can also come from dissatisfaction.
8. Different breeds of rabbits
The Nordic Rabbit Standard recognizes 64 rabbit breeds. These are divided into 6 different categories: dwarf breeds (1,7–1,9 kg), small breeds (2,2–3,2 kg), medium-sized breeds (3–4,6 kg), breeds with a different coat structure (from 2 kg), large breeds (from 4 kg) and giant breeds (from 5,5 kg). Some popular rabbit breeds include the large Belgian giant, the long-eared dwarf aberrant, the furry Angora rabbit and the small ermine and lionhead rabbits.
9. There are free-living rabbits in Norway
In Norway we do not have wild rabbits – but you can find free-living rabbits that have either escaped, been dumped or are stray domestic rabbits. An example of free-living rabbits are those on Gressholmen in the Oslofjord. However, these eventually became a big problem for the protected plants on the island when they ate the distinctive vegetation there. Today, all the rabbits on Gressholmen have been killed – but it is said that wild rabbits live on other islands around Norway – such as on Fedje in Vestland. If a domestic rabbit escapes or is released on the mainland, they have very little chance of surviving. Many people believe that domestic rabbits can withstand freezing temperatures – but they are not adapted to the Norwegian winter.
10. Lab rabbits and pet rabbits live two completely different lives
What many of us don't usually think about is that rabbits are often used in animal experiments when we do medical research and development. This is done to, among other things, better understand diseases or find out how different diseases can be treated. Even though a pet rabbit and a laboratory rabbit are the same animal, they live two completely different lives. Most pet rabbits have a pretty good life if they end up with the right family. Pet rabbits have access to sunlight, a good diet and enough space to play and frolic. In addition, they can socialize with people or perhaps another rabbit friend. Unfortunately, this does not apply to rabbits used in animal experiments. They and other laboratory animals such as guinea pigs, hamsters and mice are exposed to great stress and suffering. In Norway, you must have permission from the Norwegian Food Safety Authority to test on animals - so that we can be sure that the scientific benefit exceeds the suffering the laboratory animals are exposed to.
