GardenDesk: All About Rabbits; More Than Just Cute Animals

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Rabbits are paradoxical creatures. On the surface, they're cute, furry animals that many people have as pets. The personified Easter Bunny is associated with candy and other positive traits. But when you look at the hard facts, rabbits have a darker side. They have a notorious reproduction rate, which causes rabbit population problems. They also destroy lawns and gardens.

Controlling Rabbits with Repellent

As rabbit population increases, so does the destruction,
which is more than just a nuisance for farmers, gardeners, and homeowners. Rabbits can eat crops and destroy the structural integrity of buildings by burrowing under them.
The cost of rabbit damage can be substantial.

Rabbit damage looks as though a plant has been cut with gardening shears. While most animal damage shows as jagged and rough cuts, rabbit teeth make smooth, straight cuts.

Effective rabbit repellents have putrescent egg scent as a primary ingredient. This scent mimics decaying animal protein, which fools rabbits into thinking predators are close. The rabbits flee in fear. This scent is also resilient and can last up to three months before needing reapplication. A putrescent egg scent has a longer range than homemade repellents and isn't noticeable to humans once it dries.

Organic animal repellent sprays that contain putrescent egg scent are available for use in organic gardening. Made from natural ingredients, unlike other repellent sprays, organic animal repellent sprays can be applied directly to your vegetable plants. To ensure the repellent is organic, look for the OMRI logo on the label.

Rabbit Reproduction and Population Problems

Rabbits have an extremely fast reproductive rate. The breeding season lasts from February to October and gestation lasts 30 days. A rabbit litter can contain as many as 12 babies. A Baby rabbit, or kit, can be weaned at only 4 to 5 weeks old. This accelerated growth accounts for their quick reproduction abilities. In a single season, one rabbit can produce as many as 800 children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. A female rabbit is sexually mature at six months and males at seven. This accounts for the sudden spikes in the rabbit population during the warmer months.

After mating, ovulation begins within 10 hours. Females will start preparing the nest by lining it with fur from the dewlap, flanks, and belly. This removal of fur also exposes the nipples, so she is able to nurse her kits. Through placenta transfer prior to birth, the kits acquire immunity by the transfer of antibodies or sensitized lymphocytes. The babies are born blind, naked, and utterly dependent on the mother. Kits only need to nurse for a few minutes twice a day, because of the high nutrition in rabbit milk. The kits eyes will open at about 10 days after birth, and they will start eating around 14 days. Within a few days of birth, a soft baby coat of hair forms. A rabbit's pre-adult fur coat will form at 5 to 6 weeks, and the final coat, which sheds twice yearly, will replace this at 6 to 8 months of age. (Rabbit)

Rabbit Diet and Digestion

Rabbits are herbivores and like to feed on grass, forbs, and leafy weeds. Since the main staple of their diet consists of cellulose, their food is difficult to digest. Because of this, rabbits pass two types of feces: hard droppings and soft, viscous pellets. To aid in digestion and extract more nutrients, rabbits eat the black viscous pellets, which is the same reason why cows and other herbivores chew cud.

Typically in the late afternoon, rabbits graze rapidly for a half hour, followed by more selective feeding. Rabbits will graze for many hours, as long as the environment is safe and non-threatening. Rabbits will re-ingest their fecal pellets as they are produced. Most of the time, this occurs in their burrow between 8 am and 5 pm.

Their hard pellets are made up of hay-like fragments of plant cuticle and stalk. This is the final waste product after the re-digestion of soft pellets. On the other hand, soft pellets require several hours of grazing to produce, and are only excreted after all the hard pellets are released. Soft pellets are composed of microorganisms and undigested plant cell walls.

When rabbits eat chewed plant material, it collects in the secondary chamber between the large and small intestine called the large cecum. To aid in the digestion of cellulose, the cecum contains large quantities of symbiotic bacteria, as well as B vitamins. These pellets remain intact within the stomach for up to six hours and contain 24.4% protein and 56% bacteria.

The remainder is comprised of plant carbohydrates, which are digested by the bacteria. After excretion, the rabbit re-ingests the soft pellets whole, and then they are re-digested in a special part of their stomach. Through double digestion, rabbits are able to utilize the nutrients that weren't extracted the first time. The rumination process in cattle and sheep serves the same purpose. (Rabbit)

Amazing Rabbit Facts

A pet rabbit can live as long as 10 years

Adult rabbits can weigh between 2 lbs and 20 lbs depending on breed

Rabbits can purr similar to a cat

Due to their unique digestive systems, rabbits cannot vomit

A group of rabbits live in a warren, which is a system of underground tunnels

Mothers typically only feed their kits about 5 minutes a day

Rabbits have 28 teeth

Rabbits can jump over 36 inches high

The rabbit population in an area can increase at an exponential rate

Predators can literally scare a rabbit to death

Domestic rabbits cannot breed with wild rabbits

Rabbits can only sweat through pads on their feet (Usakowski)

Works Cited

Rabbit. 2008. 26 April 2010 / encyclopedia.com
Rabbit. 25 April 2010. 26 April 2010 / wikipedia.org
Usakowski, Rob. Rabbit Facts - 40 Interesting Facts About Rabbits.
26 April 2010 / Three Little Ladies Rabbitry

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