Springfield Rabbits

              Here are some facts about rabbits you may find interesting:

In about 1000BC the Phoenician traders were on a sea journey in the Mediterranean. In Spain they spotted these creatures that lived in burrows.  This was the rabbit.

Rabbits were introduced into England in the 11th Centuary for sport, meat and fur.

They were eventually domesticated and bred for meat.  They were then bred for colour and friendly competitions took place.  By the 19th Centuary rabbits became pets and the 'Fancy' as it's called today, began.  The first breeds to appear were the English Lop, the English and the Angora.

Rabbits are very adaptable and can live almost anywhere; grasslands, forests, marshlands, deserts or mountains. The European rabbit digs elaborate warrens made up of many burrows.  Cotton tails dig burrows or build nest in the grass.  The Mexican Volcano rabbit maintains elaborate runways through dense vegetation.

A rabbit is a Lagomorpha, 'Lago' is Greek for rabbit.  A common mistake is to class a rabbit as a rodent, however a rabbit has two sets of top incisors placed one behind the other enabling them to chew, whereas the rodent only has one set and therefore cannot chew.

Rabbits have 28 teeth.  These will continue to grow throughout their life, at approximately 1/2 inch per month.

Rabbits are 'crespuscular' which means they are most active at dawn and dusk.

A rabbit has binocular vision which means they are able to view an angle of 360 degrees.  They have both rods and cones in the retina and so are sensitive to blues and greens present at dusk.

Because rabbits are animals of prey they will hide any illness or injury.  Therefore you should keep a close eye on your rabbit for any warning signs that they are not well. 

Thumping of their back feet is a warning sign that danger is coming.  It can also be excitement.

Rabbits can run up to 35 mph.

A rabbit can jump as high as 16 feet.

There are over 45 recognised breeds of rabbit and new breeds are being developed all the time.

The smallest rabbit breed is the Polish and the largest is the Flemish Giant.

A healthy rabbit can live up to 14 years.

A rabbit's whiskers are as long as they are wide to help them judge distances.

The skeleton of a rabbit comprises only 8% of its body weight.

The force of a rabbit's kick can break its backbone.

A rabbit has three eyelids, upper, lower and inner.

There are two types of rabbit droppings; a hard round pellet and 'caecotrophs' which are a soft dropping normally produced at night.  The rabbit re-injusts these to extract the extra nutrients. 

Rabbits will sometimes excrete red urine.  This is not blood but rather pigments from plants or vegetation which they have eaten.

They can make a variety of grunting sounds.

Rabbits twitch their noses from 20-120 times per minute.  This exposes more sensory pads to detect smells.

They have an odourless scent gland under their chins which they use to leave their scent on things.  So when you see your rabbit rubbing its chin on everything it passes this is what it is doing.

Rabbits cannot vomit.

Rabbit's ears help regulate their body temperature.

A rabbit will sleep up to 16 times a day.

A female rabbit has a heat cycle every 5 days ' oestrus'. They are induced ovulators which means they drop their eggs after mating.

When a rabbit runs circles around your feet this is a sign of sexual behaviour and a way of expressing love!

Rabbits are creatures of habit and do not like it if you re-arrange their things.  Females can become very protective of their hutch/home - I know the feeling!

Rabbits have very good memories.

'The lucky rabbits foot' is a superstition thought to date from around 600bc. Due to the fact that rabbits are great breeders the foot is a symbol of fertility.

 Our thanks to Adorable Rabbits for this info!