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Rabbits are small mammals in the familyLeporidae of the order Lagomorpha, found in many parts of the world. There are seven different genera in the family classified as rabbits, including the European Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus), cottontail rabbits (genus Sylvilagus; 13 species), and the Amami Rabbit (Pentalagus furnessi, an endangered species on Amami Oshima, Japan). There are many other species of rabbit, and these, along with cottontails, pikas and hares make up the Order Lagomorpha. Rabbits generally live between four and 10 years. A rabbit's gestation period is 31 days.
Rabbits are clearly distinguished from hares in that rabbits are altricial, having young that are born blind and hairless; hares are generally born with hair and are able to see. All rabbits (except the cottontail rabbit) live underground in burrows or warrens, while hares live in simple nests above the ground (as does the cottontail rabbit), and usually do not live in groups. Hares are generally larger than rabbits, with longer ears, and have black markings on their fur. Hares have not been domesticated, while rabbits are often kept as house pets. In gardens, they are typically kept in hutches, small, wooden, house-like boxes that protect the rabbits from the environment and predators.
Humans' relationship with rabbits
Humans' relationship with the European (sometimes called true) rabbit was first recorded by the Phoenicians earlier than 1000 BCE, when they termed the Iberian Peninsulai-shfaním (literally, the land of the hyraxes). This phrase is pronounced identically in modern Hebrew, i (אי) meaning island and shafan (שפן) meaning hyrax; shfaním (שפנים) is the plural form. Phoenicians called the local rabbits hyraxes because hyraxes resemble rabbits in some ways, and were probably more common than rabbits in their native land Levant at the time. Hyraxes, like rabbits, are not rodents. The Romans converted the phrase i-shfaním to its Latin form, Hispania, which evolved into the modern English word Spain.
The European Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) is the only species of rabbit to be domesticated. All pet breeds of rabbits, such as dwarf lops, and angoras, are of this species. However, rabbits and humans interact in many different ways beyond domestication. Rabbits are an example of an animal which is treated as food, pet, and pest by members of the same culture.
When used for food, rabbits are both hunted and bred for meat. Snares or guns along with dogs are usually employed when catching wild rabbits for food. In many regions, rabbits are also bred for meat, a practice called cuniculture. Rabbits can then be killed by hitting the back of their heads, a practice from which the term rabbit punch is derived. Rabbit pelts are sometimes used in for clothing and accessories, such as scarves or hats. Rabbits are very good producers of manure; additionally, their urine, being high in nitrogen, makes lemon trees very productive. Their milk may also be of great medicinal or nutritional benefit due to its high protein content (see links below).
There are a number of health issues associated with the use of rabbits for meat, one of which is Tularemia or Rabbit Fever. Another is so-called rabbit starvation, due most likely to essential amino acid deficiencies in rabbit meat and synthesis limitations in human beings.
A healthy indoor pet rabbit can live up to 10 years and longer. They enjoy throwing around toys and chewing on cardboard. In some home environments, they can develop an affinity with cats and even dogs. Though they are often caged in small areas, they can be trained live as free-roaming pets, similar to cats and dogs. As pet rabbit medicine, diet and living environment improves, the rabbit's life span increases.
Housing
While inexpensive caging is readily available in most areas, it is important to consider the safety of the rabbit when choosing a cage. It is of paramount importance to provide proper ventilation for a rabbit, to prevent respiratory problems as a result of ammonia build-up caused by their urine. Cages constructed entirely of wire are commonly used for both ventilation and sanitation purposes. Wire cages can pose risks to the animal, as wire mesh can be painful to a their feet, as well as their break toes if their nails get caught in the mesh. Solid flooring is preferable, at least on a portion of the cage floor, to allow the rabbit to rest its feet. Wire cages are known to be easier to clean and sanitize than wooden hutches.
Unless they are being used for breeding, it is generally agreed that female rabbits should be spayed, as unspayed rabbits have high incidences of ovarian cancer. There are some health and behavior benefits from the neutering of male rabbits as well. If left intact, rabbits may spray urine in order to mark territory.
Rabbits tend to be aggressive towards other rabbits unless they have bonded. Spaying or neutering both animals may help make this process successful. It is not recommended to house two rabbits together in the same cage and assume that they will cohabitate. Even normally docile rabbits can become violent when left with an unbonded partner.
Unlike cats, rabbits cannot be declawed. Lacking pads on the bottoms of their feet, rabbits require their claws for balance, and removing rabbit’s claws will render it unable to stand, permanently crippling the animal.
If well cared for, rabbits make friendly and playful pets. They are kept as pets throughout the world, both indoors and out. Housed indoors and provided with adequate safety (especially from electrical cables and house plants that may be toxic to them), rabbits are relatively safe from predators, parasites, disease, and temperature extremes. Rabbits kept outdoors must be provided with shelter. This shelter may be heated in winter (although many rabbits can be kept outside with extra bedding even into temperatures below freezing ) but must be shaded in summer. Domesticated rabbits are most comfortable in temperatures between 10 to 21 degrees Celsius (50 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit), and cannot endure temperatures above 32 degrees Celsius (90 degrees Fahrenheit) without assistance such as fans, frozen water bottles, and deep shade.
Food
A rabbit should be given plenty of clean fresh water and grass hay daily. Dark green, leafy vegetables may be fed, such as: romaine and escarole lettuces; turnip, mustard, and collard greens; kale, parsley, cilantro, dandelion and basil. Carrots and fruits should be fed sparingly (approximately one tablespoon per pound of body weight every two days), as they are high in sugars. Starchy vegetables such as potatoes should be avoided. When feeding vegetables to a rabbit for the first time, begin with one type, then slowly introduce others, until a the rabbit has become accustomed to at least three different kinds of vegetables per serving; a variety of food keeps the rabbit's interest. Once a rabbit is introduced to vegetables, it should be fed vegetables daily, along with timothy, brome, or oat hay.
When choosing commercial feeds, choose those that do not include nuts, as nuts contain more fat than rabbits can easily metabolize, and may cause health problems, such as fatty liver. Nuts are commonly found in rodent food; as rabbits are not rodents, this food should be avoided. Pellets should be fed one ounce per pound of body weight per day. Traditionally, pellets are fed to rabbits bred for meat, and tend to cause excess weight gain. If a rabbit is fed pellets, a salt block is not necessary, as pellets are high in salt, though salt blocks are not otherwise not harmful to rabbits.
Domestic rabbits should be examined daily as infections and illnesses can develop quickly. The eyes should be clean with no crust evident; ears should also be clean, along with any other part of the rabbit. Teeth should not be too long; teeth that are too long will not allow the rabbit to eat. However, it is not recommended that the keeper grind or clip a rabbit's teeth; seek a veterinarian's advice. If clipping is recommended, yet not an immediate threat to the rabbit's health, it is recommended that the keeper use a natural remedy, because once a rabbit's teeth are clipped, they will need to be clipped regularly. A rabbit's teeth can grow as long as five inches per year, but must be worn down to maintain a healthy bite. While teeth clipping is an option, it should be used as a last resort, unless the rabbit suffers malocclusion. If concerned about the length of a rabbit's teeth, introduce oat hay into the diet. Wooden chew toys are also recommended. However, a rabbit's whiskers are a major sensory organ and should never be clipped.
Safe handling of rabbits is taught by rabbit breeders and specialists. Never pick a rabbit up by its ears. When holding a rabbit, be sure all four feet are supported so that the rabbit does not kick; kicking too forcefully can break a rabbit's back. It is advisable to pick up a rabbit with a scooping motion, bringing it to rest on a forearm while allowing it to tuck its head into an elbow. Note that covering a rabbit's eyes creates a sensation of safety for the animal.
In the United States, the American Rabbit Breeders Association (ARBA) is a valuable resource for both pet and commercial breeders. The ARBA recognizes 47 different breeds of domestic rabbits, the Trianta and the Mini Satin being the two most recently accepted breeds, accepted in 2006. In the United Kingdom, the British Rabbit Council provides valuable information.
Rabbits have been a source of environmental problems when introduced into the wild by humans. As a result of their appetites, and the rate at which they breed, wild rabbit depredation can be problematic for agriculture. Gassing, barriers (fences), shooting, snaring, and ferreting have been used to control rabbit populations, but the most effective measures are diseases such as myxomatosis (myxo or mixi, colloquially) and calicivirus. In Europe, where rabbits are farmed on a large scale, they are protected against myxomatosis and calicivirus with a genetically modified virus. The virus was developed in Spain, and is beneficial to rabbit farmers. If it were to make its way into wild populations in areas such as Australia, it could create a population boom, as those diseases are the most serious threats to rabbit survival. Rabbits in Australia are considered to be such a pest that land owners are legally obligated to control them.
Classifications
Rabbits and hares were formerly classified in the order Rodentia (rodent) until 1912, when they were moved into a new order Lagomorpha. This order also includes pikas.
Three other genera in family, regarded as hares, not rabbits
Naming
Rabbits are often known affectionately by the pet name bunny or bunny rabbit, especially when referring to young, domesticated rabbits. Originally, the word for an adult rabbit was coney or cony, while rabbit referred to the young animals. Coney was abandoned as a term for the animal after it was co-opted in the nineteenth century as a synonym for the word cunt, widely considered vulgar. . More recently, the term kit or kitten has been used to refer to a young rabbit. Young hares are called leverets, and this term is sometimes informally applied to any young rabbit. Male rabbits are called bucks and females does.
Rabbits in culture and literature
Rabbits are often used as a symbol of fertility or rebirth, and have long been associated with spring and Easter as the Easter Bunny. The species' role as a prey animal also lends itself as a symbol of innocence, another Easter connotation. Additionally , rabbits are often used as symbols of playful sexuality, which also relates to the human perception of innocence, as well as its reputation as a prolific breeder.
The rabbit often appears in folklore as the tricksterarchetype, as he uses his cunning to outwit his enemies.
In Chinese literature, rabbits accompany Chang'e on the Moon. Also associated with the Chinese New Year (or Lunar New Year), rabbits are also one of the twelve celestial animals in the Chinese Zodiac for the Chinese calendar. It is interesting to note that the Vietnamese lunar new year replaced the rabbit with a cat in their calendar, as rabbits did not inhabit Vietnam.
In Japanese tradition, rabbits live on the Moon where they make mochi, the popular snack of mashed sticky rice. This comes from interpreting the pattern of dark patches on the moon as a rabbit standing on tiptoes on the left pounding on an usu, a Japanese mortar (See also: Man in the moon). A popular culture manifestation of this tradition can be found in the character title character of Sailor Moon, whose name is Usagi Tsukino, Japanese for "rabbit of the moon." Similarly, Japanese-American Stan Sakai's comic book character Usagi Yojimbo is an anthropomorphized rabbit who is a samurai, based loosely on Japanese swordsman Miyamoto Musashi.
In Central Africa "Kalulu" the rabbit is widely known as a tricky character, getting the better of bargains.
On the Isle of Portland in Dorset, UK, the rabbit is said to be unlucky and speaking its name can cause upset with older residents. This is thought to date back to early times in the quarrying industry, where piles of extracted stone (not fit for sale) were built into tall rough walls (to save space) directly behind the working quarry face; the rabbit's natural tendency to burrow would weaken these "walls" and cause collapse, often resulting in injuries or even death.
The name rabbit is often substituted with words such as “long ears” or “underground mutton”, so as not to have to say the proper name and bring bad luck to one’s self. It is said that a Public House (on the Island) can be cleared of people by calling out the word rabbit and while this was very true in the past, it has gradually become more fable than fact over the past 50 years.
Other fictional rabbits
The rabbit as trickster appears in American popular culture; for example the Br'er Rabbit character from African-American folktales and the Warner Brotherscartoon character Bugs Bunny.
It is commonly believed that a rabbit, if injected with a woman's urine, will die if the woman is pregnant. This is not true. However, in the 1920s it was discovered that if the injected urine contained the hormone hCG, a hormone found in the urine of pregnant women, the rabbit would display ovarian changes. The rabbit would most likely be killed to have its ovaries inspected, but the death of the rabbit was not the indicator of the results. Later revisions of the test allowed technicians to inspect the ovaries without euthanizing the rabbit.
Trivia
Rabbits are incapable of vomiting due to the physiology of their digestive system.
http://www.rabbit.org/ House Rabbit Society: An international nonprofit organization that rescues rabbits and educates the public on rabbit care and behavior.
