Wild Rabbit Mother Behaviour
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3LilMonkeys
Well-known member
Amazing! I never knew wild rabbits do this. This is one good mama! It's SO cute how she pats the dirt back in.
3LilMonkeys
Well-known member
From what I understand,our domestic rabbits orginate from European wild rabbits, which do use burrows. I could be wrong, of course. 
skysthelimit
Well-known member
Yes, but our domestic rabbits and the European wild rabbits are not the same as the wild cotton tail rabbits in the US and cannot interbreed. That doesn't look like a wild colored cotton tail.
JessicaR":61him771 said:
It's not a wild rabbit (the colour.. may be a domesticated rabbit or offspring from a domesticated rabbit, that found a place in a wild colony?) but wild rabbits make burrows.
At least here where we have real wild rabbits and not cottontails :twisted: :roll:
So cottontails do that? I believed only hares didn't dig holes.
skysthelimit
Well-known member
Cotton tails are our version of wild rabbits.
Several sites talk about mowing and raking as disturbing nests, and if it's disturbed, how to cover it back up. That advice wouldn't make sense if they burrowed underground as the norm.<br /><br />__________ Thu Nov 07, 2013 10:51 am __________<br /><br />"Also, unfortunately, it's not uncommon for people to abandon pet rabbits outdoors, and domestic rabbits do need our help. Domestic rabbits look a bit different from wild rabbits. Most wild rabbits in The United States are cottontails, who are brown with white tails. Domestic rabbits vary in size from 2 lbs. to over 20 lbs. (though most will be around 5 lbs.). They have ears that stand up, hang down, or are stuck in the middle. And, most notably, their coats come in a wide variety of colors and patterns, from pure albino white to jet black, with plenty of browns and grays in between; their patterns may be striped, spotted, or more unusual."
Several sites talk about mowing and raking as disturbing nests, and if it's disturbed, how to cover it back up. That advice wouldn't make sense if they burrowed underground as the norm.<br /><br />__________ Thu Nov 07, 2013 10:51 am __________<br /><br />"Also, unfortunately, it's not uncommon for people to abandon pet rabbits outdoors, and domestic rabbits do need our help. Domestic rabbits look a bit different from wild rabbits. Most wild rabbits in The United States are cottontails, who are brown with white tails. Domestic rabbits vary in size from 2 lbs. to over 20 lbs. (though most will be around 5 lbs.). They have ears that stand up, hang down, or are stuck in the middle. And, most notably, their coats come in a wide variety of colors and patterns, from pure albino white to jet black, with plenty of browns and grays in between; their patterns may be striped, spotted, or more unusual."
skysthelimit":mia0ed0q said:
I know, I just teased ya
Since we have actual rabbits - in the sense of the type of rabbit most people think of when they draw paralells between pet/domesticated rabbits and wild rabbits. If I've understood things right a lot of people think cottontails are the same as our wild rabbits here...? Well we have the real deal :roll: (as if it was something to compete about)Though wild rabbits (european) make nest-stops which they cover the entrance off, like the picture. You could still accidentally mess that up and want to cover it properly, although you wouldn't see any of the kits.
Here, domesticated rabbits do sometimes end up in a wild rabbits colony. Especially in the cities. Or they group up together and form their own colonies if they're many enough. It's a real problem at some places.
skysthelimit
Well-known member
Oh. I always assumed that the wild Euro rabbits are pretty much what we have here as domestic rabbits.
I just read something that said all rabbits, except cottontails, live in burrows. Trying to find a reliable source to back that up.
I just read something that said all rabbits, except cottontails, live in burrows. Trying to find a reliable source to back that up.
Well, they are, I suppose. There are quite many rabbits that's been created through the wire of a pen in someones yard, when a wild buck found a domesticated doe in the right mood.
That makes me wonder two things.. how many rabbit-rabbits are there? And should cottontails be concidered hares? Since hares don't burrow either.
That makes me wonder two things.. how many rabbit-rabbits are there? And should cottontails be concidered hares? Since hares don't burrow either.
skysthelimit
Well-known member
http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/a ... il-rabbit/
Cottontails make shallow ground nest.
__________ Thu Nov 07, 2013 11:09 am __________
Differences from hares
Main article: Hare
"The most obvious difference between rabbits and hares is how their kits are born. Rabbits are altricial, having young that are born blind and hairless. In contrast, hares are precocial, born with hair and good vision. All rabbits except cottontail rabbits live underground in burrows or warrens, while hares live in simple nests above the ground (as do cottontail rabbits), and usually do not live in groups. Hares are generally larger than rabbits, with longer ears, larger and longer hind legs and have black markings on their fur. Hares have not been domesticated, while European rabbits are both raised for meat and kept as pets."
http://www.orcca.on.ca/~elena/useful/bunnies.html<br /><br />__________ Thu Nov 07, 2013 11:12 am __________<br /><br />Can you imagine how much easier it would be to breed if rabbit kits could open their eyes and eat on their own in an hour or so? But the feed bill would go up dramatically!
Cottontails make shallow ground nest.
__________ Thu Nov 07, 2013 11:09 am __________
Differences from hares
Main article: Hare
"The most obvious difference between rabbits and hares is how their kits are born. Rabbits are altricial, having young that are born blind and hairless. In contrast, hares are precocial, born with hair and good vision. All rabbits except cottontail rabbits live underground in burrows or warrens, while hares live in simple nests above the ground (as do cottontail rabbits), and usually do not live in groups. Hares are generally larger than rabbits, with longer ears, larger and longer hind legs and have black markings on their fur. Hares have not been domesticated, while European rabbits are both raised for meat and kept as pets."
http://www.orcca.on.ca/~elena/useful/bunnies.html<br /><br />__________ Thu Nov 07, 2013 11:12 am __________<br /><br />Can you imagine how much easier it would be to breed if rabbit kits could open their eyes and eat on their own in an hour or so? But the feed bill would go up dramatically!
I didn't question the way they had their young.
But if the differense is how their kits are born and their nesting, and cottontails have kits and nests like ares but not as rabbits, shouldn't cottontails be concidered to be hares rather than rabbits?
oh, they ignore real burrows and still get defenseless young. That just seem bad
And again I wonder how manny rabbits there ar.. european wild rabbits, domesticcated rabbits, appearantly cottontails, and...? I know there's different hares, but what other rabbits are there, if ALL rabbits make burrows and european rabbits and domesticated rabbits are pretty much the same (and two doesn't call for ''all'' to be used)? I need to research on that one.<br /><br />__________ Thu Nov 07, 2013 11:18 am __________<br /><br />hhehe, yeah... although.. would it be easier? As it is, momma rabbit does all the work for us..
But if the differense is how their kits are born and their nesting, and cottontails have kits and nests like ares but not as rabbits, shouldn't cottontails be concidered to be hares rather than rabbits?
oh, they ignore real burrows and still get defenseless young. That just seem bad
And again I wonder how manny rabbits there ar.. european wild rabbits, domesticcated rabbits, appearantly cottontails, and...? I know there's different hares, but what other rabbits are there, if ALL rabbits make burrows and european rabbits and domesticated rabbits are pretty much the same (and two doesn't call for ''all'' to be used)? I need to research on that one.<br /><br />__________ Thu Nov 07, 2013 11:18 am __________<br /><br />hhehe, yeah... although.. would it be easier? As it is, momma rabbit does all the work for us..
skysthelimit
Well-known member
Cotton tails also have different bone structure than hares, and you know how scientist love that stuff. One of the things that separates rabbits from rodents (I was taught rabbits were just rodents when I was growing up, so no one I knew had pet rabbits), is that rabbits have two sets of incisors in the front and rodents have one. That's splitting hairs, but it's those tiny structural differences, even when all other behavior is the same.
It does seem bad that they have defenseless kits and don't burrow, but as the National Geographic page puts it, "that's ok, because they have 3-4 litters a year of 8 plus kits." Like that makes it better?
I am still trying to figure out how many rabbits there are. So far, I've found that "most of the wild rabbits in US, Central America and South America are cottontails," not sure what they mean by most. They never say what other there might be. Then there are the Euro ones, but supposedly none in Asia. Why are cottontails so suicidal? Why are they the only naughty buns that don't make burrows?
It does seem bad that they have defenseless kits and don't burrow, but as the National Geographic page puts it, "that's ok, because they have 3-4 litters a year of 8 plus kits." Like that makes it better?
I am still trying to figure out how many rabbits there are. So far, I've found that "most of the wild rabbits in US, Central America and South America are cottontails," not sure what they mean by most. They never say what other there might be. Then there are the Euro ones, but supposedly none in Asia. Why are cottontails so suicidal? Why are they the only naughty buns that don't make burrows?
Ah
Well.. the non surviving kits feeds animals that need it?
I've found that ''13-18'' types of cottontails live in the US and canade.. and there's some 30-40 wild rabbits, a few endangered and many living in specific areas.. but I only found specific names of two other rabbits. ''borst'' (which means brush or hackles in swedish) ansd some..other I frgot the name of..
Well.. the non surviving kits feeds animals that need it?
I've found that ''13-18'' types of cottontails live in the US and canade.. and there's some 30-40 wild rabbits, a few endangered and many living in specific areas.. but I only found specific names of two other rabbits. ''borst'' (which means brush or hackles in swedish) ansd some..other I frgot the name of..
I think the correct term for the rabbit in the video would be 'feral' which is a domestic rabbit, or a rabbit who's ancestors were domestic, and that is living in the wild.
Anyone with a dirt floor colony can tell you that does love to dig tunnels for their nests and will block the entrance to prevent the little ones from escaping and to make it harder for predators to get in. I have a doe who plugs up the entrance to her nest box with all the hay or straw she can find
Cottontails are distantly related to European rabbits but have many traits of hares such as being solitary rather than communal, nesting on the ground rather than burrowing and having babies born fully furred and ready to run.
European rabbits are of the Oryctolagus genus and Cottontails are Sylvilagus. Here is a family tree for the Lagomorphs - http://m.mbe.oxfordjournals.org/content ... .large.jpg
Anyone with a dirt floor colony can tell you that does love to dig tunnels for their nests and will block the entrance to prevent the little ones from escaping and to make it harder for predators to get in. I have a doe who plugs up the entrance to her nest box with all the hay or straw she can find
Cottontails are distantly related to European rabbits but have many traits of hares such as being solitary rather than communal, nesting on the ground rather than burrowing and having babies born fully furred and ready to run.
European rabbits are of the Oryctolagus genus and Cottontails are Sylvilagus. Here is a family tree for the Lagomorphs - http://m.mbe.oxfordjournals.org/content ... .large.jpg
