Rabbits @ UVic

About rabbits

• Rabbits at UVic are descended from European rabbits, which have been introduced widely across North America, Australia, New Zealand, South America and several islands.
• European rabbits are territorial and maintain a hierarchy of dominant and subordinate animals.
• European rabbits feed on grasses and herbs, roots, the bark of trees and shrubs, and cultivated plants. They prefer to graze in the open and use vegetative cover for shade, protection and browse.
• Female rabbits may produce three to five litters a year, with three to seven young. Young rabbits leave the nest at about 18 days, are weaned at about 21-25 days, and reach puberty at three to five months. Few, if any, breed in their first year.
• It is believed that over 90 per cent of young rabbits die from predation or disease in their first year, most in the first three months of life.
• European rabbits can live up to 10 years in the wild, but the majority die much earlier.

"The General Biology of European Rabbits" (85KB PDF) courtesy of TerraMar Environmental Research Ltd.