Facts about rabbits
Rabbits live for up to 9-years. They are smaller and less gangly than hares, and have shorter ears. They grow to have a head-body length of 30 to 40 cm and weigh 1.2 to 2kg. Their body fur is brown grey, with brown tips on their ears and the upper surface of their tail is dark brown. The characteristic white flash on the underside of the tail can be seen when the animal is fleeing.
They live on heath land, open meadow, grassland, woodland, the fringes of agricultural land and dry sandy soil, including sand dunes, but they avoid coniferous forests. They eat the leaves of a wide range of vegetation including agricultural crops, cereals, young trees and cabbages. In winter, they eat grasses, bulbs and bark. They re-ingest their faeces for nutritional benefit.
Rabbits have a burrow system known as a warren with tunnels 1 to 2m long. The nest at the end of the tunnel is lined with grass, moss and belly fur. They use regular trails, which they scent mark with faecal pellets. They damage crops and grassland by digging shallow holes to get at roots as well as eating the grass and crops. They will also destroy many garden plants and small trees.
Rabbits mate year-round although most litters are born between February and August. Litters range in size between 3 and 12, after a gestation period of 28 to 33-days, and the kittens are weaned after 28-days. Rabbits become sexually mature after just 4-months and breed rapidly, so they can readily replace themselves.
Due to this rapid breeding potential rabbit complete eradication is impossible so employing an effective method of control is most practical e.g. fencing areas and then eliminating the population in the fenced areas.
In the 1950s the myxomatosis virus was introduced into the rabbit population which put a temporary reduction on the rabbit population. However rabbits are becoming immune to the virus and the rabbit population has increased exponentially in the past 25-years.
