Rabbit Myths

A rabbit’s favourite food is carrots. Actually, most rabbits much prefer fruits such as apples or pears. Rabbits have a very well-defined sweet tooth, so anything sugary is usually their favourite treat.

Rabbits are rodents. Rabbits are in the orderLagamorphs, and the only other animals in their family are hares and a small animal called a pika. The full classification is Kingdom (Animalia: Animal), Phylum (Chordata: Having a spinal chord), Class (Mammalia: Mammal), Order (Lagomorpha), Family (Leporidea), Genus (Oryctologus), Species (cuniculus).

Rabbits should be picked up by their ears. Do not EVER pick up a rabbit in this manner! Rabbits actually have fairly delicate ears, and picking up a rabbit soley by its ears can break the cartilage and injure the rabbit.

Rabbits and hares are the same. While both rabbits and hares are in the order Lagamorpha, they are distinct species. Rabbits are born hairless, blind, and defenseless. Hares are born with fur, with their eyes open, and they can run soon after they are born. Rabbits live in groups, and they live in holes in the ground called “warrens.” Hares are more solitary, and they do not dig into the ground.

Lettuce is good for rabbits. Lettuce has very little nutritional value for rabbits, or for any animal, as it is mostly composed of water. Due to the heavy amounts of water, it can even cause rabbits to get the runs!

Rabbits do not require any toys or playtime. Rabbits get bored just like we do! Rabbits enjoy having toys, things to chew on, and time out of the cage. How would you like to be stuck in a cage with nothing to do for the rest of your life?

Rabbits are silent. Rabbits actually have an entire vocabulary of noises that they use. They scream when they are in pain, they grunt and grumble when they are grumpy, they have a sort of “purr” that means they are content, and they even make chattering noises that mean “I am happy to see you!”

If you touch baby rabbits, the mother will kill them. So long as the mother is used to being handled, she will usually have little or no problem with her babies being touched. I handle all the baby bunnies in my barn from the day they are born, which bonds them with humans and makes them friendlier. Also, the breeder needs to look at them all the first day to make sure they are healthy and to take out any dead babies.

Rabbits are easy to breed and raise. If only they were! I do not know how many times I have wanted to cry because that doe that I was wanting a litter so badly from did not get pregnant, miscarried, or had her babies on the wire so they froze.