Rabbits make delightful pets. With longer lifespans than dogs and cats, rabbits bond quickly with their humans, learning to recognize their voice quickly. Wild rabbits live communal lives within warrens – a series of tunnels resembling hotels.
Crepuscular animals such as bats are most active during dawn and dusk hours, according to Cypress, TX veterinarian Dr. Kevin Davis. Read on for some incredible facts about these cute fuzzy creatures from an expert veterinarian!
They’re part of the Lagomorpha family
Rabbits make great pets. With their soft fur and cute appearance, you’re bound to smile when seeing these fluffy, pretty creatures hop about with such joy! But did you know that rabbits can also be quite fascinating animals with many interesting characteristics you might not even be aware of?
Contrary to popular belief, rabbits are not rodents. Although they share many characteristics with other rodents – like chewing and breeding habits – rabbits actually belong to the Lagomorpha family alongside hares and pikas and are therefore closer related to hoofed mammals than true rodents.
Wild rabbits reside in groups known as warrens – underground tunnels connected by rooms. Rabbits groom themselves regularly like cats do, which results in them creating hairballs which must then be digested in order for the rabbit to absorb any nutrients that were missed out when digesting first time around.
Rabbits are unique animals in that they actually eat their own poop! While this might seem gross or unpleasant, rabbits must do it to obtain enough vitamins and minerals in their diet – they do this by eating cecotropes food made from pellet poop from themselves!
Bunnies don’t find it as gross as it sounds – you can even watch a video of them doing it! Bunnies use this behavior for digestive purposes and to speed up their intestinal movement, as well as express happiness when jumping or twisting and kicking around in joy.
They have big ears
Rabbits are adorable creatures loved by many. Rabbits offer so much more than simply snacking on carrots – they’re highly social creatures who enjoy creating intricate tunnel systems and chewing up their own waste! There’s so much more you can discover about these hoppity cuties.
Rabbits are well known for their large ears. Not only do they help enhance hearing, but wild rabbits use them to regulate body temperature with their ears swiveling 270 degrees at once so they can listen in on two sounds at the same time and detect predators while feeling heat or cold.
Their ears consist of three parts, the outer, middle, and inner ears. The outer ear has a dish-shaped pinna that funnels sound directly into their canal while their middle ear then transmits these frequencies directly to their brain for processing. Their inner ears contain membrane sections that correspond with different sounds rabbits hear so as to distribute this information accordingly in their bodies.
Rabbits live in complex tunnel systems called warrens in the wild. Rabbits are adept at digging, with female rabbits giving birth to up to 14 kits (babies) at once! Furthermore, these creatures are fast runners and excellent burrowers; kits refer to female rabbits while males are known as bucks.
They smell with their mouths
Rabbits are more than the stereotyped animals portrayed by popular culture: they’re actually complex animals with unique traits. Here are some fun facts about rabbits you may not have known:
1. Rabbit ears serve two functions.
Their cute features aside, rabbit ears serve two important purposes; not only can they look adorable, they’re also highly sensitive to sound and can help regulate body temperature. With the ability to rotate up to 270 degrees and their large surface area absorbing sounds from all directions – rabbits use their ears to detect predators or potential threats up to two miles away with ease, and their large surface area helps trap heat against their ears to help cool them down when necessary.
2. Rabbits Smell Through Their Mouths. Rabbit babies develop their sense of smell very early on in life and use it to detect threats and locate food underground, as well as communicating with other rabbits through scent-marking (licking). Rabbits use scent through their mouths as part of a form of communication – it even has its own special form of affection – shown by them displaying it to each other!
3. Their eyes are located on both sides of their heads.
Since rabbits’ eyes are situated on both sides of their heads, they have almost 360-degree vision that makes them very effective animals in nature. Unfortunately, this also reduces depth perception; to compensate for this limitation they bob their heads back and forth to gauge distance; sometimes this technique allows them to detect predators before seeing them and flee quickly without fighting back!
They’re a social animal
Rabbits are highly social animals that find happiness among their own kind. Rabbits live together in complex tunnel systems known as warrens with dens for sleeping and nesting purposes. A hutch provides safe harbor from predators while loud noises or sudden movements could easily be enough to scare away these prey animals who must remain vigilant lest they be killed by one.
Rabbits tend to form strong attachments with their owners and bond quickly, recognising faces, scents and voices of familiar owners; responding when called or whistled for, even being taught litter box habits if desired – although note that rabbits do not like being picked up which could result in serious injury or even death.
Rabbits have an interesting trait; they like to sleep with their eyes open! While this may appear peculiar, it actually serves an essential survival purpose – by keeping their eyes open during sleep they can detect changes in light or movement nearby much quicker, providing an opportunity to escape danger more rapidly than if their eyes had been closed while sleeping.
Rabbits also consume things such as flowers and sticks for nutrients they contain, but should never be given carrots since these foods do not come naturally to their diets. Carrots may cause digestive upset in rabbits so should also be avoided as part of their natural diet.
Though it may seem strange, rabbits eat their own poop! Though this may seem wasteful or vanity-driven, it actually provides valuable nutrition they missed from food during its initial pass through their digestive system. This process known as cecotropes works much like how cows chew their cud.
They ‘binky’ when they’re excited
Like any animal, rabbits exhibit their emotions through various means, leaving pet owners confused at times. When racing around a room with legs kicking up and head flicking, rabbits could possibly be binkying – unlike purrs from cats or kittens which signal fear or something wrong, bunny binkying signals happiness and excitement instead.
Rabbits use binkying as a way of showing affection towards humans, or simply showing excitement over something they love such as food or treats or their favorite toy. Rabbits may even binky when playing together or with humans!
Rabbits communicate by chinning or ‘nudge-bonking’, similarly to cats rubbing their legs against humans, marking their territory and asserting ownership over someone they see as part of their group. If your rabbit nudging your leg with its chin it means they want you to pet or play with them!
Rabbits make honking sounds when they’re happy or excited, similar to dog barking but actually more like light chomping or teeth chattering. These noises help rabbits stay alert for predators. To learn more about rabbit behavior and care, take a look at this article from Fairfield Animal Hospital of Cypress, TX pet hospital.