Rabbit Information

The rabbit is among the most resilient and adaptable of animals, and it has maintained a close relationship with mankind for several centuries. Although largely despised by the farming community as a crop-spoiling pest, the rabbit has proved useful to man as a source of food, for fur, for scientific experimentation and, more recently, as a prized domesticated pet.

The European rabbit, Orcyctolagus cuniculus, was originally classified as a member of the rodent species. Now it is placed in the order Lagomorpha along with hares and pikas.

Physically, the rabbit is a compact animal, with long ears and large, prominent eyes. It has large, powerful hindlegs, which are longer than its forelegs, and enable it to hop and run at speed. The soles of the rabbit’s feet have a covering of fur, which provides a firm grip on all kinds of surfaces. The rabbit has a thick, triple-layered coat of dense fur, generally brownish-grey in the normal wild colour. It has a short, white, upturned tail, resembling a cotton-wool ball.

The rabbit is almost exclusively vegetarian in its diet. Its main food in the wild is grass and vegetables. When green food is scarce in winter, it will eat bark. It also gains extra nutrition through the process of eating its own droppings. In their wild state, rabbits burrow complicated complicated tunnel systems in the ground, known as warrens. Many warrens are used and added to by successive generations of rabbits over many years. A well-developed warren will have numerous entrances and exits, sleeping areas and even nursery runs for litters.

Historical Background of Rabbits
When British colonists were expanding their great empire they introduced the rabbit to countries such as the United States of America, Australia and New Zealand. Rabbits had no natural enemies in these countries, and they quickly reproduced in vast quantities, decimating crops and grasslands in their quest for food. Mankind hit back with concentrated culling, but they never managed to eradicate the wild rabbit completely. Nowadays, it is against the law to keep pet rabbits in many American states and in most parts of Australia.

In Britain, farmers also suffered great crop losses from rabbits. Shooting and trapping failed to make any significant impression on the numbers of rabbits. Then in 1954 and 1955, the scientific community came up with a disease called Myxomatosis, which would infect rabbits quickly, debilitating them, and then killing them. The disease was introduced to warrens throughout Britain, Europe and Australia, with devastating results for the wild rabbit populations. Since then the disease has declined in virulence, and rabbit populations have made some recovery. However, the disease continues to break out at regular intervals, reducing the rabbit population to an acceptable level.

Development of The Rabbit Fancy
The first leanings towards rabbits being kept as pets came in the early part of the 19th century. During the 1830s and 1840s, various enthusiasts — mainly farmers and landowners — began to develop specialist breeds of rabbits out of captive stock. The first true Fancy breed of domestic rabbit was the English Lop, with its huge ear span. This was followed by a spotted breed, ultimately to become known as the English, and the Angora, with its long fur, was re-developed.

In time, quite a few rabbit clubs were formed, ostensibly as an avenue for rabbit breeders to exhibit their newly developed Fancy specimens in competition. One of the earliest and most influential rabbit clubs was the Metropolitan Rabbit Club, founded circa 1945. In the 1870s, a number of national clubs were formed, each vying to control the growing Rabbit Fancy, as more breeds of Fancy Rabbit were created. None of these early national clubs lasted very long.

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