Rabbit   Oryctolagus cuniculus

A fully grown rabbit is about 40cm long (head and body) and can weigh 1.2-2kg. It may eat 0.5kg of green food a day. The only similar species with a wide distribution is the brown hare which is larger, has black tips to the ears, longer hind legs and, unlike the rabbit, does not show a white underside to the tail when running.  

Distribution & Habitat The rabbit is found throughout most of Western Europe and is thought to have been introduced to Britain by the Normans. It is now widespread in habitats, which provide suitable vegetation for grazing and well drained ground for burrowing, or other suitable areas such as Cornish hedges and Devon banks. It lives communally with other rabbits usually in a system of burrows known as a warren. Some or all of the entrances may be hidden away in dense vegetation.

Rabbits will also live under sheds, amongst rubble and in piles of dead tree roots and branches. During the day they can often be found lying above ground in sheltered places.

BiologyThe male is known as a buck and the female as a doe. The main breeding season is from January to July, with a small number of animals breeding outside this period. Early born litters often do not survive well, particularly if conditions are cold and wet.

Breeding. Although temperature has a bearing on the need to reproduce, by either triggering or suppressing the reproductive hormones, photoperiod is also a factor.

The days start to lengthen after the mid winter solstice, and therefore you may well expect mating to occur in early January. The mean duration of pregnancy is 32 days. Therefore it is not unreasonable to expect 1st litters around (any where between 4-10 kits are born) mid February. Rabbits will mate 2-3 hours post partum (After the birth of the litter) but 21 days post partum is more normal because the kits are not weaned until they are around 42 days old. This allows the does, to concentrate on one litter at a time.

 
There is no real oestrus cycle; Rabbits have an induced ovulation, that is the act of penetration causes them to ovulate.
Like many other animals they have the ability to absorb their young if environmental conditions are not favourable to birth. (Such as extreme cold or excessively wet periods)

As mating to weaning is some 2 ½ months any mating that occur in late September will indeed give free ranging young in mid December if the doe mates on post partum this in fact then takes the breeding full circle into January.

With the original pair still producing and their young also producing its possible that starting with one pair you could end up with 96 rabbits in 12 months time!!!

Signs of Rabbits may leave many signs of their presence in an area. These include: Burrows: interconnecting to form a warren system of which some of the entrances may be hidden in scrub.

Scrapes: small excavations, usually with one or two droppings among the excavated soil. Runs: pathways where the repeated passage of rabbits has suppressed the vegetation. Fur: either caught on fencing or thorns, or torn out during fighting.

Droppings: spherical pellets 7-10mm in diameter composed largely of undigested plant remains.

Latrines: heaps of large numbers of droppings.

Feeding signs: grazing of vegetation and barking of shrubs and trees. Some indication of the number of rabbits present in an area can be gained from the density of these signs, but a more reliable method is to count actual rabbits. The number of rabbits seen in the daytime is not an accurate guide as their activities are mainly nocturnal. From late spring to early autumn (April to September) counts can be carried out at dawn or dusk, preferably with the aid of binoculars. In the winter a more accurate guide will come from counts during darkness, using a powerful spotlight. Bright moonlight and frosty conditions should be avoided. Counts never show the total number of rabbits, but can provide a good indication of the size of the population before action is taken. Counts taken after control of fencing has been carried out can be compared with those before the operation to give an indication of success.

Should I take action now? Before taking action an assessment should be made of the seriousness of damage to see whether action is justified. In making this assessment, account should be taken of the likelihood that the rabbit population will increase. The legal obligation of occupiers of land to control rabbits or, if this is not practicable, to prevent them from doing damage on neighbouring land should also be considered. Damage can result from both digging and feeding activities. In extreme cases of damage from digging, rabbit burrows can be undermine embankments and structures resulting in collapse. More commonly, burrows and scrapes damage the surface of high quality amenity grasslands such as golf courses, bowling greens and cricket pitches.