Rabbit behaviour Flashcards
What is the domestic rabbits wild ancestor?
The European rabbit
What is the latin name for the European rabbit?
Oryctolagus cuniculus
Who brought the rabbits to Britain in the 12th century?
The Normans
What risk influences the rabbit’s natural behaviour?
The risk of predation
What is the rabbit’s strongest physiological sense?
Scent
(Olfactory)
Why does the rabbit have a highly efficient digestive system?
To allow them to spend as little time above ground as possible, to avoid the risk of predation
Why has the rabbit’s skeleton adapted to be so lightweight?
To allow for fast movement, to avoid predation
Rabbits are very easiled frightened.
Is it true that they can remember what frightened them?
Yes
What does a rabbit experience 1st?
A. Fight
B. Flight
C. Freeze
C. Freeze
What response comes after freeze?
Flight
When will rabbits use the final response, fight?
After exhibiting freeze and flight, and there is no escape route and they are cornered
What will rabbits do to alert the rest of their colony?
Use their hindlegs to thump on the ground, to alert those below there is a potential danger
(think basic)
Name 5 things that scare rabbits.
- Sudden movements
- Loud noise
- Sudden noise
- Bright lights
- Strong smells
How many entrances does a burrow system have?
No limited amount, all our multi-entranced
How many dominant buck’s share 1 territory?
1
What is the name used to describe a mult-entranced burrow system?
A warren
Do males live within a colony with a dominant buck + several females?
Yes, but they are subordinate
What are wild populations of rabbits split into?
Social groups
Can you get multi-sexted and/or same-sexed social groups?
Both!
What routine behaviour does the dominant buck perform every day?
Routinely patrols his territory
More frequently, what is required by the dominant buck, from both his female and male subordinates?
A submissive act
Give an example of a subordinate act in rabbits.
Retreating and fleeing from dominant buck’s advances
What will happen if a subordinate refuses to retreat from a dominant buck’s advances?
It will prompt an attack from the dominant buck
Once groups have been established are new members able to join colonies?
No, they won’t be welcomed by either sex and dominant males will attack new males
What happens to rabbits that are unable to become established into a colony?
They move to a previously unoccupied territory
What is the name given to the rabbits that have to move into a previously unoccupied territory?
And what does it mean?
Non-territorial satellites
The NTS’s act as a buffer zone between the territories of dominant bucks
If the dominant buck’s territory increases in members, and therefore space, what happens to the buck status?
His dominance is decreased, due to the more attention that is required to maintain his dominance
True or False.
Does actively defend their territories.
False, they do not actively defend
Do does share their home range with other females?
Yes
True or False.
Does can be stronger fighters than bucks.
True, they fight as strongly - if not more!
What do does mostly fight for, resource wise?
Nesting sites
True or False.
Bucks are territorial, even if no does are present.
False, only when groups of females are present
In larger groups of females, what will females use to fight off unwanted advances from males?
They will drive them away, often using aggression
Can male and female rabbits establish pair-bonds?
Yes
True or False.
Secondary bucks + does are not allowed to be associated with a bonded pair.
False, they are able to be loosely associated with the pair
As well as their intrinsic social nature, what has been proven to be the main drive behind sociality in rabbits?
A useful tool/tatic to gain access to resources and prevent resource limitation
(Not physiological, but behavioural)
What does the rabbit primarly rely on when escaping predators?
Access to cover
(hiding under things)
How does warren construction control group sizes within the colony?
The suitability of the warren helps control the colonies population by amount of avaliable space for the rabbits
What is presumed to be the reason that does spread their burrow spaces evenly, rather than in a clump?
It has been suggested that they do not prefer to breed in close proximity to each other
Maybe to do with preventing other does from infanticide + survival of the fittest?
Also suggesting, given the choice, they although they accept conspecific presence, they prefer to have their own space - important point to raise with clients for housing!*
What physiological signs can subordinate meembers experience in the present of a dominant buck or doe?
Chronically elevated heart rate, leading to Chronic stress
What are signs of increased fear and aggression indicators of?
- Stress
- Poor wellbeing
- Poor husbandry
- Pain
- Illness
- Disease
- Fustration
- Fear
True or False.
Rabbits in pens are less likely to exhibit more species-typical behaviours such as:
* Rearing
* Stretching
* Hoping
* Running
False, they are more likely to!
Name 6 signs of fear + aggression in rabbits
- Sham digging
- Floor chewing
- Bar biting
- Fur chewing
- Hair pulling
- Stereotypical pacing patterns
Sham = false/superficial
What percentage of time do does spend resting in the daylight hours with other rabbits, with physical contact?
90%!
What percentage of time do rabbits in pairs spend body contact with each other, during their total resting time?
58%
