Interesting Facts about Rabbits

Keeping a rabbit is not as easy as keeping ordinary household pets like dogs and cats. Time will test your patience, angers will flare and yes, you will want to at some point, return the rabbit to where you got it from. When I first bought our pet rabbit and introduced it into our home, it was all fun and games and cute cuddly moments.

Twenty photographs later, and a week into the care taking, I started to get nervous. Why was this adorable creature turning into the bane of my existence? Why didn't she behave the way she looked? Why was it so darn hard to train her?

It was simple - I was dealing with a monster clad in rabbit fur. Don't worry about how things will turn out, since eventually you will know your pet rabbit in and out.

The truth of the matter is, every animal will come loaded with troubles where you as its owner will have to deal with it all. Cleaning up after your pet has finished its 'business' and handling their vicious behavior is all part of the process.

Overtime, when dealt in the right manner, these things don't usually happen as often. If you're lucky, you'll have the best pet ever.

♣ Rabbits will stand on its two hind legs, in order to get a peripheral view of what surrounds them, especially if they need to examine a higher surface.

♣ Rabbits make these odd sounds when either terrified or furious. You'll notice them as your rabbit ages where they'll be quite audible. Baby rabbits make similar sounds, but only when in need for its mother's milk.

♣ Male rabbits can be easily neutered when they reach an age where they are ready to mate. It makes them less aggressive and less prone to falling ill to serious health problems. Females too can be neutered although the surgery isn't as easy as is in the case of a male rabbit. If done by a trusted vet, it is possible to avoid complications or an infection in a female rabbit.

♣ Rabbits are ready to mate once they cross 3 months of age. It is advisable not to encourage female/male rabbits to mate with their young, since these can lead to problems in their subsequent offspring.

♣ When female rabbits start to pluck their fur, it is important to pull all of it out of its mouth, to avoid it from choking. This signals that the mother is readying the living space that it occupies, for its newborns. It could also be a fake pregnancy (which happens) if it hasn't mated at all.

♣ The idea of a rabbit eating its young is a scary thought, since some animals do this as a way of cleaning up the stillborn birth, or to get rid of the weak ones.

♣ Rabbits groom themselves, although bathing them on your own once a month, is necessary. Bathing a rabbit too often will weaken it eventually. Keep its living quarters clean to avoid your pet rabbit from smelling awful. When a rabbit has hardened stool stuck to its fur, owners will have to step in and take charge of the cleaning.

♣ Avoid feeding rabbits human eatables except if they're made from white flour (crunchy snacks like biscuits). Avoid feeding them non-vegetarian eats, sweet dishes, certain vegetables (like French beans), and spicy/salty foods.

♣ Rabbits resent owners for picking them up too often. If you're like me and will still pick up your rabbit to kiss and cuddle it, feeding it a treat right after will leave it less mad at you.

♣ Rabbits sleep with their eyes open, where if its nose stops twitching, it will signal that it is asleep. Some rabbits when in a state of complete bliss and relaxation, will be seen with their eyes halfway closed.

♣ Binkies are happy jumps that rabbits do, when they kick their feet sideways midair, while they run. This shows that he/she is extremely happy.

♣ When a rabbit thumps its foot, it shows that he/she wasn't pleased with what you did. It also is a way to warn other rabbits of impending danger.

♣ Never pick up a rabbit by its ears, since this is actually painful and can impair it. It has to be picked off a surface by lifting it from its underbelly, or sliding your hand behind its hind legs while supporting its sides and abdomen, with your other hand.

♣ Rabbits will lick you either if you're in its way, or midway through petting to show love and affection. Sometimes they can hop right up to you and start licking at your toes or hands, by way of being sweet. If your rabbit is aggressive, it is only because it is either pregnant or not neutered. Females if not neutered will be much calmer and easier to handle post pregnancy, although some rabbit breeds can still be slightly aggressive even after delivering.

♣ A rabbit's lifespan highly depends on what sort of breed it is, since it can greatly vary in that respect.

♣ Rabbits if carefully laid down on their backs can go into a trance like state, making it easier to clip their nails or trim their fur. It is not good to keep a rabbit too long in this position though.

These interesting facts about rabbits I'm sure will amuse or surprise you, with a lot more on rabbits that you will witness, if you are the kind to keenly observe these animals. For those of you who don't own rabbits yet, I suggest you do a lot of research before committing to take care of one.