Talk:Rabbit/Archive 2

Rabbit Behavior
Rabbit behavior on the article is wrong. When spooked, a rabbit can be very timid and scared however rabbits can also be very aggressive, hyper, affectionate, and protective of their territory and young. I'm very surprised that this article only has a blurb of the stereotypical behavior of a rabbit. It should definitely be more in depth and informative. Would have added something myself but I do not have an established account on Wiki and apparently the article is semi-protected. Reproduction is another one that would be easy to explain. There's a lot of information and resources on the internet about these things. Surely someone has the capability to edit in some more factual information. SpottedRabbit —Preceding undated comment added 16:15, 13 July 2009 (UTC).

((editsemiprotected))
Under location and habitat more the half should be more than half.

Psychobean (talk) 15:59, 10 August 2009 (UTC)psychobean
 * Done. Thank you for letting us know!-- The Red Pen of Doom  00:47, 11 August 2009 (UTC)

pluralization, English++
Under Location and Habitat: "The rabbit lives in many area around the world." Might want to fix that (lack of) plural?

- Jack Vermicelli 2warped@gmail.com 98.243.83.191 (talk) 03:33, 25 September 2009 (UTC)

Also see the double prepositions in "Rabbit pelts are sometimes used in for clothing and accessories, such as scarves or hats" in As Food and Clothing.

-Jack Vermicelli 98.243.83.191 (talk) 03:44, 25 September 2009 (UTC)

Furless rabbits
Someone should add something about furless bunnies. Here're a few links for anyone interested: and I would, but I don't have the patience to research bunnies (of all things) nor the wisdom to know where to put such information (although possibly it might go within it's own little sub-section). Thanks (for taking the time to read this). Gott wisst (talk) 04:24, 2 October 2009 (UTC)

Do rabbits make sounds?
The article is surprisingly quite about it. Above in the talk page someone has written about the vocalization but that seems more from personal experience rather than any scientific knowlege. Could some with knowledge please add this as it would be interesting. Qadirma (talk) 10:09, 5 October 2009 (UTC)

Tidying - and keeping this page GENERIC, not just Oryctolagus
I removed the (almost) empty Behaviour and Reproduction sections, because they contained almost no information, and in any case, this page is about rabbits in general, and should not contain (too much) information that is specific to the European rabbit, or even to domestic rabbits. There are separate pages for both of them. Remember! Not all genera of rabbits burrow! Arikk (talk) 12:59, 5 October 2009 (UTC)

User:RepublicanJacobite
You have removed what I have written. I am at a loss to understand your attitude. I do not think my edit was vandalism. The Wikipedia Vandalism page says, "Vandalism is any addition, removal, or change of content made in a deliberate attempt to compromise the integrity of Wikipedia. [...] Common types of vandalism are the addition of obscenities or crude humor, page blanking, and the insertion of nonsense into articles. Any good-faith effort to improve the encyclopedia, even if misguided or ill-considered, is not vandalism." My edit should not be removed as it is about rabbit behavior in general. Therefore, I have reincluded my contribution and added another one. It should be discussed which parts of these findings may be included in this article or the other articles about European or domestic rabbits.
 * I never said it was vandalism - God forbid. It's clear the effort was in good faith.  However, the general consensus on these talk pages is that the Rabbit-European rabbit-House rabbit pages need to be reorganised and rationalised.  Perhaps you could expand on your entry on behaviour, keeping it general for Rabbit, while taking into account the extensive behaviour sections already written in European rabbit and House rabbit.  Arikk (talk) 06:30, 18 October 2009 (UTC)

Drinking behavior
Some new findings on the drinking behavior of rabbits may be added to the behavior section: To investigate the drinking behavior of rabbits as well as to prove the suitability of different drinker systems under animal suitable conditions 32 rabbits aged four to eight weeks have been held to test in free choice four drinker types usually applied in practice. The rabbits could choose between swimmer-, low pressure-bowl-, nipple- and automatic minidrinkers. In two passages, four animals in each of the four boxes have been held for four weeks and watched by video once a week during 24 hours to register the frequency of the animals’ drinking at the four alternative drinkers. The choice experiments show that the low pressure bowl-drinker has been preferred in frequency, followed by the nipple drinker. The swimmer-bowl-drinker was less frequented, the automatic minidrinker was avoided in tendency. All in all it has been shown that by offering bowl- and/or nipple-drinkers a natural adequate drinking has been presented to the rabbits. BertLustcony (talk) 01:48, 18 October 2009 (UTC)
 * Drescher B, Hanisch A. (1995) Testing of various drinking troughs in consideration of the physiological drinking behavior of rabbits (in German). Dtsch Tierarztl Wochenschr. 1995 Sep;102(9):365-9.
 * Both of these articles are almost 15 years old, so could hardly be considered "new findings". However, if you feel that a preference to drinking bowl type is important, it should go in Domestic rabbit, not Rabbit. Arikk (talk) 12:58, 18 October 2009 (UTC)

Acquisition of a conditioned reflex in rabbits
In studies of learning using rabbits, there has been standardization of behavioral procedures. Less attention has been paid to variation that may arise from genetic differences and differences in rearing conditions. Experiments revealed that acquisition of a conditioned reflex can be affected dramatically by such differences. Specifically, the acquisition of a conditioned reflex in rabbits from 3 different suppliers was compared. All rabbits received behavioral training in which a tone or a light signalled an electrotactile stimulation of the trigeminal nerve near the rabbits' right eye. This tactile stimulus reliably elicited an eyeblink. Repeated presentations of the auditory and visual signals followed by the tactile stimulus yielded the acquisition of a conditioned response, namely closure of the eyelids during the warning period provided by the signal stimuli. Two of the groups showed steady conditioned response acquisition at a rate that matched previous results by others. However, the third group of rabbits showed very slow acquisition, and some rabbits failed to show any conditioned response acquisition. These interesting findings may also be included in the article. BertLustcony (talk) 02:22, 18 October 2009 (UTC)
 * Kehoe, E. James, Horne, Amanda J., Kingham, Jennifer, Martin, Thomas, Roach, Wayne. Acquisition of a conditioned reflex in New Zealand White rabbits from three sources. Lab Anim 1995 29: 394-399
 * This articles seems to have very little relevance to the general topics covered in this page, as it deals with differences between rabbits of the same breed from different suppliers. Can you elaborate why you think it is important? Arikk (talk) 12:58, 18 October 2009 (UTC)
 * I'm not sure if these findings are important. I just thought that the Behavior section of the article needs some improvement. Therefore it might be a good idea to add some additional facts of this kind to that section. BertLustcony (talk) 02:11, 19 October 2009 (UTC)

Here is some further information. Observations on domestic rabbits have shown that there are only few differences in their behavior compared with their wild counterparts. See R. Mykytowycz and E.R. Hesterman (1975), “An experimental study of aggression in captive European rabbits”, Behaviour 52:104-117; D.J. Bell (1984), “The behaviour of rabbits: Implications for their laboratory management”, Standards in Laboratory Animal Management, 2. So the potential for the full range of behavior of wild rabbits is still present genetically, despite some selection for physical, physiological and behavioral traits. This interesting information may be included in the article. BertLustcony (talk) 12:30, 20 October 2009 (UTC)

Rabbits and children
From the article section As pets: "Rabbits do not make good pets for small children because they do not know how to stay quiet, calm, and gentle around rabbits. ... Children 10 years old and older usually have the maturity required to care for a rabbit."

The above text is surely POV and unencyclopaedic, even if sourced. Anyone have a good reason for this being kept? I would remove it myself, but don't want to war over this afer its removal has already been reverted.  AJ Cham  06:00, 17 November 2009 (UTC)
 * I think most people would generally consider House Rabbit Society as an authoritative, or at least responsible, source for information here. Certainly, if you don't accept the claim, you'd have to find a better source than the HRS to contest it. Arikk (talk) 06:11, 17 November 2009 (UTC)
 * On the other hand, you do have a point about the tone of the piece. What do you think about my rewording? Arikk (talk) 07:04, 17 November 2009 (UTC)
 * I was actually about to make a similar change, but saw you already had. I would still favour changing the wording further, as it remains something of a generalisation - the source refers to the average toddler, whereas the article currently implies the described traits to be universal to all toddlers.  Also, the description of a specific age at which they become mature enough to care for a rabbit seems dubious. Other sources, such as Petsworld, seem to leave the upper bound of what defines a "younger" child suitably vague. (Note, I have not yet fully assessed the relative quality or reliability of that source - I did have another source, but it was blocked by the spam filter, so I guess that wasn't so good!). Your thoughts?  AJ  Cham  07:16, 17 November 2009 (UTC)


 * Although the HRS has a tendency to be polemical, I don't think that a generic site like the one you linked to can match the experience of the HRS people. In general, the whole article should be rewritten; there are many other paragraphs written in an inappropriate tone.  But who would volunteer to do that?  Also, remember that any expansion on these issues should go in House rabbit, and that Rabbit should contain only the briefest summaries.  If at all - there's a case for removing this information from Rabbit completely. Arikk (talk) 12:22, 17 November 2009 (UTC)

did you know?
rabbits originated in iberian peninsula. The name hispania means land of rabbits. I dont know if this has enough importance about rabbits to be included in the article —Preceding unsigned comment added by Enriquegoni (talk • contribs) 00:52, 29 November 2009 (UTC)
 * You can find it under European rabbit: Humans' relationship with rabbits. Arikk (talk) 05:43, 30 November 2009 (UTC)

Fastest Animal in North America
The scientific community has recently decided that the rabbit is the fastest animal in North America. It has beat out the antelope by 2 miles per hour. This means that the rabbit can travel at a speed of 63 mph, while the antelope can only go a mere 61 mph. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.133.166.237 (talk) 01:54, 4 February 2010 (UTC)

Bunnies are cute and fluffy.They will soon take over the world. You have been warned. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.73.202.205 (talk) 00:19, 25 February 2010 (UTC)

Edit request from 92.3.230.149, 3 April 2010
editsemiprotected

rabbits are very sensitive !!

92.3.230.149 (talk) 12:28, 3 April 2010 (UTC)
 * Not done; please be more specific. Ucucha 12:32, 3 April 2010 (UTC)

noises
This entry used to dicuss the noises rabbits make. It stated that besides a high-pitched scream when frightened or in pain, rabbits don't make any noises. This was wrong, and now the entry doesn't say anything at all. A rabbit will often soft grunting noises when hitting on another rabbit, and will make semi-vocal chewing/tooth-grinding sounds when feeling contented. The noises section should be returned! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.147.125.110 (talk) 04:14, 18 April 2010 (UTC)

Inclusion of RabbitOnGrass.JPG image
The original photographer of this image has readded it to the page, ignoring my revert. However: For these reasons I would be grateful if you refrained from readding this image to the article, without discussion and consensus here first. Stroller (talk) 15:09, 5 May 2010 (UTC)
 * First, I'd like to apologise to Darth Stabro for calling your photo rubbish. I realised a moment after doing so that it could be inflammatory.
 * Wikipedia, and this article specifically, already has plenty of photos of bunnies sitting on the grass.
 * This photo is low resolution, only 640 × 480 pixels in size.
 * The image of the bunny itself in the photo is too small - it's not possible to make out any distinguishing characteristics of the Lagomorpha Leporidae from this image.
 * This image has no benefit to the article and does not improve it. This article already features no less than **five** other similar photos of bunnies sitting on the grass. What does this one add?
 * I fully agree, and since I see no other page on Wikipedia the picture could be useful to, I nominated it for deletion. Ucucha 15:11, 5 May 2010 (UTC)

Pending changes
This article is one of a number (about 100) selected for the early stage of the trial of the Pending Changes system on the English language Wikipedia. All the articles listed at Pending changes/Queue  are being considered for level 1 pending changes protection.

The following request appears on that page:

Comments on the suitability of theis page for "Penfding changes" would be appreciated.

Please update the Queue page as appropriate.

Note that I am not involved in this project any much more than any other editor, just posting these notes since it is quite a big change, potentially

Regards, Rich Farmbrough, 23:38, 16 June 2010 (UTC).

Awkward phrasing
This sentence (Their teeth are strong to allow them to eat and get out of struggle.[7]) is paraphrased from the section in the PETCO article (Their teeth are strong to allow them to eat - and to get out of trouble.). The PETCO phrasing is clearer; the em dash is necessary to separate the actions of eating and getting out of trouble. Trouble also is more general than struggle, as it could indicate a situation such as being caught in a trap or snare, where the rabbit could chew it's way free.

Karl Andrews (talk) 13:51, 22 June 2010 (UTC)
 * Arguably, and more seriously, the sentence in our article is also plagiarism. Ucucha 14:03, 22 June 2010 (UTC)

unicode pictographs
When 6.0 goes final, we might want to mention &#x1f407; and &#x1f430;. ⇔ ChristTrekker 18:50, 30 July 2010 (UTC)

Facts
Did you know rabbits clean themselves (add more if you know) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 203.219.120.160 (talk • contribs) 01:38, 19 September 2010
 * Wikipedia is not a forum. This page is to discuss the article Rabbits, not rabbits in general. Do be bold and edit the article directly if you have useful information. me_and 09:26, 19 September 2010 (UTC)

Life time
rabbits live for about 13 years.  Alex Covarrubias  ( Talk? )  04:36, 10 June 2010 (UTC)
 * Yeah, see the house_rabbit article, it's covered there. Stroller (talk) 01:11, 11 June 2010 (UTC)

So a well-cited edit made in the last couple of days has added that the lifespan of a bunny is 9-12 years. I am extremely uncomfortable with this statement, because we all know this is a full life under optimal conditions, the bunny kept as a house rabbit with an owner attentive to any medical problems. It's my understanding that a bunny of 9-12 years will be  slow-moving or likely arthritic, so  due to predation this seems an unrealistic lifespan figure for undomesticated rabbits. This is not to mention how well we could cite uterine tumours in female bunnies over 3 years of age.

I thought there was a good reason for not giving the lifespan here - otherwise I'm surprised at its previous absence. Or perhaps that was a different article my edits got reverted on. --Stroller (talk) 04:32, 30 September 2010 (UTC)

petco link - commercial spamming?
as it says, really. Should it be removed? 78.147.54.182 (talk) 16:55, 7 November 2010 (UTC)


 * The citation? Looks to me like a legitimate citation to me. —me_and 22:59, 7 November 2010 (UTC)


 * I am not the person who proposed this, but the article doesn't really seem very "authoritative" to me. I don't know how reputable petco are, but to me it looks like an article that the company put up there just to gain SEO rank. --Stroller (talk) 07:30, 8 November 2010 (UTC)
 * Shouldn't be too hard to dig up some better sources for this section. While the info may be accurate, PETCO does sell rabbits, so that's not exactly a NPOV. I'll see what I can find.Bob98133 (talk) 11:40, 8 November 2010 (UTC)
 * (original questioner here) Thanks Bob! 78.147.57.69 (talk) 11:43, 8 November 2010 (UTC)

Hi folks. Went WP:BOLD and removed the heading "natural behavior" since it seemed a bit redundant and the graph fit rather smoothly right in with the "anatomy and characteristics" section (this graph is covering eyes, legs and teeth). The PETCO source really didn't cover everything in that graph to begin with. Since this is supposed to be about rabbits in general (not just pet rabbits), I think the two sources I've added are better suited to the material. Please take a look and let me know if any issues! Bob98133 (talk) 21:27, 8 November 2010 (UTC)
 * Well, a long running problem with these pages is that people forget the distinction between Rabbit and European rabbit, not to mention Domestic rabbit. Your behaviour entry is really more suited for European rabbit.  For example, many species of cottontails don't dig burrows.  To sort out all this and keep Rabbit as being a general page for all non-Lepus Leporids, would be a major undertaking, not to mention confusing to the ordinary reader.  But if you feel bold and feel you can do it, go ahead! Arikk (talk) 21:51, 8 November 2010 (UTC)
 * Thanks for the distinction notes, Arikk. Oh, how I do love me a good challenge.... Bob98133 (talk) 22:00, 8 November 2010 (UTC)

Urban Legends_Off-topic Information
Under the "Urban Legends" heading, which outlines the use of rabbits in human pregnancy testing, there is also mention of the use of frogs in human pregnancy testing. This information is unrelated to rabbits. Bnovak11 (talk) 02:44, 4 December 2010 (UTC)

Number of genera?
The lead says seven, but there are eight listed in the infobox. 86.158.191.190 (talk) 02:43, 18 January 2011 (UTC)
 * Good catch, thanks!Bob98133 (talk) 11:46, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

Reabsobtion
Why does this article not discuss reabsorption-- where a pregnant doe can reabsorb fetuses into her body before being carried to term,and birthed. I believe it is unique to rabbits, and is significant.TeigeRyan (talk) 03:45, 27 January 2011 (UTC)
 * Hello TeigeRyan! That phenomenon is not unique to rabbits apparently (see: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/aja.1001140311/abstract) but be bold and add something that's got a verifiable source. Let me know if you need any help with that. Bob98133 (talk) 14:04, 27 January 2011 (UTC)

I would. Right now I am training to get my degree is Library and Information Sciences, so I spend 15 hours a week looking for verifiable source. I may have some time in March.TeigeRyan (talk) 00:10, 31 January 2011 (UTC)

Folklore and Mythology
There is no mention of Spain (España) and its possible etymology. I remember from one of my linguistics courses many years ago that supposedly the Phoenicians and Carthaginians found the country overrun with rabbits, naming the place accordingly. In fact, some linguists believe España comes from the Punic word tsepan (rabbit). Corroborating this idea is a coin of Galba, which has Spain represented with a rabbit. (Strabo the Greek historian also called Spain "the land of rabbits".)

Brian 89.203.98.73 (talk) 20:13, 28 January 2011 (UTC)

Order
I think it would be a good idea to separate the food section from the pet section. People interested in the former section could be offended at seeing the meat at the bottom of their page. Hitglenwithmycar (talk) 05:15, 21 February 2011 (UTC)

Edit request from EngineRed, 5 March 2011
No offence, but can you find me a rabbit that eats its own droppings? Please confirm this.


 * Here is the reference, I think. — Gƒoley  Four  — 23:11, 5 March 2011 (UTC)

Diet and eating habits
Rabbits are herbivores that feed by grazing on grass, forbs, and leafy weeds. In consequence, their diet contains large amounts of cellulose, which is hard to digest. Rabbits solve this problem by passing two distinct types of feces: hard droppings and soft black viscous pellets, the latter of which are immediately eaten. Rabbits reingest their own droppings (rather than chewing the cud as do cows and many other herbivores) to digest their food further and extract sufficient nutrients.

EngineRed (talk) 21:01, 5 March 2011 (UTC)

Edit request from EngineRed, 6 March 2011
edit semi-protected

Seriously, take this down. It's rude.
 * Please explain how this is rude. It seems to be a perfectly fine description of a rabbits eating habits.  Bramble  claw  x   23:49, 6 March 2011 (UTC)
 * Red question icon with gradient background.svg Not done: please be more specific about what needs to be changed. Include a request of the form change "X" to "Y". Sources help too. &mdash;C45207 &#124; Talk 01:24, 7 March 2011 (UTC)

Diet and eating habits
Rabbits are herbivores that feed by grazing on grass, forbs, and leafy weeds. In consequence, their diet contains large amounts of cellulose, which is hard to digest. Rabbits solve this problem by passing two distinct types of feces: hard droppings and soft black viscous pellets, the latter of which are immediately eaten. Rabbits reingest their own droppings (rather than chewing the cud as do cows and many other herbivores) to digest their food further and extract sufficient nutrients.

EngineRed (talk) 23:46, 6 March 2011 (UTC)

Spelling correction
In the section on reproduction, the female is said to build a "nest or borough." Shouldn't this be "nest or burrow"? Building a borough -- now that would be a trick. Slpkoehler (talk) 02:44, 12 April 2011 (UTC)Slp Koehler
 * Good catch. Fixed.&mdash;C45207 &#124; Talk 04:17, 12 April 2011 (UTC)

Health issues
Perhaps we should expand this part making clear both pros and cons of eating rabbit — Preceding unsigned comment added by 85.18.50.180 (talk) 20:17, 11 June 2011 (UTC)

Edit request from HoppingMadBunnyMagazine, 24 June 2011 - please add to 'See Also...'
Hopping Mad bunny e-zine

HoppingMadBunnyMagazine (talk) 08:32, 24 June 2011 (UTC)
 * Red information icon with gradient background.svg Not done: Appears to be a non-notable magazine Jnorton7558 (talk) 10:22, 24 June 2011 (UTC)

Sleep
This section probably doesn't need to have its own heading. Since it's there anyways, the fact that rabbits are crepuscular should be added. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Windryder201 (talk • contribs) 03:38, 12 March 2012 (UTC)

rabbits as pets
The following statement is problematic for the enumerated reasons, below. "the House Rabbit Society advise that rabbits do not make good pets for small children because children generally do not know how to stay quiet, calm, and gentle around rabbits."

1. The cited article at the end of the paragraph makes no such conclusion or contains such wording; children "do not know how to stay quiet, calm, and gentle around rabbits."

2. The cited article, in fact, states something quite different, that rabbits for children may or may not be a good choice.

3. No where does it make the harsh conclusory statement as above. It appears to be the editor's opinion.

4. The cited article's author in fact writes a compelling account of how her child at 2 years old (at the time the article was written) grew up with a pet rabbit and as an adult (19 years later) is better for the experience. The article also lists many enrichment activities for children who have a rabbit in the home, including infants!

5. I propose the following rewrite of the line based on information contained in the cited reference:

"Rabbits can make excellent pets for children provided proper precautions and adult supervision and commitment are in place when young children are involved. " Truthsleuther (talk) 05:26, 3 September 2011 (UTC)


 * I believe the statement is based off the reference, which does state ...rabbits are rarely a good choice for a small child (younger than 7 yrs.). The natural exuberance, rambunctiousness, and decibel-level of the average toddler is stressful for most rabbits. Avic ennasis @ 09:37, 4 Elul 5771 / 09:37, 3 September 2011 (UTC)
 * Red information icon with gradient background.svg Not done: Agree with Avicennasis, the source on the paragraph does have that conclusion in it. --Jnorton7558 (talk) 10:07, 3 September 2011 (UTC)

Article in need of creation and interpretation.
I thought this is a spectacularly good article. Totally outside of my expertise, and I don't speak German. Do you have any suggestions as to whom I could recruit? Rabbits in the arts, German Wikipedia Thanks. Discospinter says: "I agree that it's a good article to have in English, to expand on Rabbit and List of fictional hares and rabbits." Please also take a look at Three hares, which I have worked on and which is about as close as we get. Just a thought and a gentle request. 7&amp;6=thirteen (☎) 18:50, 11 September 2011 (UTC)

Improving rabbit pages
I'm trying to improve the information on rabbits. I've made some suggestions here. Please join in the discussion Halon8 (talk) 00:20, 19 April 2012 (UTC)

Need to fix
Rabbit in Hebrew is not shefanim שפנים but Arnavim ארנבים. So the part that is talking about that needs to be removed. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Royramon (talk • contribs) 21:39, 23 August 2012 (UTC)

Rabbit sounds
I think a section about the sounds rabbits make and about their voice organs could be an useful addition to the article. --Petteri Aimonen (talk) 09:42, 31 August 2012 (UTC)

Edit request on 20 December 2012
Under the section:

Rabbit diseases For a more comprehensive list, see Category:Rabbit diseases.

Some rabbits may have rabies.

a correction is needed. It is extremely rare for rabbits to get rabies. Pet rabbits do not get rabies shots, and cases of rabies found in wild rabbits

For example, per the CDC:

http://www.cdc.gov/rabies/exposure/animals/other.html

Therefore, I would suggest a change to:

Rabbits and hares are almost never found to be infected with rabies and have not been known to transmit rabies to humans.

Arabbitfan (talk) 15:37, 20 December 2012 (UTC)
 * Yes check.svg Done. What an odd statement. I have incorporated your request and expanded that section a little bit to include diseases that do affect rabbits. Thank you for helping to improve Wikipedia. &mdash; KuyaBriBri Talk 15:59, 20 December 2012 (UTC)

Edit request on 11 February 2013
My daughter is in 4H and she has learned that baby rabbits are also called kitlings. We looked up kitlings and that is another word for kitten (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/kitling). We are requesting to have kitlings added in between kitten and kits.

Thank you.

Educatoral (talk) 01:03, 11 February 2013 (UTC)


 * Red information icon with gradient background.svg Not done: While "kitling" may be used by some people in some contexts to refer to baby rabbits, the entries at the link you provide don't really support that and I doubt that the usage is common enough to warrant inclusion. The first entry (apparently from the first edition of the M-W unabridged, c. 1913) says "a young kitten; a whelp". Unfortunately, that site doesn't appear to link to that dictionary's entry for "kitten", so we can't be sure whether it's talking about exclusively about baby cats—but I'll bet it is. (A whelp, of course, is not a rabbit. It's not a cat either, afaik, but it conceivably could be. Oxford Dictionaries Online notes that it can mean "cub", which can, in turn, refer to the young of any carnivorous mammal. But that's thrice removed from "kitling", a bit of a stretch.) The other entry (-Ologies and -Isms) notes that it's British dialectal, "the young of an animal, especially a kitten or young cat". My guess is that it's not only dialectal but quite rare, since Oxford Dictionaries Online doesn't have an entry for it. According to my copy of the Chambers Dictionary, the word is used in Scotland, but it's not clear that it's ever used for rabbits, let alone used frequently enough to rate a mention here. Bottom line: with the possible exception of Scotland, the word seems to be obsolete or nearly so. Without depending on original research and synthesis, there's really no justification for including it. If you can find a reliable source that explicitly shows it's used in reference to rabbits, please reopen this request. Rivertorch (talk) 07:56, 11 February 2013 (UTC)

Edit request on 22 February 2013
Section on reproduction: Article states that female may begin reproducing at age 6 months. Breeding season is 9 months. It concludes, then, that a female can have children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren in one breeding season.

I believe this is incorrect. The female can have children and grandchildren during one breeding season - but not great-grandchildren.

75.60.172.109 (talk) 01:10, 22 February 2013 (UTC)
 * ✅ I agree. Camyoung54   talk  15:04, 22 February 2013 (UTC)

Blatant copyright infringement
I have removed almost the entire "Reproduction" section as it was a blatant copy-paste or too-close paraphrase of this page. If anyone sees fit to rewrite that section in their own words, please do so. &mdash; KuyaBriBri Talk 15:12, 22 February 2013 (UTC)
 * I agree this needs to be rewritten do to the blatant copyright infringement. Camyoung54   talk  15:23, 22 February 2013 (UTC)

Coney fur
Can some mention be made that the standard furrier's term for rabbit fur used for garments is coney, just as coypu fur is nutria. The only citation I can find is the dictionary definition and I'm not sure how to add that. And how do I sign tnis with four tildas when my tablet on screen keyboard doesn't have the symbol? — Preceding unsigned comment added by MidlandLinda (talk • contribs) 21:02, 31 March 2013 (UTC)


 * I'm sure we can find a reliable source. If you'll propose some wording here on the talk page, that would be great. When you click on an 'Edit' link using your tablet, check and see if under the edit window it says, " Sign your posts on talk pages: ~ ". If so, clicking on the four tildes should give you your signature. If not, I don't know what to tell you. I can't imagine trying to edit Wikipedia without a proper keyboard. (Actually, I can imagine it, but it scares me.) Rivertorch (talk) 22:14, 31 March 2013 (UTC)


 * Sorry about the delay in coming back. The wiki page http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabbit_hair on Rabbit Hair looks a useful starting point.  Personally I don't think that page has enough to stand alone, but it seems to have a good source and just needs the language tightening up to fit into this page.  I've only ever done relatively minor edits, so I don't know the protocol for moving a whole page and doing redirects, so that will be a job for someone else.  MidlandLinda (talk) 13:47, 27 June 2013 (UTC)


 * I'm pressed for time but can get around to it eventually. If you want to get the ball rolling, the initial procedures for merging pages are here. Several steps need to be followed before anything is actually moved. Rivertorch (talk) 18:24, 27 June 2013 (UTC)

WikiProject Council/Proposals/Rabbits
If anyone would be interested. --S.G.(GH) ping! 11:01, 22 October 2013 (UTC)

Requested Change to Rabbits "As Pets" Section 4Dec2013
On the page about domesticated rabbits titled "As Pets", there are some major issues not noted... 1) Domestic rabbits can NOT be kept outdoors if climates are extreme...keeping a rabbit outdoor is HIGHLY climate-dependent. This should be noted. 2) Leaving any rabbit outside in an open 'pen' requires supervision at ALL times. In addition to being vulnerable to dogs, cats, snakes, and wild canines, they are even more vulnerable to birds of prey. Raptors will absolutely attack them any time of day if vulnerable. They should not ever be left alone when the pen is not fully enclosed. 3) Given many house rabbits can jump well over 4-5 feet in the air, any open pen needs to be taller than what would be used for other animals. 4) The "A pet rabbit's diet" sentence does not make grammatical sense. 5) While rabbits can bond with virtually all animals including dogs that weigh 20x as much, there are certain animals in which bacterial infections easily spread. Rabbits and guinea pigs can easily spread a respiratory infection that can be fatal in under 24 hours (usually the guinea pig is far more at risk than the rabbit, and the rabbit is often the asymptomatic carrier). 6) Guinea pigs and chinchillas are fragile creatures. A rabbit has the potential ability to bite hard and its hind legs can easily deliver a fatal blow to these and other small animals...even during normal play/interaction. A choice to bond these animals is one that should not be done without careful consideration as there are risks. 7) Rabbits can easily bond with large dogs and cats...but the article needs to note that there is a "formal bonding process" that the owner needs to initiate and control to ensure they get along. 8) Many house rabbits are generally not all that timid...depending on the rabbit, they can be the polar opposite of timid, shy, and easily startled. My rabbit runs full-force into the dog and starts honking to signal she is ready to play. If the dog refuses to get up, she starts stomping her feet and growling until the dog finally gives in and wakes up and starts to play. She runs towards people and animals rather than away from...and that isn't uncommon with rabbits whom interact a ton with other animals. 9) Grunting and growling on a house rabbit doesn’t necessarily mean aggression…in some cases, it is an adapted behavior or a modified behavior intended to produce a response. For example, my rabbit growls and grunts to wake the dog up so they can play…and she runs and bumps into people to get their attention to be petted. In the wild, these behaviors have a set meaning related to aggression…but in the house, that isn’t always the case. Their behaviors and sounds are very, very contextual relative to what is happening. 10) a rabbit can deliver a powerful and very painful bite…the part about the bite not breaking the skin is completely untrue. Their teeth are razor sharp and their jaws are quite powerful given what they eat requires serious saw/grinding power. While they often will only ‘nip’ as a warning which generally does not cause much trauma, a full force bite on a finger is enough to go through tendon/muscle and down to bone. But I do agree bites usually have warning signs before they occur and are easy to stop with behavior modification. Nonetheless, an ignorant owner can easily get them to a point of biting and they have the ability to deliver a serious bite and it is a major reason they are poorly suited to young (and especially irresponsible) children. NickZac (talk) 17:57, 4 December 2013 (UTC)

Partly done: I corrected the grammar error, but you need to provide the actual text for the other changes as well as reliable sources for the information. Or you can leave the comments as a suggestion to other editors. Thanks, Celestra (talk) 19:54, 4 December 2013 (UTC)

Better European rabbit photo
Article could use a better European rabbit photo. The existing one with a ... spherical red thing ... doesn't illustrate size well, and looks like it's been poorly Photoshopped. Could we get a photo comparing rabbit species? 76.102.1.129 (talk) 19:38, 12 January 2014 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 1 April 2014
Chinaman2 (talk) 16:43, 1 April 2014 (UTC)

If you want to suggest a change, please request this in the form "Please replace XXX with YYY" or "Please add ZZZ between PPP and QQQ". Please also cite reliable sources to back up your request, without which no information should be added to any article. - Arjayay (talk) 17:01, 1 April 2014 (UTC)
 * Red information icon with gradient background.svg Not done: as you have not requested a change.

Rabbits on their back to paralyze them
There is a rumor that may or may not be true. If you put a rabbit on its back it is paralyzed can will not move. I feel like this should be either a section in the article or a section in the urban legends portion of this article. Sadly i dont know enough to write that portion though. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 188.195.171.202 (talk) 21:08, 22 April 2014 (UTC)

Rabbits in Pre-Columbian America
I always found it intriguing the fact that there are ancient paintings and myths about rabbits in ancient America, specially in the Mayan Myths (The Moon Rabbit), as seen here: Maya Moon Goddess. There's even a rabbit painted in one of the murals. Then, probably the information about their arrival with the Columbian Exchange is inaccurate. It's also mentioned in the folklore section of this article as part of an Aztec myth. But I can't find a good source of information aside from this one. If anyone has this information, please add it and edit the wiki accordingly TaikunJ

You do know that there are rabbits species native to north America right? Ever heard of a Cottontail rabbit much less the native hares? 69.66.145.0 (talk) 23:59, 23 June 2014 (UTC)

"baby rabbits" really?
"Baby rabbits" is not encyclopedic it really should be edited out of the article. I would fix it myself, but as the article is locked I can't. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.66.145.0 (talk) 00:03, 24 June 2014 (UTC)

Suggested change for the "as pets" section
As the last paragraph in this section mentions that rabbits can be kept as companions with guinea pigs, I would like to suggest this change:

Rabbits are social animals and should be kept with at least one of their own kind, they live in large groups in the wild. To keep a pair or group they must all be spayed and neutered and bonded together carefully. It was once believed that rabbits could find companionship with guinea pigs, however, it is now known that rabbits and guinea pigs have very different social and nutritional needs and should be kept separately. Rabbits can learn to accept dogs, cats and other animals, however, great care is to be taken around predators such as cats and dogs, who may see the rabbit as prey.

--Catxx (talk) 12:13, 8 August 2014 (UTC)


 * Hi. I think you must have copy/pasted the URL from somewhere that shortened it. Part of the URL is missing, replaced with "...", and so your link doesn't work. Skittle (talk) 13:40, 8 August 2014 (UTC)


 * Whoops! Fixed it. --Catxx (talk) 15:50, 8 August 2014 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 3 March 2015
please delete "* In Jewish folklore, rabbits (shfanim שפנים) are associated with cowardice, a usage still current in contemporary Israeli spoken Hebrew (similar to English colloquial use of "chicken" to denote cowardice)."

rationale: Shfanim are not rabbits but hyraxes, as is attested by the hebrew wikipedia page http://he.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D7%A9%D7%A4%D7%A0%D7%99%D7%99%D7%9D (so the information should perhaps be moved to the hyrax entry)

It is true that in many contemporary Hebrew sources the two are often confused, but I don't know where to get a reliable source to back this up.

62.90.110.1 (talk) 13:10, 3 March 2015 (UTC)
 * Red information icon with gradient background.svg Not done: please provide reliable sources that support the change you want to be made. —  16:21, 3 March 2015 (UTC)

Images needing articles
I've just added some bunnies to Requested articles/Images. Are they actually legitimate breeds that all could have a standalone article? Many thanks to any knowledgeable bunny-lover who can have a quick look. :) Anna Frodesiak (talk) 00:29, 17 March 2015 (UTC)

Morphology section needs reworking
My original edit summary (till I realized it wasn't describing my edits but what needed to be done) was:

(→‎Morphology: This section needs to be re-researched and -written to detail the common morphology of all or most rabbits, then the differences between wild and domesticated breeds, possibly with a sub-section on unusual traits. ) I realized that when requesting clarification of:

"Wild rabbits do not differ[clarification needed (Compared to each other or compared to domesticated breeds?)] much in their body proportions or stance, with full, egg-shaped bodies."

There also needs to be a discussion of the lack of pads in the paw of the rabbit compared to other domesticated quadrupeds. (I can't believe I spelled that right on the first try!) I'm going to start that with a citation needed tag, as researching it is beyond me this month at minimum, but I know that it's an issue because when rabbits are kept in cages with wire flooring, they have no pads to protect them from it. This lack (but not the consequence, which I know of from taking care of one of my rescued rabbits who was active till she died 13 years old, which shows that I did a good job!)(her 2 younger buddies are still alive ) is also mentioned in Paw.

Sorry all I can do is ramble to point this out! (...which is why I go back & use small tags plus keep this quote on my page: "I have made this letter longer than usual, because I lack the time to make it short." —Blaise Pascal.) Thanks in advance. --Geekdiva (talk) 10:37, 21 March 2015 (UTC)

Sachsengold
Please see here.

Many thanks. Anna Frodesiak (talk) 06:49, 10 June 2015 (UTC)


 * Deleted. Anna Frodesiak (talk) 04:18, 11 June 2015 (UTC)

Rabbit starvation?
Need we go into such detail about rabbit starvation here? It's not the rabbits' fault, and this issue is adequately covered in its own article. Certainly this doesn't provide helpful information regarding rabbit meat: "In comparison, pemmican is a meat-based food that is nutritionally complete but is composed of dry meat fibers and fat in a 1:1 ratio by weight."

Kortoso (talk) 17:52, 15 June 2015 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 14 September 2015
Citation 14 is a dead link. There's an archive here: https://web.archive.org/web/20120623015452/http://www.oaktreevet.co.uk/Pages/leaflets/rabbit%20general.htm

67.241.151.78 (talk) 15:06, 14 September 2015 (UTC)
 * Yes check.svg Done -- Sam Sailor Talk! 16:40, 14 September 2015 (UTC)

Dubious global meat production reference.
While reading this article, I did a quick sanity check on the 200 million tonne annual rabbit meat production figure, in which I mentally divided it 8 million people (an approximate current human population) and ended up with annual per-capita rabbit meat production of 25kg. That's more than a pound of rabbit meat every week for every person alive.

Because the figure seemed off, I followed the citation to see whether it was off, or if there was some rabbit-meat-consuming process that accounted for this large number. The article in question identified rabbit meat consumption in Sichuan and Chongqing as 420,000 tonnes, and additionally as 70% of Chinese consumption, with Chinese consumption accounting for 30% of the global production of 200 million tonnes.

However 70% of 30% of 200 million is 42 million, not 420,000. My suspicion is that the journalist got the 420,000 tonne, 70% and 30% figures from a primary source, and then tried to calculate global consumption from those figures. Mathematics not being a particularly popular subject among the sort of people who become journalists, she slipped up in placing the decimal point in her calculation, got the 200 million figure (instead of the 2 million tonnes, of which a 70% share of a 30% share would make 420,000 tonnes--and which corresponds to a much saner global per-capita consumption of about half a kg).

I've commented on the mathematical error in the comments section of the article cited, and hope that the WSJ will provide a correction or clarification, in spite of the article being over a year and a half old. If it doesn't, it may be necessary to either find a more reliable citation, or pull the global production value entirely.

Dr kiwano (talk) 04:01, 13 February 2016 (UTC)

External links modified
Hello fellow Wikipedians,

I have just added archive links to 2 one external links on Rabbit. Please take a moment to review my edit. You may add after the link to keep me from modifying it, if I keep adding bad data, but formatting bugs should be reported instead. Alternatively, you can add to keep me off the page altogether, but should be used as a last resort. I made the following changes:
 * Attempted to fix sourcing for http://rabbit.org/basic-rabbit-facts/
 * Attempted to fix sourcing for http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/about/faqs/animals/names.htm

When you have finished reviewing my changes, please set the checked parameter below to true or failed to let others know (documentation at ).

Cheers.—cyberbot II  Talk to my owner :Online 04:20, 31 March 2016 (UTC)

oldest rabbit
The article refers to the oldest rabbit being owned by L.B. Walker of Tanzania, Australia, according to the Guinness Book. There's no such place. A quick check of the Guinness web site reveals that it is L.B. Walker of Longford, Tasmania, Australia.

Alan Sizer 110.238.105.119 (talk) 12:45, 16 November 2016 (UTC)


 * Perhaps someone's spell-check led them astray? Nice catch, anyway! I've fixed it, reworded it, and moved it out of the lead paragraph (where it really didn't belong, anyhow). Rivertorch&#39;s Evil Twin (talk) 04:41, 17 November 2016 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 17 March 2017
Why has this page been protected since 2010? Paragraphs 2, 3 and 4 in the "Diet and eating habbits" section are completely unreferenced. Please add tags or appropriate references. 2A00:23C4:6E05:B500:69E8:15CD:21BA:6C9 (talk) 19:24, 17 March 2017 (UTC)
 * Red question icon with gradient background.svg Not done: it's not clear what changes you want to be made. Please mention the specific changes in a "change X to Y" format. The article—not this (talk) page—was protected because of persistent vandalism; if you check the edit history for the time period prior to its being protected, you'll see that vandalism was occurring at a ferocious rate. However, requests to remove protection can be made at WP:RPP. Paragraphs 2 and 3 in the section you mention are unreferenced; paragraph 4 is not. If you'd like tags added, please specify exactly where you'd like them placed. Better still, if you can find some of those appropriate references, they could be added instead. Rivertorch   FIRE WATER   05:03, 18 March 2017 (UTC)


 * Here you go.


 * 2A00:23C4:6E05:B500:9C80:59A9:D4E7:248A (talk) 13:01, 19 March 2017 (UTC)


 * Red question icon with gradient background.svg Not done: it's not clear what changes you want to be made. Please mention the specific changes in a "change X to Y" format.  JTP (talk • contribs) 15:45, 19 March 2017 (UTC)


 * I took the liberty of combining these two requests. It's clear what you're asking, but I also decline for three reasons: The missing citations aren't particularly egregious; the lack of references is obvious; and, given the current state of the article, I believe the proposed cleanup tags would be unlikely to be resolved soon. Rebb  ing  18:13, 19 March 2017 (UTC)

ANIME
ANIME ANIME ANIME ANIME — Preceding unsigned comment added by 107.1.69.194 (talk) 16:59, 27 March 2018 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 2 May 2018
Change Antartica to Antarctica here: "The European rabbit, which has been introduced on every continent except Antartica," 75.89.243.121 (talk) 02:17, 2 May 2018 (UTC)
 * Yes check.svg Done Gulumeemee (talk) 07:29, 2 May 2018 (UTC)

HI
hello my name is kitty kitty meow meow and im here to say goodbye. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 98.188.246.163 (talk) 17:03, 4 May 2018 (UTC)

Addition to Ears
I have added to the heading "Biology" under "Morphology" by including an ear section that discusses how the rabbit's ears aid in their lifestyle then delve into how the rabbits ear muscles articulate with one another to aid in this. Padfoot (talk) 06:31, 12 May 2018 (UTC)

Article LOCKED???
Why is the article locked? Are rabbits even remotely controversial?--69.250.159.76 (talk) 18:03, 1 July 2018 (UTC)


 * It seems to have been a frequent vandalism target for at least 10 years (see /Archive 1, /Archive 2). Curious. larryv (talk) 01:32, 6 July 2018 (UTC)

Addition to Thermoregulation
I have compiled an extensive amount of information on rabbit thermoregulation. I would like to cut out the brief section in morphology and insert a couple of paragraphs about thermoregulation specifically. Bucl003 (talk) 02:22, 5 May 2018 (UTC)

Your paragraph indicates that the rabbits body temperature is 21C. The reference supporting this (26) actually says that this is its comfort zone, and that its body temperature is 39.5C. This is then in the typical mammalian range of body temperature. Mikeyjayhermes (talk) 14:05, 2 August 2018 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 23 September 2018
Hello! I was just wondering if I could edit this to add some more info on Rabbits. I completely understand if you say no because I know that anybody could just edit it and put false information. I would not do that. I would just like to add some other details about rabbits to make somebody more interested in it. I'm not saying yours isn't interesting, it is it truly is I just wanted to help out! Thanks for Understanding! Lilygirl110606 Lilygirl110606 (talk) 22:11, 23 September 2018 (UTC)
 * Red question icon with gradient background.svg Not done: it's not clear what changes you want to be made. Please mention the specific changes in a "change X to Y" format and provide a reliable source if appropriate. Sak ura Cart elet Talk 02:37, 24 September 2018 (UTC)

Unsourced claim in Terminology section
In the Terminology section, the article claims that the name "bunny" is sometimes used to refer to rabbits, and that "bunny" is used primarily by children. I am not a child, yet my circle of friends very often refer to rabbits as bunnies. This claim that the word "bunny" is used most especially by children is unsubstantiated in this article with no references to the term's popular usage. I am unaware of a source that can be used to verify this claim; can it be either removed or have a "Citation Needed" added to right after the "(especially by children)" text?

Sajidanwar94 (talk) 20:08, 17 November 2018 (UTC)

Rabbits
 — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2600:1700:A590:1660:61B4:91D3:CD4D:11A8 (talk) 19:59, 8 December 2018 (UTC)

Contradictory history
Under "Domestication": " Beginning in the Middle Ages, the European rabbit has been widely kept as livestock, starting in ancient Rome. " Which one is it, the Middle Ages or Ancient Rome? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Hattes (talk • contribs) 22:41, 8 March 2019 (UTC)

Creating a Respiratory System Section / Adding to Disease Section
The biology section of this article addresses musculature, ear anatomy, and the digestive system, however, I think it would be beneficial to add a section dedicated to the anatomy of the rabbit respiratory system. Furthermore, I think that adding a photograph of a dissected specimen with the airways and lungs isolated could also help readers visualize the written descriptions. Here is an article that I found concerning the respiratory system titled "Rabbit Respiratory System: Clinical Anatomy, Physiology and Disease," which I think could be a good source for not only the respiratory section but also the disease section as well. --AICOI (talk) 01:58, 9 March 2019 (UTC)

Adding a Reproductive Section
After looking through this page I've noticed that there wasn't much on the rabbit's reproductive system. I would like to add a section of the mechanisms of the male and female reproduction as well as a female rabbits gestation period. Possibly add a picture/diagram of some sort as well. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Kxr 11 (talk • contribs) 20:13, 8 March 2019 (UTC)
 * Adding on to the suggestion for the reproduction section I would also like to add more information on the breeding habits of the rabbit as I do not see any information on this. Also, there are no descriptions of the male or female genitalia which will be a good addition to this section.BioBuzz (talk) 03:42, 9 March 2019 (UTC)BioBuzz