BBC Wildlife’s Ruthless Rabbits
I picked up a copy of BBC Wildlife today. It features an article by Dr Diana Bell on the territorial behaviour of wild rabbits. Bell has studied a colony of (European) wild rabbits at the University of East Anglia for the past 23 years.
The European Rabbit is the same species as our domestic pets, so understanding their behaviour can provide a helpful incite into the behaviour of our pet bunnies.
For example, Bell describes how male rabbits:
patrol their territory boundaries, scent-marking them with urine and secretions from their chin and anal glands to ensure that their neighbours respect these borders.
Behaviour which I’m sure is very familar to those who have lived with an unneutered buck.
Another interesting part is the social structure within the warren. The males and the females each have a social heirachy (pecking order) which they may fight to maintain. This provides a potential explanation for male-female (neutered) pairs are the most successful match in pet rabbits. Two or more of the same sex rabbits would naturally form a heirachy and if they don’t agree who’s boss that’s when fights can occur.
Tags: Behaviour, wild-rabbit
