Ten quick questions from vet Sophie Platt
1. What is a baby rabbit called?
A kitten.
2. How many times a day does a newborn rabbit feed?
Just once or twice a day – rabbit milk is very high in fat, and mothers don’t stay with their babies other than to feed them, to avoid attracting attention from unwanted predators.
3. Rabbits’ teeth never stop growing. True or false?
True! Their teeth need to be worn down constantly by eating roughage.
4. What percentage of a rabbit’s diet should be made up of roughage (hay/grass)?
85%
65%
45%
25%
85% – a huge amount. Vegetables should only be given as treats, and pellets only in small amounts.
5. How long is a rabbit’s pregnancy?
Around 30 days, with slight variation between breeds.
6. How high can rabbits jump?
Up to three feet high, helping them to evade predators in the wild.
7. How long can rabbits live?
Amazingly up to 12 years, but five to 10 years is more typical.
8. What is a ‘dewlap’?
The large fold of skin under their chin. It is more pronounced in females – they pluck soft downy hair from it to line their nests before giving birth.
9. How fast can rabbits run?
25-45mph, leaving Usain Bolt for dust!
10. How many breeds of rabbits are there?
There are over 30 recognised breeds of domestic rabbit.
Sophie Platt, BSc, BVSc, MRCVS, completed a BSc degree in Animal Science at Nottingham Uni before going to Bristol Vet School as a mature student. She qualified as a vet in 2012, and after a short stint in mixed practice has been a small animal vet ever since. She currently works in a practice in Hampshire and particularly enjoys internal medicine and diagnostic imaging. In addition to her clinical work, Sophie dabbles with some medical writing and loves the variety this brings. Away from work, Sophie has two young girls and a daft spaniel called Louie who loves walks on the beach. Together, her family enjoys water sports and trips in their campervan.