How Long Do Rabbits Live? Key Factors That Affect a Rabbit's Lifespan
Rabbits are the collective term for all genera under the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha in the class Mammalia. They are mostly found in deserts, desertified grasslands, tropical open woodlands, steppes and forests, with the greatest numbers in eastern and southern Asia, Africa and North America, and a few species distributed in Europe and South America. Some species are widely distributed or have been introduced to many regions. Let's take a look below at how long rabbits live!
How long do rabbits live?
The average lifespan of a rabbit is 5 to 12 years, and the longest-lived rabbit lived nearly 19 years. Generally speaking, small rabbits have shorter lifespans than larger ones. Rabbits are timid animals; sudden loud noises, strangers and unfamiliar animals such as cats and dogs will all send them into a panic. They usually reach adulthood at four months, but for mating, male rabbits should be over five months old and female rabbits preferably over six months old. With good care, living 5 to 10 years is no problem.
How do you tell male and female rabbits apart?
Rabbits under two months old are very difficult to sex. When young, the male rabbit's testicles are hidden inside the abdomen and gradually descend into the scrotum after about 3 months. For newborn kits, part the fur around the rabbit's bottom with your fingers and observe the opening of the genital area and its distance from the anus. A slit-shaped opening that is closer to the anus indicates a female rabbit, while a round opening that is farther from the anus indicates a male rabbit. For kits whose eyes have opened, you can hold the tail between your index and middle fingers and gently push the genitalia upward with your thumb. An opening shaped like an "O" indicates a male rabbit, while an opening shaped like a vertical cleft "Y" indicates a female rabbit. Once a rabbit reaches 3 months of age, you can tell male from female simply by whether a scrotum is present.
Feeding taboos for rabbits
1. A rabbit's food should be fresh fruits and vegetables, and they should be washed before feeding.
2. Do not give rabbits food that is too cold, too hot, too spicy or cooked.
3. Artificial feed given to rabbits should be measured out appropriately, to avoid wasting feed or the rabbit becoming overweight from eating too much feed.
4. Do not casually pick flowers and grasses from the roadside to feed rabbits.
5. Rabbits should be fed at fixed times and fixed locations every day, to develop good eating habits.
6. If you want to change the feed, replace a portion of it each day and do so gradually, to avoid digestive upset in the rabbit.
7. Let rabbits have a certain amount of exercise time every day, which helps digestion.