One reason for their high reproductive capacity is their ability to dig extensive burrows or warrens. Rabbits also have a high reproductive capacity enabling them to recover quickly from poor seasonal conditions, disease outbreaks, and control efforts. They also prefer to eat plants with the highest nutritional value. ![]() Rabbits are shy feeders, and are often wary of new things in their environment. They gradually graze further from it as it gets darker. rabbits are mostly active from late afternoon to the early morning, often emerging from their war in a few hours before sunset. Understanding basic rabbit biology and ecology helps you to identify the weaknesses that may be exploited in your control program for better results. By the 1920s, rabbits had colonised most of Southern Australia, making them one of the fastest spreading invasive mammals anywhere in the world. The first successful attempt to establish wild populations of rabbits in Australia occurred in the late 1850s. This video gives an overview of the species and the management techniques landowners can use to control them. Rabbits are one of the most destructive invasive species in Australia. Hi, I'm Alex Pattinson, Leading Biosecurity Officer with Agriculture Victoria. The invasion of rabbits in Australia was the fastest of any colonising mammal in the world.Įstablished Invasive Animals Best Practice Management video series The rate of advance varied from 10 to 15 kilometres per year in wet forested country to over 100 kilometres per year in the rangelands. Just seven years after their release, over 14,000 rabbits had been shot on Barwon Park.īy the 1920s, rabbits had colonised most of the southern half of Australia and were present in extremely high numbers. Wild populations of rabbits were first reported on Tasmania by the early 1800’s, but they were unable to establish on the mainland until 1859, when Thomas Austin released at least thirteen wild rabbits at Barwon Park near Geelong. Various domestic breeds of rabbits were brought to Australia during early European settlement. Read more about the classification of invasive animals in Victoria. Solitary animals that they are, Banfield (1974) says that the young will only stick together for the first 7 weeks before heading off alone.Rabbits (feral or wild) are declared as established pest animals in the state of Victoria under the C atchment and Land Protection Act 1994 (CaLP Act) By this time, their mother is probably pregnant again and will soon be ready to give birth once more. Within about two weeks of being born the young are ready to leave the nest. ![]() However, I have seen quite a few young, evidence of successful breeding. At the FWG I have not found any such nests, but then I rarely look for them, not wishing to disrupt the animals. These nests are well concealed under shrubs or tall grass but can be very vulnerable to disturbance from dogs and humans. While it is thought that they could live up to 7 years under ideal conditions, most rabbits, not surprisingly, don’t make it past their first year and many, according to Forsyth (1985) live no longer than 6 months.Īfter a short gestation period, averaging 30 days according to Banfield (1974), females give birth in a shallow nest or “scrape,” hollowed out of the ground and lined with vegetation and fur from her belly (Forsyth 1985, Banfield 1974). ![]() Females will breed when they are only 3 months old therefore, it is easy to see how populations could explode if there were no checks. The female may produce 3 to 5 litters a year with an average of 5 young per litter, but many newborns do not survive.
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