The Columbia Basin Pygmy Rabbit is an endangered dwarf rabbit breed. Each of these litters can have anywhere from three or.

Rare Pygmy Rabbits Reproducing In Washington Sagebrush Knkx

Pygmy rabbits at the age of 1 year starts to breed.

How often do pygmy rabbit reproduce. The mortality rate for adult specimens is a staggering 88. These little bunnies weigh less than 1 pound and are native to Washington state and other surrounding areas where they have lived for at least 100000 years. Their reproductive cycle is extremely unique.

Left with little choice researchers brought in Idaho pygmy rabbits as a. Pygmy rabbits are capable of breeding during their second year and breeding appear to be highly synchronous within a local population. The pygmy rabbit was state listed as a threatened species in Washington in 1990 because of declines in population size and distribution due to habitat loss.

There are so many issues that impact native wild rabbits in the Pacific Northwest. Newborn rabbits are naked blind and helpless at birth. Litter sizes can range from three to eight kits.

The litter is born between June and July. Its breed is genetically different from other rabbits making them standout from others. Sexual development is hypothesized to be regulated by changes in photoperiod Wilde 1978.

The pygmy rabbit is the smallest rabbit species in North America growing to just under a foot in length and weighing up to a single pound. Male pygmy rabbits sexual development begins in January peaks in March and declines in June Janson 1946 Wilde 1978. Females are slightly larger than males.

In the winter these rabbits munch on a lot of sagebrushmaking up 90 percent of their diet. Their reproduction is highly dependent on female pygmies which is influenced by the healthiness of habitat they eat while males testes become ready to reproduce in 3 months by late January to march but time varies in different regions. An intestinal parasite from the soil killed many of the remaining rabbits.

Even in ideal conditions their life expectancy is 3 to 5 years because their size makes them easy prey for predators. Pygmy rabbits are one of only two rabbits in North. In fact it is not uncommon for the average female rabbit to have many litters because gestation is only about 1 month.

It was reclassified to endangered status in 1993. There are usually 4-8 young per litter that are born after a 27-30 day gestation period. The rabbits short 30-day gestation period enables it to produce up to five litters a year with an average of four to five kits per litter.

Rabbits should not be bred until they are at least 6 months of age due to complications that may arise. The gestation period lasts 30 to 31 days. A mother rabbit typically spends time away from the nest during the day to better protect her nest from the unwanted attention of predators.

Mate in spring and summer. The reproduction rate of Columbia Basin Pygmy Rabbits makes things even harder. Rabbits generally are able to breed at a young age and many regularly produce litters of up to 7 young often doing so 4 or 5 times a year due to the fact that a rabbits gestation period is only 28 to 31 days.

The new genes staved off the complete loss of the population. While the last pure Columbia Basin pygmy rabbit died in 2008 unique genes that arose over millennia live on in the rabbits. Unlike many other mammals rabbits can be bred year-round.

The average rabbit reaches sexual maturity at 3-8 months old and they have the rest of their 9-to-12 years to get it on though eggsperm production. As these rabbits often live where it gets quite cold in the winter they have long dense hair on their feet and like the pygmy rabbit these rabbits also live in sagebrush areas or in patches of tall grass. They do not ovulate unless they have been bredin fact the act of breeding induces ovulation.

The rabbits fought often and seldom mated.