![]() In particular, rabbits find it difficult to regulate their bodies if it’s too hot, so they avoid the midday sun (though in Britain that’s quite a rare event anyway).īut rabbits need to think about, not just their temperature, but also any predators, including birds of prey.Īnd rabbits have potentially lots of predators. We don’t like getting too hot or cold, and neither do rabbits (though their version of ‘too cold’ is much colder than ours – check out this article). They want to avoid extremes of temperature, just like we do. And also, this makes sense from thinking about rabbits and their need to survive and thrive. Rabbits were less active in extreme temperatures (so less active at midday in the summer and dawn in the winter).Rabbits were more active when the moon was out.Rabbits were more active after it had been raining in the previous days (in the scrubland environment, this is when plants grow).Rabbits were less active when it was windy.Rabbit activity and other factors – research results ![]() The rabbits were least active at midday, but were a bit more active in the winter than the summer.The rabbits were also quite active at night, particularly in winter.The rabbits were also active at dawn in the summer months, but less so in winter.The research showed, for these rabbits in Spain: Rabbit activity and time of day – research results Once they had done this, the researchers considered a whole range of different variables that might affect the numbers: time of day month in year wind moonlight temperature and so on. The drives were conducted four times a day for three days running each time: once at sunrise once at midday once at sunset and once at midnight. At night, they used a powerful spotlight. As they drove, they counted how many rabbits they could see (presumably not the driver doing the counting). The researchers basically drove slowly (15 kmh, or about 10 mph) 137 separate times along a 13 km (about 8 mile) route in some scrubland in south-west Spain. I don’t think there’s enough money in wild rabbit research for fancy technology. You may wonder how they counted them, whether it was some high-tech satellite thermal imaging device. Within a fixed area, scientists counted how many rabbits were active (that is, not in their burrows but in the open air) at different times of the day (and different times of the year, too). One example is a study carried out on wild rabbits in Spain (you can find it here). ![]() Scientists have done surveys of wild rabbits, and noted when they’re active and when they’re not. First of all, there’s a wealth of experience from owners from all over the world. We know that rabbits are crepuscular in a couple of different ways. How do we know that rabbits are crepuscular? The research If you’re out at work during the day (and asleep at night), your bunnies are most active just when you’re around the home to play with them. ![]() This is one of the reasons that many people find rabbits make great pets. Bunnies are more likely to have a nap during the middle of the day or the middle of the night (you can find out more about how and when rabbits sleep here). Rabbits prefer being mainly active during dawn and dusk. Nocturnal – being active mainly during the nightĭiurnal – being active mainly during daylightĬrepuscular – being active mainly at dawn and dusk Rabbits are crepuscular What do nocturnal, diurnal and crepuscular mean? This means that pet rabbits may be able to adapt to fit the routine of their owner. Additionally, rabbits are adaptable, and in certain habitats may change their active times to avoid predators and give greatest access to food. However, some species of rabbits, such as Dice’s Cottontail, are nocturnal, mainly active at night. Rabbits are mainly crepuscular, being active around the times of dawn and dusk. Either way, there’s a simple answer to ‘are rabbits nocturnal’, and a more complicated (but interesting!) answer. Ever wondered when rabbits are most active? Is it at night? Perhaps you’ve a pet bunny (or two or three…) and want to know more, or maybe you’re just interested in finding out more about wild rabbits.
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