Appearance

Both hares and rabbits are known for their long ears and large feet made for running.

Your typical hares are bigger than rabbits, with longer ears and feet, and with black markings in their fur. Rabbits tend to have a more egg-shaped body compared to hares. Their fur is agouti, meaning it displays two or more bands of pigmentation, with an overall effect of looking dull grey or brown. Rabbit tails are usually dark on top and while below, except for cottontails, which have white on top. Rabbits are typically between 8 and 15 inches long and weigh ½ to 3 pounds, with an ear length between 2 and 4 inches.

Rabbits are pretty quick on their paws and run about 37 miles per hour, and escape predators in a zigzag pattern.

Biology

Hares are born relatively mature and mobile with good vision and hair, whereas rabbits come out closed-eye, hairless and essentially helpless.

They start breeding when it starts to get warmer in the spring, and they can go until the temperatures drop again in the fall. Females have around 3 to 4 litters a year with an average litter of 5.

Habitat

Most rabbits dig and live underground. The burrows are 6 to 7 inches long, 3 to 5 inches deep and 5 inches wide. They can also move into an abandoned den, and may find holes the structures around your home attractive.

Hares, on the other hand, live above ground in small depressions, often on a slight elevation like a hill.

Behavior

In the spring and summer, rabbits will feed on flowering plants, vegetables and fruits, which they can easily find in your garden or farm.

During the winter, they’ll settle for bark, flower buds and whatever green plants they can find.

Diseases

Rabbit fever or tularemia can be transmitted by rabbits to humans when handled with bare hands or when eating unprepared rabbit meat. They can also host ticks and fleas and help spread Lyme disease.

Damage

The main issue humans might have with rabbits is that they love to munch on the plants that humans love to grow. They won’t be too much of a problem if you only have a couple, but when they start to multiply and you have a full-blown infestation, you might want some help to save your crops.

Trapping & Removal

If rabbit infestations get out of hand, landowners should call a AAAC Wildlife Removal specialist to deal with the problem. We can guarantee that our professionals will not only thoroughly resolve the problems generated by rabbit occupation, but they will do so in the most humane way possible.

Deterrence

The best way to keep rabbits and hares out is to make your yard less attractive. You can do this by making it harder to get in to, like installing fencing around gardens, orchards and fields. Make sure the fence reaches deep into the ground to prevent rabbits and hares from digging underneath. Also, seal any holes in your foundation or in any structure that make attractive sites for rabbit nesting.