How civilized is a colony of rabbits? Would a flick of rabbits make their home inside the colony? Have you protected your garden against a drove of rabbits? Or has a trip of rabbits been able to sneak through your traps to devour all of your vegetables?
rabbits, pixabay
Random Facts About Rabbits
Rabbit families consist of does, bucks, and kittens. The doe is the female. The buck is the male, and the kittens are the babies.
The male can breed at a young age—seven months old. The female is able to reproduce at an even younger age—four months. Each litter usually has from four to twelve babies. The average life of a bunny in the wild is eight years. Domesticated rabbits can live as long as twelve years.
rabbit with big ears, pixabay
One of the most memorable things about rabbits is their ears. These ears can be up to four inches long. On chocolate bunnies, no matter how long their ears are, they should always be eaten first.
Their ears do stop growing, but their teeth never do. How do they keep their teeth from growing so much that they would drag the ground? They are kept worn down by the way they grind against each other when their food is chewed. Domestic rabbits can run into issues with their teeth though. If their teeth grow too long, they will have to be filed down by a vet.
domestic rabbit with dental issues, wikipedia
Humans love chocolate bunny ears, but rabbits do not eat chocolate. They are herbivores. Is there any plant a bunny won’t eat? There are many herbs, bulbs, shrubs, etc. that rabbits don’t like much and would prefer not to eat. Catnip, sage, oregano, and daffodils are among the many rabbit-proof plants.
Rabbits are commonly kept as pets. If you happen to have a pet bunny, you need to be sure that you feed it food that is healthy, fresh, and won’t make them sick to their tummies. Bunnies do not have the ability to throw up.
Collective Nouns
a bury of rabbits – A bury is a dugout or pit in the earth in which potatoes or other vegetables are protected against freezing. A bury is also a short way of saying burrow. A bury of rabbits makes me think about rabbits all huddled together in their rabbit holes to stay warm during the freezing winter.
a colony of rabbits, youtube
a colony of rabbits – A colony is a community of those from a species who have settled together. I wonder, does a colony of rabbits contain a store? Do they have schools for their young ones? Is one of them designated as the teacher?
a down of rabbits – Down is a growth of soft, fine hair. I think a down of rabbits would be filled with joy at the birth of kittens.
a drove of rabbits – A drove is a large group of animals. When I think of a drove of rabbits, I see them eating all the clover in a field or invading the garden of an unsuspecting farmer.
a flick of rabbits – One of the definition of flick is fur, especially the fur of a rabbit or hare. Maybe a flick of rabbits would own a store that sold fur coats and mittens? Would down from the kittens be used to make these coats and mittens?
rabbits, xdesktopwallpapers com
a kindle of rabbits – A kindle is the litter or young of an animal. Would the mama rabbit buy a bunch of Kindles for her kindle so they could read rabbit stories on cold winter nights?
a leash of rabbits – A leash is a group of three animals. So Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cotton-tail could be described as a leash of rabbits. A leash of Irish wolfhounds would definitely be able to take their owner for a walk, but would a leash of rabbits be strong enough to do the same?
a nest of rabbits – A nest of rabbits would be full of kittens. How would these kittens amuse themselves while their mama was out hunting? Would they just sleep, or would they dream of the day when they will be allowed to leave the nest?
rabbit prints in snow, pixabay
a trace of rabbits – A trace is a series of footprints left by an animal. Would the trace of rabbit prints lead hunters to where the trace of rabbits lived? Or are the rabbits smart enough to leave a trace of prints leading one direction but wipe away the prints leading to their nest?
a trip of rabbits – A trip is a small flock. A trip of rabbits have been sent on an undercover mission to find out what their rivals are planning on doing. How sneaky and subtle can they be?
a warren of rabbits – A warren is a place where rabbits breed or abound. Has the warren of rabbits decided that it is so crowded that they will break up into many different colonies? Are there so many of them that there isn’t even room to give birth to their kittens?
writing rabbit, flickr
Writing Prompts
While researching how each collective noun could apply to rabbits, I learned that several words had meanings that I didn’t have a clue about. Investigate for yourself each collective noun, and then choose one and write a story about how that noun came to be used to describe a group of rabbits.
Come up with a new collective noun to describe a group of rabbits, and write a story using it.
Write a story about a colony of rabbits. In this colony can be found grocery stores, clothing stores, schools, libraries, etc. What is a normal day like for a doe or buck living in this colony? What is a normal day like for a kitten? What would happen if their colony was invaded by a cat?
Write a story about a rabbit that turns to a life of crime.
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