Taking care of rabbits is a joy to do because of how these animals are generally very lovable and gentle animals. Rabbits are also very playful creatures that will enjoy spending time with you and playing with toys. However, there are certain issues and problems you have to address first regarding the rabbit because of how this animal can be too active for you to handle.
Rabbits are actually pretty capable animals when it comes to their physical attributes. Their cute and cuddly appearance might suggest otherwise, but bunnies are known to be strong jumpers because of their large and muscular hind legs. As such, this can potentially lead to problems if you have a garden full of vegetables or if there are other bunnies of different sex nearby. That is why it is important for you to know how high rabbits can jump so that you can keep a fence that is higher than what the rabbit is capable of.
The problem with rabbits
When you look at a rabbit, the one thing that might cross your mind is how cute and cuddly this little ball of fur is. Rabbits are generally kind-natured and mild-mannered animals that do not have an aggressive nature. This is something that is truer if you have a domesticated rabbit with you, but it can also be true for wild rabbits that are rather more docile and defensive than their domesticated counterparts.
However, you also have to consider the fact that rabbits are also similar to other small mammals in the sense that they can be quite active when left alone to do whatever they want to do. When rabbits are left to roam freely, they can cause a lot of problems due to how active they can be. If you are a farmer with crops you are tending to, wild rabbits should be one of your biggest problems because of how they can possibly ruin an entire garden overnight. Even if you have a domesticated rabbit pet, it can still ruin a garden on its own if it happens to escape its cage and jump over the fences protecting your crops.
Rabbits are also animals that are quick to multiply. When left alone to reproduce uncontrollably, two rabbits can potentially lead to millions of other rabbits in a single year. That is a serious number you have to consider because of how rabbits, at such a huge scale, can be considered pests. If your rabbit finds a way to escape its fence by jumping over it, there is a good chance that it might impregnate a nearby female or even get impregnated by a male lurking nearby.
You might not want to consider this possibility, but rabbits are also pests that can carry different diseases if they are left unchecked in terms of their numbers. If there are plenty of rabbits in your locality and if their numbers are unchecked, there is a chance that they are carriers of diseases, parasites, and bacteria that can potentially endanger your family if they happen to get inside your property.
As such, based on all of what has been said above, you have to really consider making sure that you have fences that are high enough to protect your garden, crops, home, and pet rabbits from other rabbits that can potentially wreak havoc and cause damage. And when you are putting up fences, the one thing you should consider is how high it should be relative to how high a rabbit can jump. Because if your fence is too short, there is always a good chance that any rabbit will be able to jump over it so easily.
The athletic rabbit
Rabbits are actually quite athletic not only in the sense that they can run and move fast but also in the sense that they can jump very high. They may not look like it because of how small, cute, and cuddly they are, but bunnies are some of the highest leapers in the animal kingdom and among smaller mammals. And the surprising part is that they might actually be able to jump higher than what you originally thought.
Due to their large and strong hind legs, rabbits are able to surprise you by jumping high enough over fences and reach places that may be too difficult to reach for other animals. They were probably able to develop such strong legs because of how rabbits are normally prey items in the wild. As such, thousands of generations have allowed rabbits to evolve in to animals that have legs that will allow them to run fast and jump high to escape any predator chasing them. Their strong legs also allow them to reach food located high off the ground.
However, what you have to take into consideration here is that wild rabbits are much more capable and athletic than their domesticated counterparts. That is because pet rabbits that were bred to be domestic pets are generally do not have a reason to jump high off the ground due to how they always have food available in their cages. As such, they are always well-fed and are able to develop into animals that have no need to work their tails off to look for their own food.
On top of that, domesticated rabbit breeds were bred for specific reasons that allowed them to become bigger and heavier than their wild counterparts. These bunnies used to be bred for their meat or fur and were generally meant to be large enough so that they will be able to command higher prices. Because of their history and their status as pets, domesticated rabbit breeds generally cannot jump higher than two feet.
Meanwhile, wild rabbits are different because of how they are used to looking for their own food while trying to stay active to avoid getting eaten. That is why such rabbits are seen as possible hazards to a farming community and are able to jump over fences using their strong hind legs. Wild rabbits can jump as high as four feet off the ground thanks to their developed and muscular hind legs and their leaner and lighter bodies.
Conclusion – So how high should your fence be?
Now that you know how high rabbits can jump off the ground, it is now safe to conclude that you should be able to put up fences that are higher than what such rabbits are capable of jumping so that you will be able to keep your garden, crops, family, and pets safe from other rabbits that can potentially wreak havoc or even terrorize your household.
For starters, if you are living in an urbanized community with no wild rabbits nearby but trying to keep your rabbit safe from roaming freely around the house or from damaging your backyard garden, fences that are more than two feet high should be enough because of how domesticated pet bunnies are generally not as athletic as their wild counterparts. However, if you are living in a farming community and have crops to tend to and animals to keep safe, there is a chance that there will be wild rabbits waiting for a chance to invade your property and destroy your garden while eating all of the crops. In such a case, you may want to keep your fences as high as more than four feet to try to keep these rabbits at bay.
