Rabbits just like other animals operate within a particular hierarchy that is key to maintaining peace and order in a big setting. In the wild, rabbits live in family groups normally subdivided into subgroups of a male and female pairs. Within a family group, there is always a pair that is at the top of the hierarchy chain responsible for controlling others.
The social structure is, however, a complex made up of an overlapping star-shaped system. The overlapping system contains interacting groups commonly referred to as warrens where leaders from each group communicate with each other.
The social groups are usually arranged in a particular hierarchy where some groups tend to dominate on others. Even though the structure seems to cover all rabbits, there are those that fail to get along with others and could be seen moving from one group to another
In the wild, leaders of each warren are usually male. In a domestic setting, female rabbits assume the leadership role. In this case, the female rabbits tend to be more aggressive as they bear the role of protecting their herd. Warren with a dominant female tends to be the most difficult to control.
A rabbit’s personality will most of the time come down to the warren it belongs to and the role it plays. Rabbits with no responsibility in a given group settings tend to be calmer and move from one group to another from time to time.
Once a rabbit encounters another rabbit, the first thing it will try to do is to size up whether it is superior or inferior to it. One of the signs of dominance includes a rabbit being chased around. Some rabbits, however, approach each other as equal opting to live in harmony.
Studying and understanding rabbit’s social system is thus important so as to appreciate the connections that these creatures enjoy. Given that a rabbit is one of the most favourite pets for many people, understanding how they interact with each other could help shed more light on understanding and appreciating their behaviour.
