You have seen these cute bunnies jumping over a certain height in competitions, and you thought, “oh well, they can do it because they’re trained. I can teach my rabbits to do that as well.” Well, you may be wrong in both cases!
Not all pet bunnies can jump high. Again, there are those that do jump very high naturally due to their structure and personality. Furthermore, it’s not possible to teach all rabbits to jump high. While some are very friendly and enthusiastic, others can be very stubborn to learn something new. So, how high can rabbits jump in general?
Let’s look at which rabbits can jump very high, and some other facts that’ll make you excited.
Why Does a Pet Rabbit Hop?
Hopping is the only way rabbits can move forward. Their hind legs are strong enough to push them as far as ten feet forward in one hop! That’s how they’re built to move.
Rabbits are capable of hopping in short bursts and with great speed not just for the strength in those legs, but also for their amazing balance with their front legs.
Have you seen your pet rabbit do funny little jumping every now and then while twisting its head and body? They’re basically doing binkies, which is their way of exhibiting happiness or excitement.
How High Can Rabbits Jump?
Rabbits can hop as far as ten feet from their stationary position. That we know. But how high can rabbits jump? Did you know that a rabbit can spring well over three feet into the air from their idle position, sometimes more than four? All thanks to their strong hind legs!
However, not all rabbits can jump high. A lot depends on the size, weight, and structure of the rabbits. Basically, it depends on their breeds. A lot will also depend on the behavior of your rabbit if you want to coach it for participating in competitions.
Rabbits are delicate creatures, so watching them leap off from a height can be nerve-wracking if that’s one of the training you’re providing. Don’t worry much about it, as rabbits can safely leap off from a vertical height of four feet.
What’s the Highest Rabbit Jumping Record?
The highest jump ever recorded was in 2019 Miss Pinkys Grand Champion Harajuku. A rabbit named Dobby from Sweden jumped a record high of 106 cm. The same rabbit holds the world record for the longest jump in 2017.
The Guinness Book of World Records has also listed a rabbit in the same category. The record holder is a rabbit named Mimrelunds Tösen owned by Tine Hygom of Denmark for jumping 39.2 inches high into the air!
Can a Wild Rabbit Jump?
Yes, they can. In fact, like many other animals, wild rabbits jump higher than pet rabbits. Rabbits that belong to the hare family have been observed to spring as high as three feet in the air! They possess really long and strong legs which help them prance this high and a lot far.
Of course, wild rabbits, mostly jackrabbits that have more similarities with hares, don’t have much resemblance to the structure of domesticated rabbits. These rabbits grow up in habitats that require escaping and defending themselves from predators very swiftly.
Can Wild Rabbits Jump Over a Fence?
Suppose you live in an area that has a lot of wild rabbits around. Wild rabbits can very easily hop over fenced areas that people build to stop pet rabbits from jumping over. If you have built a rabbit fence that’s two feet high, they can easily cross them.
So, how high should you build their fence?
A fence as high as five feet may be able to stop them. Do keep in mind that these rabbits have great survival instincts, which means that a wild rabbit can prance higher than you anticipate. A chain link fence may work, especially by discouraging them with spikes on the edges.
Can You Train Bunnies to Jump High?
Of course, you can! However, it’s not possible for all domestic types. Very small rabbits or rabbits that belong to heavy, large kinds can’t bounce high enough, even if you coach them.
Small rabbits have shorter legs which makes them incapable of bouncing high. And larger, heavier rabbits, although they may have longer legs, won’t be able to spring high due to their weight. They can only do small leaps to move forward.
Which Breeds of Rabbits Can Jump Very High?
Now that the question “how high can bunnies jump?” is out of the way, you may ask, “do breeds matter? And why do they?”
There are a few rabbit varieties that naturally prance high due to their structure. You can even train them to bounce higher if you’re thinking of getting them into a competition! Dobby, the record holder for the highest rabbit jump, belongs to the Aries breed.
The best breeds for high jumps are athletic rabbits that are usually medium-sized and those with full arches. Some of these strains are Britannia Petite, Belgian Hare, Rhinelander, English Spot, and Tan. They’re athletic, energetic, and friendly, making them the best choices.
Note that rabbits can jump very high naturally, as high as five feet, only when they’re prompted by danger. If you want your rabbit to leap high in competitions, then you need to coach it vigilantly.
Which Rabbits Should You Avoid?
Usually, people should avoid baby rabbits, rabbits that belong to the lop varieties due to their very long, droopy ears, or those that have wooly or long fur, unless you decide to sheer them. Short or huge varieties don’t make for good options too.
Some exceptions are Netherland Dwarfs and Holland Lops. Holland Lops have the shortest ears among the other lop breeds, so it’s less hazardous for them. Netherland Dwarfs are an exception among the small-sized breeds.
Both these types of rabbits jump high. They may not have an athletic build but are very energetic, friendly, ad enthusiastic.
Rabbit personality is also a huge factor as you need to instruct them, and they need to e receptive to the instructions. Avoid rabbit varieties that are very stubborn.
How High Do You Need to Build Your Fence to Stop Rabbits?
If you have trained your rabbits for high jumping and long jumping competitions, then it’s best to build a fence higher than six feet. If your rabbit is untrained but is naturally a high jumper and pretty energetic, then six feet tall fences will do the job, unless these are for training.
You can be assured of your rabbits not hopping over the fence to your neighbor’s yard or getting lost somewhere. Or, you may have a neighbor with a hyperactive rabbit who always jumps over to your place. A high fence will prevent this, and your neighbors will be at peace.
But if you want to make one for training your rabbit to bounce high, then how high can you make it will depend on how high you want it to prance.
Conclusion
Be it for fun-time activities for both you and your pet bunnies, or to make them participate in rabbit jumping competitions, training rabbits for high jumps requires a lot of knowledge beforehand.
You also need to know about their characteristics well to prevent them from jumping over to others’ places or onto the streets.
You can then make informed decisions on how high they can jump naturally, how high you can coach them for jumping, and how high you need to build your fence.