Random animal facts (for no reason at all)...

Did you know:

It takes twelve months for a donkey to gestate, but only eleven months for a horse.

Cows (like people) gestate in nine months time.

You can get a sheep or goat in five months, but have to wait eight months for a baby deer (fawn).

You only have to wait 30 days for a litter of kits (rabbits).

In October through December, some rabbits go into what is called moulting. At this period, many do not conceive. This is because rabbits are like chickens in the sense that lay eggs only if there is enough light.

Yes, I know that bunnies do not lay eggs (except, of course, at Easter)...

Rabbits are not rodents. They are lagomorphs. Other lagamorphs include hares and pikas.

It can take anywhere between 59 and 72 days to produce a baby guinea pig (cavies). Longer gestation times tend towards smaller litters, whereas shorter times tend towards large litters (this seems backwards to me), and a female goes back into “season” within an hour of giving birth.

Some guinea pig sows are actually terrified of their own litter, even if they have partially cleaned the babies. In these cases, the mother will shriek wildly and run away from the babies, who will of course, try to follow her around the cage to be nursed and frighten her more. From what I gather, this is rare, but not THAT rare.

A “mule” is the offspring of a Donkey daddy (Jack) and a horse mom (mare).

A “hinny” is the offspring of a horse dad (stallion) and donkey mom (Jennet). (Do you think the "hinnies" of the world get upset if people mistakenly call them a mule? Furthermore, is it possible to tell - just by looking at the animal - whether or not it is a "mule" or a "hinny"? Do the "hinnies" get upset if someone implies that their father was an ass? Just curious...)