Rabbits usually dug several burrows for themselves and did not eat the grass around their nests, to keep their homes from being discovered.
Unlike herd animals, they had no companions standing guard while they slept or rested, so they had to be cautious themselves.
Foxes always seemed cunning because rabbits were their prey. If they were not cunning, they would have starved to death long ago for lack of food.
Before humans were capable of building shelters, caves beneath cliffs were their main hiding places. They were so convenient that some caves remained in use even in civilized society.
They served as hiding places, warehouses, and sometimes workshops. Modern people had found worked stone tools in these caves, as well as murals on the rock walls. Most depicted hunting scenes, showing not only prey but also the weapons in people's hands.
For humans at that time, obtaining the nourishment needed to survive was the primary purpose, rather than the pleasure and excitement brought by hunting. Because of the limitations of their hunting ability, not every hunt succeeded. By comparison, gathering provided a more stable source of food.
"I still don't understand why Percy kept a rat as a pet."
During Herbology, Charlie spoke to Pippa Macmillan as he placed freshly picked Heart-Taming Plums into a cage.
The fruits of this plant did not hang down like ordinary fruit. Instead, they floated upside down, looking somewhat like Dirigible Plums.
"I think keeping a rat is more normal than keeping Chizpurfles," Pippa said, putting a Heart-Taming Plum that was trying to slip away into the cage. "At least pet shops sell them."
"Just because shops sell them doesn't mean they're normal," Charlie said.
"I heard Snape once had a pet. What sort of pet do you think he'd keep?" Pippa asked Charlie.