Yes, it’s their way of coping with the low nutrient content of their food. Ruminants do the same in a more elegant way, but it is probably evolutionary no longer feasible for a rodent to become a ruminant, so they have to fulfill the function of the other gastric chambers the ruminants enjoy by passing their food repeatedly through the one they have. The way they have chosen is simple, effective and not socially acceptable among most humans (not that we were particularly fond of regurgitating cud either), but rabbits don’t seem to care.
For anyone wondering what canola means:
“OLA” doesn’t mean “oil, low acid.” That’s bad writing: Canola is defined as being an oil that is low-acid, but the suffix is the Latin feminine diminutive -ola whose similarity to Latin oleum & English “oil” and its early use for oily products (Shinola, Mazola, Crayola) gave it the new meaning “oil.” But the suffix doesn’t and won’t mean “low acid.”
Huh, you’re right. The Wikipedia page says this:
Canola was originally a trademark name of the Rapeseed Association of Canada; the name is a portmanteau of “can” from Canada and “ola” from “oil, low acid”.[13][14]
But neither of the two cites (13 and 14) support the “oil, low acid” assertion; they both agree with what you said. Thanks for setting the record straight.
The name was made up to replace the original name, rapeseed oil. The meaning is something that sounds better than rapeseed. It’s also called LEAR (Low Erucic Acid Rapseed) oil.
It is highly refined vegetable oil, made from rapeseed bred to minimize erucic acid content. It’s purity allows it to be used as a lubricant and food safe polish.
Yes, I’m aware of what it is. When I was growing up my relatives farmed it, and called it (the plant) “rape,” and I remember this sign well. “Canola” is a made-up word, but it’s made up as a portmanteau of two elements, each of which has a known source.
Sure. I replied to your post but I wasn’t intending to make it look like I was correcting you. I was trying to make the general point in the thread that the name is made up to sound appealing. Given the ‘Canada’ part, the ‘ola’ could have been anything, even having no root source if it sounded good. I imagine many commercial names work that way also.
Yet another reason I’m amazed that so many people apparently consider bunnies to be the cutest things ever.
Nitpick: rabbits are not rodents. They are lagomorphs (order Lagomorpha rather than Rodentia). They were previously considered rodents but were moved to a separate order in 1912.
Thank you for pointing this out, otherwise I would have had to.
But, they have such a cute grin. Give me a minute and I will come up with what kind of grin that is.
Guinea Pigs also do this. The caecotroph, they actually curl into a ball to grab it directly from their anus. When this happens, it is traditional to yell “Butt Snack!”
I dislike domestic rabbits because if not very very tame they will make a convincing attempt to eviscerate you with their hind legs if you pick them up. They have surprisingly strong hind legs, with sharp claws. Also, show, meat rabbits and many pet rabbits are kept in cages just big enough to hop around a tiny bit. My pity for animals kept this way has only increased over time.
How else are they supposed to socialize? They don’t smoke!
I learned the poop-eating stuff from Watership Down, but it’s still interesting!
One of my daughter’s friends had one which had supposedly bitten the testicles off a rival male!
Doesn’t sound very cute and fluffy to me.
We’ve always had cats, so never considered rabbits as pets… I don’t think they’d get along… 
You wouldn’t think it’s possible, but I know a family that has beagles, rabbits, and cats. They manage to get along with each other.
I once had a cat and pet rats at the same time. They even hung out on the bed together, although I had to keep a sharp eye on the cat. Sometimes when a rat ran past her, she couldn’t suppress her instinct to grab for it.
I had a cat, a dog and a ginea pig. The dog used to protect the pig from the cat when they were all outside.
TIL that the same songwriter, Ewan McColl, who wrote the 70’s love ballad “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” was a bit of a tankie. Here’s his take on Stalin
(In ironic coincidence his daughter was killed by a multimillionaire speedboater who bought his way out of prosecution)