Proper rabbit care at home

Rabbit health depends on conditions of their maintenance – it is very important to conduct proper care for rabbits. A full-fledged organization of the eared breeding process is a guarantee of a good offspring, the absence of diseases.

Content
  1. Breed selection
  2. Methods of keeping
  3. Cell <
  4. Free content
  5. Content in aviaries
  6. Proper pet care at home
  7. Conditions for keeping rabbits at home
  8. How much do rabbits cost

Правильный уход за кроликами

Proper care of rabbits

There are several ways to keep rabbits at home. It all depends on the goal. Keeping rabbits in order to get a good diet meat and skins – this is one thing, and if you brought a little rabbit in the house for games and fun for children – another.

Despite the goals of keeping these animals, it is important to remember that they need high-quality care. These creatures are very gentle – a sloppy and forgetful owner will easily destroy his pets.

Breed choice

Eared owners must decide on the task they set for themselves: either breeding rabbits for meat, or keeping as a pet for the family. You must also select a breed. Breeds White Giant and Soviet Chinchilla give a lot of good meat, excellent fur skins. Breeding these varieties of pets brings a good profit.It is possible to organize a whole farm and make it not so difficult, the main thing is to responsibly approach this issue. The decorative species include the dwarf fox, a breed of protein. Their fur is very fluffy.

Выбор породы

Select the breed

Depending on the breed and the purpose of the maintenance, you need to decide where the pussies will live. Regardless of the place of detention, rabbits must necessarily have an individual place of residence: at least a small space where they can relax from annoying children or relatives. In his house, the rabbit feels free, safe. The psychological state of rabbits is an important aspect.

Methods of keeping

All methods of keeping domestic rabbits have pros and cons. Based on this analysis, you can independently choose the method that is best for pets. The most popular content is in sheds. If you have a drawing, you can do it yourself, and it does not cost as much as a separate room. In sheds, pets feel normal.

Cage

This is a classic way. This is how rabbits are kept at home in our time, so they were kept many centuries ago. It is best for beginner rabbit breeders to use this particular method.

Cellular maintenance is simple, the cage is easy to place in an apartment or private house.The animal can be released for a walk around the house. With the content of several individuals, this method will not work. When breeding and keeping more than 5-10 pets, you need to choose a different method of growing animals.

Types of cells

There are 2 types of cells:

  • stationary
  • figurative

Stationary cells are always in one place. They can not be transferred, depending on changing weather, changing seasons. As a rule, cells are installed in a barn or in regions with a warm climate on the street, making a shelter from the rain.

Portable cells are universal. In summer they stand on the street, in winter they move to a warm room. Portable cages are more functional and convenient to use, although each farmer decides at his discretion which cage to choose.

Litter for rabbits with brood needs larger, larger cages, and for males and older rabbits, smaller cages are needed . They are purchased in specialized stores or built independently, especially since there are a large number of training videos on this topic. Homemade and store cages are made of durable plastic or wooden battens with a mesh of metal. Cell sizes vary by breed. The larger the adult male, the larger the dwelling. The best option for representatives of not the largest breed is 1 m long, and height and depth are 50 cm each.

Positive aspects of the content in the cells

  • Individual approach to each individual.Care for decorative rabbits at home should be of high quality, otherwise the individuals will die. If the rabbit is in a cage with cubs, fenced off from other mothers, it is possible to track how much she ate food, what her stool is, how babies develop from this female. The same applies to males and young animals. It is impossible to exercise such control in the general enclosure.
Содержание кроликов в клетках

Keeping rabbits in cells

  • Optimization of feed consumption. The amount of feed is reduced, and the care of any rabbit at home is simplified. So there is an opportunity to see if an individual in the feeder has food or not. Add food at the right time – the rabbit is always full. When eared horns live en masse in one room, individuals are often more shy about malnutrition, as a result the owner tries to sprinkle more feed so that all the animals are full. Hence the increased consumption of food for pets.
  • The risk of mass infection with diseases is reduced. Everything here is like people. When the flu epidemic, schools and kindergartens are closed so that the disease does not spread, and here all the rabbits sit in their own separate houses in advance, so the likelihood of infection is reduced.

Cons of the cell content

  • High costs for equipping rabbit housing. Building materials are expensive.A large farm also needs a lot of cells. Accordingly, to equip a rabbit farm, you need to spend an impressive amount. To reduce costs, it is possible to build cells yourself. It will be cheaper to buy equipment (cages) in stores.
  • Increase rabbit maintenance work. To remove an aviary or 50 cells, which is easier? The answer is obvious. Distributing food individually also requires more time and effort.

A home decorative rabbit should also have a cage. Not even a cage, but a house. The choice of housing for such pets is extensive in pet stores. The cage or house should be 5-8 times larger than the size of the rabbit. The pet must necessarily walk daily. It is better if there is a garden near the house. Active games, running is the key to your pet’s health.

Free content

Free content on farms is used much more often than cellular. This method allows rabbits to live in almost natural conditions. In free keeping, animals develop and breed better.

Free keeping implies that rabbits live outdoors in any weather, winter and summer. During periods of special cold weather, it is necessary to insulate the premises for resting and heating pets. Free maintenance is more suitable for small farms.

Свободное содержание кроликов

Free keeping of rabbits

In industrial on a scale to keep thousands of rabbit heads freely is very problematic: large areas are needed. Free keeping is practiced by small farmers organizing rabbit farms in the courtyard of the village house.

With free keeping it is not always possible to keep an eye on the animals. There is also a risk of accidental kinship between the rabbits.

Free pet keeping is not suitable if the purpose of raising is to obtain valuable fur. Under such conditions, rabbit fur can get dirty and damaged.

Pit content

This is the favorite type of free keeping for experienced farmers. Smooth content at home for beginners is a simple and low-cost way. It is enough to dig a hole for a small number of rabbit heads, they will do the rest themselves.

The rabbits will dig a den for the winter season, they will make separate rooms for okrolya. The owner will only have to prepare an awning from rain, snow and the sun, put feeders, water tanks. Is it possible to keep all rabbits in one pit? It is possible, but the pit should be deep and wide. For several individuals, the pit size is a couple of meters.

The pit can be made square, rectangular. This factor does not matter. The pit maintains the temperature necessary for the life of rabbits throughout the year.When choosing a place for digging a hole, it must be taken into account that groundwater can flood it. It is advisable to choose a place higher. You should not place a pit near sewer pipes, drainage systems: rabbits will finish building their homes on their own and pipes will interfere with them. Content in the pit is only suitable for meat breeds of rabbits.

Содержание кроликов в яме

Content of rabbits in the pit

If you plan to get beautiful fur, it’s better to choose another option. When kept in a pit, animal hair will be in tatters, the skin will be damaged when fighting for a female or territory. In the pits, such breeds of rabbits as Butterfly, Soviet Chinchilla and others give good income. The fossilized content keeps an independent way of life for pets. From the owner they expect only food, drink, cleaning.

The owner will not be able to control the eared.

Grazing content

From a material point of view, this is beneficial, considering all the features and approach that content correctly. In grazing, you can grow both flocks of young animals and adults. Strength in animals is also spent less. In grazing, rabbits have a stronger and more stable immunity to common diseases. Rabbits live in a separate mini-territory with natural food and there are practically no skirmishes between them.

Содержание на выпасе

Grazing on

In the summer the period when the green grass grows, the farmer will only have to deliver them a drink. Drinking bowls are set within the pasture. Be sure to set up barriers, make a canopy, arrange places for rabbits and young animals. A canopy and fence will protect them from the attack of large birds and wildlife. It is advisable to have a guard in the form of a dog near the grazing place.

Positive aspects of free keeping

On free keeping rabbits:

  • spend a lot of time outdoors;
  • move a lot;
  • eat natural food;
  • get sick less;
  • multiply faster;
  • good gain weight;
  • have good meat;
  • become sturdier;
  • less aggressive.

Another plus is in that the costs and effort of feeding and cleaning are reduced.

Cons are free content

Among the negative aspects:

  • a large percentage of mortality due to disease;
  • the inability to fully control the entire herd;
  • degeneration of rabbits after several years of this type of content, a decrease in size from generation to generation.

Content in open-air cages

It is better to keep meat rabbits in open-air cages, as the long-term experience of breeders shows. But this type of content is only suitable for seasonal work. For example, if you decide to breed rabbits in the village or at the summer cottage to get meat, this option is ideal. It is necessary to protect a small area for animals at the rate of 5 square meters. m for rabbits with small and newborn rabbits, for the rest – 1 square. m per 1 head. In the aviary, rabbits feel calm, free. The main thing is that it should not be cramped. The tightness contributes to fights over the territory, the spread of livestock diseases.

What the enclosure should look like

It is necessary to cover the enclosure with a canopy or awning: this will protect animals from heat, rain. It is especially important to make a canopy for the rabbit with the kids. You can also install a large cage and several small ones so that rabbits can equip their own personal space. Rabbits’ favorite pastime is digging holes of various depths and various sizes. It is necessary to carefully strengthen the walls of the enclosure.

It is necessary to dig a fence to a depth of 1.5 m, at least 0.8 m, otherwise the rabbits will quickly get out of the artificial house and breed in the wild. Along the fence you need to put feeders and drinking bowls. They should be long, not very deep gutters. You also need to hang a protective canopy for feeders.Street birds will easily fly to pets for lunch, increasing the consumption of purchased feed. Care must be taken to ensure the cleanliness of drinking bowls and feeders.

Pros of keeping in the enclosure

  • The versatility of the structure. In aviaries, you can keep a bird, other animals, but not at the same time. Chickens suffer from various diseases that are fatal for rabbits. Birds often peck and injure small rabbits. Together with downy indoor rabbits may not converge, therefore, so that the breeds bred to get the skins do not get hurt and spoil their fur, it is better to keep them separately. If you keep a young tribe from birth in special rooms, then you need to insulate such houses in the winter. It is not possible that offspring or young animals at birth form frostbite.
  • There are portable aviaries on sale. They are perfect for keeping a pet of decorative breeds. This dwelling is much more spacious than a cage or house, although the aviary in a city apartment occupies a large area, which not every rabbit owner can afford. In the aviary, you must immediately plant the whole herd. It should be the same in size, age of the individual. If, even after a short time, a novice, especially a young rabbit, is lodged with them, he risks getting into a fight. Rabbits do not tolerate strangers, never accept newcomers into the family.

Proper care for pets at home

Rabbits are difficult animals to grow and care for.They are very gentle, demanding on the conditions of detention. This also applies to decorative and meat breeds. They feel bad in the heat, in the cold. They are very afraid of drafts, as they easily catch a cold, often suffer from pneumonia, orz. Negative of dirty feeders, they can simply refuse food for a long time.

Poor quality food also confuses them. Rabbits have one feature: their stomachs and intestines are very weak. The nutrition of these pets should be monitored especially carefully. Pets cannot tolerate dirt in cages and enclosures. Cells that have not been cleaned for a long time are a source of disease, and the immunity in rabbits is not very strong. It is better to monitor their comfortable content than to cure various diseases.

List of necessary measures for holding rabbits in the place of detention:

  • Feeding. Feed should be weighted. Food must be varied. You can not leave individuals without hay. Animals must have constant access to clean water. Without rabbits, normal gastrointestinal function is not possible.
  • Daily cell cleaning. It is necessary to clean thoroughly, removing absolutely all dirt, stool, food leftovers from the floor and walls.
  • Treatment, vaccination. Weak immunity is best supported by timely vaccinations. The sick rabbit must be isolated and treated separately to avoid an epidemic. Rabbits suffer from completely human diseases, but they respond poorly to treatment.
  • Carry out cleaning of nails, wool, jaws.

Separately, it is necessary to monitor pregnant rabbits, to pay more attention to them. Those who give birth to females, as well as those in position, should be given more vitamins. Lack of water in the drinking bowl after childbirth can lead to the death of the female who gave birth.

During the lactation period, the rabbits drink 100-200% more water than before. It is necessary to protect newborn rabbits with their mother from the rest of the herd for a month and a half.

Правила по уходу за кроликами

Rules rabbit care

Babies feed exclusively on mother’s milk, so they should be in the same room with her. Other rabbits can kill, injure babies. When rabbits reach the age of 2 months, they are transferred to a common enclosure or cage. Slowly feed dishes from the general menu, breaking away from maternal care. It’s better for mother rabbit to live separately from rabbits for some time so that they can easily unlearn her milk.

Conditions for keeping rabbits at home

The most important condition is safety. Aviaries, cells in the pen are checked for sharp corners and edges. Rabbits are active animals, they can not notice the protruding sharp nail, cut themselves, and their skin is quite thin.

It is obligatory to equip the place of keeping with drinking bowls and feeders.Do not forget to create a separate enclosed space for rabbits and their newborn babies. It is necessary to protect the houses of rabbits from the sun. By themselves, the sun’s rays are not harmful to them, but the bright light, the heat are very disturbing. Do not close the space completely. You need to leave the windows, because the room for the rabbits should be bright, or install lamps.

Incandescent lamps will not work: they give a lot of heat, it will be hot for the rabbits. You need to choose daylight bulbs or LED. They should be left on 9-17 hours a day. Ambient temperature should not exceed 20 ° С. A temperature convenient for rabbits is from 10 to 20 ° С. These animals cannot tolerate frosts, they quickly freeze and die. Premises for rabbits should be well ventilated, while it is advisable to avoid drafts, dampness. Care for the mini-progeny of the rabbit should be regular. It is advisable to lay straws at the bottom of the cells: this will help keep the house from heating or cooling.

A canopy for aviaries, cells, pits is a prerequisite. In winter, the cells are transferred from the street to the barn, if it is heated, or to the basement of the house. It is necessary to monitor the humidity. They clean the herd room several times a week, preferably daily. Every 2 weeks it is advisable to disinfect the cells. Do not forget to often change straw, sawdust at the bottom of the aviary or cage. Maintaining cleanliness in pet houses will help to avoid many diseases.The feeders and drinking bowls are cleaned every day, preferably 2 times a day, if the livestock allows.

In order to simplify the process of cleaning the cells, they put pallets. They are easily removed and washed. The only difficulty is to find pallets of the required size. The size should match the size of the cell.

Another option is a grid with large cells at the bottom of the cell. Fecal masses will fall through the holes. A pallet is placed under the cage. Many breeds of rabbits cannot be placed in cages with such a bottom.

Food

The content of any rabbits necessarily includes balanced and high-quality nutrition. Proper feeding of the eared is not only the key to a good mood. The quality of meat and skins depends on the quality of the feed.

Some farmers purchase ready-made mixed fodder and give the animals. The most popular is Cuni Nature Re-Balance, or Rers, Resa. This compound feed is considered a full-fledged and main feed for ordinary rabbits and dwarf breeds sensitive to certain food ingredients.

In summer, rabbits ’diet must include fresh grass, plant tops from the garden, fruits.

Нужно следить за качественным питанием кроликов

You need to monitor the quality nutrition of rabbits

Add feed to this list in winter (suitable feed for calves, piglets), vitamins, fish oil, salt. Fresh grass is replaced with silage and hay.The rabbit will not eat products of poor quality: he will not be able to digest them.

Add oak or alder branches to the rabbits menu. This top dressing helps to regulate bowel function.

New food is added to the trough 2 times a day. For example, in the morning and in the evening. It is desirable at the same time. Before a new serving, clean the feeder and drinker. You must leave fresh hay as a constant source of food and make sure that pets are not left without food for a long time.

Rabbits should never be given apricots, potato tops, red cabbage, sweets, tomatoes, eggplant, onions , citrus fruits, lily of the valley, yarrow, bird cherry, ledum, elderberry. This is poison for the eared. Beans and peas in large numbers lead to bloating and death. In this case, it is advisable to limit the tops of peas.

Health

Rabbits and proper care for them includes mandatory vaccinations. It is very important to vaccinate animals on schedule. Vaccinate them during the first month of life. If the rabbits do not reach a weight of 500 g by the month, then the vaccination is done later. Rabbits need to be cut off their claws if they are kept at home or in cages. At free keeping in rabbits, the claws grind themselves due to contact with stones, earth. With long claws, rabbits hurt themselves and their relatives. You need to do this about 1 time per month.

The fur also requires care. Rabbit hair rolls off quickly if left unattended.This item mainly concerns decorative pets. Comb the animal daily. It will be correct to use brushes for the hair of cats or dogs. Remove clumps that are clogged with scissors. If the condition of the coat is not important from the point of view of the purpose of keeping, the coat is examined at least once every 2 weeks.

It is necessary to monitor the teeth of pets: rabbits grind their teeth with wooden sticks, solid food (fruits and vegetables). It doesn’t matter how and where to keep the little rabbits: in the garage, mini-greenhouse, on the balcony, whether it will be outdoor cultivation, a shed system or a natural grazing, the main thing is to monitor the health of the pets, properly care for the rabbits to feed them. Pets need careful daily care and control. This is the only way they will delight the owners and make a profit.

How many rabbits cost

Different breeds cost differently, the price varies depending on the region and place of residence. Also, the price depends on where and from whom the pet is ordered. Many farmers order animals from Europe, where prices must be converted to euros. If the purchase is made by breeders from Russia, the price must be converted into rubles. Breeders will have a higher price, because high-quality breeding should pay off.

A self-respecting breeder provides the buyer with all the necessary information about the parents of the pet, possible aptitudes for diseases and character traits.

You can bookmark this page

Anna Evans

Author ✓ Farmer

View all posts by Anna Evans →