The Basics of Raising
Rabbits
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Rabbits
are fun to raise except when you have to go out and take care of them at 10
below zero. Considering this is the exception rather than the rule, we'll assume
that, generally speaking, they are fun to raise. You may have different
reasons for raising them - enjoyment, education, business, show, laboratory,
meat, fur, and the bi-products they produce, such as fertilizer and fishing
worms. Don't
expect to make a profitable business raising rabbits. Only a small minority
of those who raise rabbits are capable of making a living out of it. Consider
it, rather, an enjoyable hobby that can help pay for itself. Raising rabbits
gets in your blood. Once you've had some good rabbits, you want to keep them
around. I found that when I was raising too many and didn't have enough
markets, the rabbits were eating me out of house and home. And so I got rid
of them -- for a while. I then took up the hobby again because I found it was
in my blood to raise rabbits.
Before
you get too many rabbits, it would be a good idea for you to join the American Rabbit Breeders Association (ARBA).
The low membership fee includes a very good booklet on raising rabbits. It
lists all of the recognized domestic breeds of rabbits along with their
characteristics. Membership in ARBA includes a subscription to Domestic
Rabbits magazine that supplies you with helpful articles on rabbit
raising. Each year you will also get a booklet listing the more than 35,000
ARBA members and their addresses. You will easily find rabbit fanciers living
close to you. If you
start showing your rabbits, you'll need to be a member of ARBA in order for
your rabbits to be awarded grand championships. A rabbit wins a grand
championship when it has won first place in three rabbit shows. Having a
grand champion is valuable. Not only does the rabbit's monetary value go up,
but also its offspring are considered valuable. Check
out ARBA's web page for helpful books and materials. ARBA's web site also
lists shows throughout the United States. Find a show near you and go to it.
You'll learn a great deal there. Watching the judges, you will find what they
consider good qualities in each particular breed. By exchanging information
with other breeders, you can learn techniques that work. Shows are great
places to shop for rabbits. You can find the breed(s) you would like to raise
by seeing the rabbits up close and asking the owners what experiences they
have had with them.
Usually,
it's not a good idea to go out and buy rabbits from someone who can't give
you a good pedigree certificate. Without knowing a rabbit's ancestry, neither
it nor its offspring to the fourth generation may become grand champions. You
risk getting a mixed rabbit (one that is not of a specific breed), a low
quality specimen of a particular breed that someone knew was poor and sold it
as a pet, or a rabbit that has serious genetic defects. The principle of only
buying animals with a pedigree applies anywhere. When acquiring a dog, why
get a mutt, even though it might be free, when you can buy a pedigree whose
offspring you can sell for more than five times the price you paid? Even if
you are purchasing a rabbit only as a pet, if you are planning on keeping the
rabbit for any length of time, you need to consider its resale value. You may
also later decide to raise rabbits on a larger scale. Having a pedigree
certificate ensures that you are starting out right. When breeders give you a
pedigree certificate, they are putting their reputation on the line. They are
guaranteeing the background of the rabbit, specifying themselves as the
owners, and authenticating it by their signature. Also, unless they're
stupid, they're not going to knowingly sell you a defective rabbit. They
wouldn't stay in business long. Those that cannot provide a pedigree
certificate may not be an expert raising rabbits. They may knowingly or
unknowingly sell you one that is sick or has a genetic defect. Usually they
are not very helpful in getting you started right. Stick with recognized
breeders of pedigree rabbits that will provide you with a certificate. Keep in
mind, however, that pedigree certificates can be falsified by the person
selling you the rabbit. It is best to buy from a reputable person. Try
getting a recommendation from someone who shows rabbits. They usually know
the good breeders. If you
want added protection, purchase a Registered Rabbit. A registered
rabbit is one which an ARBA licensed registrar has examined and certified as
free from defects and disqualifications. The registrar has determined that
the rabbit is healthy and a good representation of the breed. The registrar
examines the rabbit's pedigree for completeness and accuracy. A copy of the
rabbit's pedigree is forwarded to ARBA. Though inaccuracies can also be
present with registered rabbits, the chances are better that you will get a
better rabbit. The key idea
is to purchase your rabbits from a reputable person who can help you with
your questions after the sale, one who is recommended by others, and one who
guarantees the rabbits you purchase.
I
suppose the most difficult decision in raising rabbits is selecting the breed
you want to raise. As for myself, I'm not satisfied with just one breed. I
want representatives from several. I have Netherland Dwarfs in shades of
white, black, chinchilla, chestnut, chocolate, and sable. I have white New
Zealands, Californians, Rex in shades of white, black, lilac, chestnut, and
broken (spotted). I also have Champagne D'Argents, chocolate English Spots,
and black Silver Martens. I am planning on buying some Satins in the colors
red, copper, and Siamese. I also want to purchase some more Netherland Dwarfs
in the colors Himalayan, smoke pearl, black tan, and broken. Breeds
are characterized by size, shape, ears, fur texture, sheen, and color. In
some breeds, the individual fur characteristics are combined. The main fur
types are:
The
smallest breeds, the Dwarfs, vary in size from 1-3/4 to 3-1/2 lbs. They
include:
These
rabbits, as a group, are less than 3-1/2 pounds mature. These are the rabbits
you will want to raise if you want small pets that don't consume much feed
(about 1/3 to 1/2 cup per day) and take up the least amount of cage space
(about 2-1/2 sq ft). Many times, these are the only rabbits that pet stores
will buy. You can expect to fetch about $7.00 from pet stores without having
to supply a pedigree. The pet store will turn around and sell them for about
$30.00. When you sell to other breeders and provide a pedigree, you can
expect from $15.00 to $40.00 or even $100.00 or more for a grand champion.
Price depends on the rabbit's show background, quality, and heritage,
including the production characteristics of its parents. The
Netherland Dwarf is the breed in greatest demand. The Netherland Dwarf has
the most ARBA-recognized colors and patterns of all the breeds. If you're
into variety, you can't go wrong with Netherland Dwarfs. The
problems you will run into with any of the dwarf breeds mentioned are the
following:
The above
factors don't tend to discourage people from raising dwarfs. They consider
these problems as challenges. Dwarf rabbits are in great demand because of
their popularity with young people. This, coupled with the lower litter rate,
explain why they command a higher price than other rabbits.
The next
group of rabbits make up the small size breeds. They vary from about 2-1/2 to
5 pounds. These rabbits consume between 1/3 and 2/3 cup of feed per day and
take up 3-1/2 sq ft of cage space. The small breeds have characteristics
between the dwarfs and the medium size breeds. They usually have 1 - 3 more
babies in their litters than the dwarfs and do not carry the possibly lethal
dwarf gene. However, they are still more susceptible to death from
coccidiosis than the larger breeds. A few pet stores will carry these small
breeds and you can expect perhaps $2.00 less from the pet shops than the
dwarfs will bring. They may only take them during Easter. Check with your
local stores. Sales to other breeders will command similar prices to the
medium size rabbits, about $20.00. The small breeds consist of:
The next
group of rabbits make up the medium size breeds. This group is characterized
by weights ranging from 4-1/2 to 7 pounds mature. These rabbits consume
between 1/2 and 1 cup of feed per day and take up 5 sq ft of cage space.
Usually, pet stores don't want these breeds except possibly around Easter.
The medium breeds produce an acceptable amount of meat on small bones. Some
commercial meat rabbit breeders raise these breeds. But they usually prefer
the next group - the meat rabbits, because the feed-to-meat conversion ratio
is apparently better. Usually, those that raise the medium size rabbits like
to show them and eat the ones that don't make the grade. Some of these
rabbits are raised for their fur as well. On the whole, it is harder to sell
these rabbits except to other fanciers of like mind. You can expect about
$20.00 with pedigree for mature rabbits. Rabbits
that make up this group of medium breeds include the following:
Meat
Rabbits make up the next group. They are characterized by weights between 8
and 12 pounds. These rabbits are raised for both meat and fur. Some of these
may also be considered fancy rabbits because they have unusual fur, color, or
ear characteristics. Most of these rabbits are shown a great deal. Rabbits in
the meat group consume about 1-1/4 cup of feed per day and take up 7-1/2 sq
ft of cage space. They will command a price comparable to the medium size
rabbits, about $20.00 for mature ones. The rabbits that make up the meat
group include:
The next
group of rabbits are the Giants. These are raised because some breeders just
like giant rabbits. They can sometimes weigh up to 25 pounds. The giants
require 1-3/4 - 2 cups of feed per day and 11 - 12 sq ft of cage space. The
giant breeds also require stronger cages. Because few people raise these
rabbits, they are more rare than the other breeds. It takes a strong person
to lift these rabbits, so their demand is not great and thus harder to sell.
They may command up to $50.00 for a mature rabbit and about $15.00 - $20.00
for a 2 month old one. Most of the giants are shown (their presence is always
appreciated). They are mainly used for meat and fur. The feed-to-meat
conversion ratio is less than the meat group. The giants include:
The
above discussion of the various breeds of rabbits touched on the approximate
amount of feed and cage space required by each.
You
should use rabbit pellets from a reputable source that has been supplying
rabbit feed for many years. Each day, a rabbit will eat approximately one
fluid ounce of feed per pound of weight. There are 8 fl oz in one cup. So a
four pound rabbit will eat about 4 oz or 1/2 cup of feed. An eight pound
rabbit, about 1 cup. Do not feed a rabbit more than one day's supply of feed
at a time unless you will be gone the weekend. If you allow your rabbit to
get fat, it will not breed very well, the judge will disqualify it in shows,
and the rabbit will have a much higher risk of dying. Every
now and then supplement the rabbit's diet with alfalfa hay. This will supply
it with good roughage. You can also use the hay to line the nest boxes when
they are ready to give birth. Make sure the rabbits have fresh water in front
of them at all times. Never feed your rabbits lettuce or cole family
vegetables such as cabbage, kale, kohlrabi, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, or
broccoli. They can get enteritis and possibly die. Never feed them meat. The
safest thing to do is to just stick to rabbit pellets and alfalfa hay.
All
rabbits should be raised in hutches that have 1/2" x 1/2" or
1/2" x 1" galvanized wire mesh bottoms. This will allow their
droppings to fall through. If they stay on any other type of surface that
allows their feces to accumulate, it will cause disease because of the
bacterial and possible parasitic build up. It is usually best to surround the
rabbit with wire or metal because the rabbit will chew threw wood or plastic
that they can get at. Be sure to protect the rabbit from the sun, wind, rain,
and extremely hot or cold temperatures. Use an automatic feeder that can be
filled without opening the cage. Also, I like to use feeder bottles with
nipples pointing into the cage. This type prevents contamination and
overturning that bowls experience. It's also OK to use large tin cans tied
with wire to the sides of the hutch. I find
that it's better to purchase cages from a cage maker. They usually do a good
job for not much more than the materials would cost you. But if you want to
make your own cages, allow 0.75 square feet of space for each pound of adult
weight. For instance, if a rabbit's adult weight is 10 pounds, multiply 0.75
by 10. This gives 7.5 sq ft. This can be attained by building a cage 3 ft x
2.5 ft (3 x 2.5 = 7.5). The height should be 18 inches. If the adult's weight
is 3 pounds, multiply 0.75 by 3. This gives 2.25 sq ft. You can build the
cage 1.5 ft x 1.5 ft (18" x 18"). Its height, because it is a small
rabbit, can be 15". Never
make the hutch more than 3 ft deep or the sides more than 3 feet from your
grasp. Otherwise, you'll have trouble getting the rabbit out when you need
to. Do not
put rabbits together after they are 3 months of age. The ones of the same sex
are territorial and will fight. The ones of opposite sex will attempt to
breed. This can lead to unexpected results.
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