The dwarf rabbit or domestic rabbit: adopting and raising a rabbit at home
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After the hen, the rabbit is undoubtedly the most popular domestic animal in the garden: it can be installed in an outdoor hutch, but it can also be a so-called dwarf rabbit which will be more popular in the living room. and children as a pet because he is calm and affectionate.
Moreover, the rabbit has become one of the most frequently encountered pets in homes.
Everything you need to know about rabbits
The rabbit is not a rodent at all, it is a herbivorous mammal of the
Leporidae family, which can live for several years, even ten years if it
is not the victim of myxomatosis, a fatal viral disease. who touches
rabbits.
All rabbits come from the wild rabbit, by its scientific name Oryctolagus
cuniculus, and many breeds exist today, developed for intensive farming in
particular. The Flanders giant, as its name suggests, is the largest of
the rabbits with its 8 to 10 kg for 1 m long while the dwarf rabbit will
weigh between 1 and 2 kg maximum. Between the two, the average domestic
rabbit will have a weight varying between 2.5 and 5 kg. The color of the
coats can range from white to black, passing through gray, brown, red, and
spotted. Some rabbits have a special coat such as angora hair: in
brinbreedingeeding, it will be used for the textile industry, and for the
dwarf rabbit, it will be a little more aesthetic!
As some colloquial expressions suggest, the rabbit is an impressive
parent: the doe who has a gestation of one month can make up to 5 annual
litters knowing that these will count to between 7 and 12 young rabbits
maximum! This is why we never leave a male and a female in the same
cage... When they are born, the young rabbits are not very beautiful: they
look like little abortions with closed eyes, without hair. They snuggle up
warm under the belly of the doe they suckle for about 1 month. Be careful,
the mother can be aggressive during this period.
Raising a dwarf or domestic rabbit in the garden or at home
Care should be taken with the food of rabbits, which are easily fragile
on this side. Apart from myxomatosis, diarrhea, colds, ear mites are
common diseases of rabbits... But most of these diseases can be avoided if
you provide this ball of fur with an irreproachable lifestyle!
As we said, the rabbit is herbivorous: if you have a garden, it will eat
cut grass, vegetable peelings, and seeds; hay during the winter when fresh
grass is more scarce. Hard bread is not a food to give to rabbits contrary
to a widespread idea.
Never forget to keep the water trough filled with water because the
rabbit drinks a lot. He doesn't like being cold either. Also, be vigilant
about noise because the rabbit is fearful, he needs peace.
They are, moreover, also demanding on the cleaning side: the litter must
be fresh, so it will have to be changed regularly. But the rabbit is clean
and always poops in the same place.
In nature, rabbit predators are snakes, cats, raptors, weasels, and other
small carnivores, but also cars, agricultural machinery, and hunters! If
you have a domestic rabbit, don't let it loose, it risks its life...
On the other hand, you can make him a cage on wheels in wire mesh
allowing you to put him on the lawn, in fine weather, so that he "mows"
and feeds, and you will move this mobile hutch over the days. The more
daring will create a shelter at one end so that the rabbit can protect
itself from the weather in case of rain and put itself in its dry
litter.
At home, your rabbit will certainly be in a cage, but nothing prevents
you from letting it run free inside. Be careful when buying your rabbit:
too many individuals buy a dwarf rabbit and end up with a domestic wild
rabbit after a few weeks!...
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