How to Raise Lop Rabbits? Master the Breeding Techniques and Precautions
Many people are certainly familiar with the lop rabbit. It is a very cute rabbit, generally small and adorable in appearance, and it is currently very popular among consumers on the market. However, many people, when raising lop rabbits, run into some problems because their techniques are not up to standard. So just how should they be raised for the best results?
How to Raise Lop Rabbits
1. Brush often: most lop rabbit breeds belong to the type with a fairly large amount of fur, so during seasonal changes they will certainly shed more hair than short-haired rabbits. If you cannot brush them often, the coat easily becomes matted, and over time the coat problems will cause the little rabbit's skin to become red and swollen. Lop rabbits should be kept following the grooming methods used for long-haired rabbit breeds, and the ears are especially a key area to groom.
2. Do not grab the ears: when picking up a rabbit, never grab its ears. The ears are an important organ for the rabbit; rabbits have no sweat glands and must use their ears to dissipate heat. If the rabbit's ears are injured by grabbing, it can cause nerve damage. The correct way to pick up a rabbit is to support the rabbit's back with one hand, lift the rabbit's bottom with the other hand, and let the rabbit's legs and belly face forward.
Lop Rabbit Breeding Techniques and Precautions
I. Breeding techniques:
1. Diet combination: the rabbit's diet requires a sufficient supply of clean boiled water, and the food must have balanced nutrition and be properly combined. The food should organically combine vegetables, rabbit pellets, hay and so on, and then be given to the lop rabbit to eat. Rabbits have no concept of feeling full, so when feeding a rabbit you must control the amount, to avoid too much food causing indigestion in the lop rabbit, and in serious cases overfeeding can kill the rabbit.
2. Raising environment: rabbits like a dry, clean environment. At home you should prepare a dry, well-ventilated place for the lop rabbit's hutch, and put a wooden board or mat inside the hutch to prevent the rabbit from getting diseases such as pododermatitis. The hutch should also be cleaned regularly.
II. Precautions:
Avoid bathing. Do not bathe young rabbits. Rabbits are very clean animals and groom their fur by licking every day, so bathing them is not recommended. However, when there is no other choice and a bath is necessary, choose a day with good weather and sunshine, and also make sure water does not get into their ears; if you are not careful, they can get otitis media.
What Is Good for Lop Rabbits to Eat
When lop rabbits are 1-6 months old, feed them an appropriate amount of alfalfa hay plus unlimited timothy hay plus young rabbit pellets plus boiled water; at 6 months and older - unlimited timothy hay plus adult rabbit pellets plus boiled water plus a small amount of vegetables and fruit. The vegetables must be free of moisture, and the rabbit pellets only need to be given as a small handful to eat.
Common Diseases of Lop Rabbits and Their Prevention and Treatment
1. Rabbit coccidiosis. It is a disease caused by coccidia infection parasitizing in the intestinal tract or the bile ducts of the liver. Sick rabbits become emaciated, anemic, have diarrhea and abdominal bloating. The visible mucous membranes turn yellow, and neurological symptoms appear in the later stages, with a very high mortality rate. Ordinarily, 20% lime water can be used to disinfect the rabbit hutch. If you find a rabbit suffering from this disease, add 30 mg of robenidine per kilogram of feed and feed it for 1 week, then halve the amount afterward. Sulfamerazine or sulfadimidine can also be used, mixed into the feed at 0.20-0.50 g per rabbit per day, and both have very good effects.
2. Rabbit mange. It is a parasitic disease with extremely strong invasiveness among domestic rabbits, commonly seen on the rabbit's feet, claws, nose and outer ears and other areas. Sick rabbits experience severe itching and pain, skin inflammation and even hair loss. Because the itching is unbearably intense, they rub, scratch or bite everywhere, lose their appetite, and gradually waste away. Sick rabbits should be isolated and treated promptly, and the pens and contaminated equipment should be thoroughly cleaned, then sprayed and disinfected with amitraz. Keep the pens ventilated, light-transmitting and dry. After washing the affected areas with hot water, apply sulfur ointment; once every 3 days, and 2-3 times in a row is enough for recovery.
When raising lop rabbits, you must pay attention to the combination of their diet, and you also need to groom them in a timely manner, but you must be careful not to grab their ears, as this may cause nerve damage to their ears. Lop rabbits are also prone to diseases and illnesses during breeding, so disease prevention and control work needs to be carried out in a timely manner.