Generally, the gestation period of Rex rabbits is 31 days. When there are many fetuses, the gestation period is shorter; when there are few fetuses, the gestation period is longer. Oversized fetuses tend to prolong the gestation period and may even cause dystocia, so special attention should be paid to observation. When conditions permit, it is best to move pregnant rabbits at 25 days of gestation into the same housing unit, or gather them into several adjacent cages, so as to facilitate observation and management. Three to 4 days before kindling, thoroughly clean and disinfect the rabbit house and kindling box (2%-3% Lysol or 0.1% benzalkonium bromide are both acceptable). After disinfection, the cages and kindling boxes should be rinsed clean with water. Movable kindling boxes should be dried in the sun before being placed into the cages, to remove the residual smell of the disinfectant, so as to prevent the doe from becoming restless and burrowing and bumping everywhere. Then put in soft bedding straw so the doe can become familiar with the environment and conveniently carry straw and pull fur to make a nest. Pregnant does should have their concentrate feed supply reduced 2-3 days before kindling to prevent mastitis. For first-time kindling does, their pre-kindling behavior should be checked. If they are found unable to carry straw in their mouths or pull fur to line the nest, manual assistance should be given. Use soft fur and straw to make the kindling nest well, and carry out manual fur pulling. Practice has proved that this can stimulate lactation: does that pull little fur secrete little milk, while does that pull a lot of fur secrete more milk. Before kindling, feed and drinking water must be prepared. If conditions permit, soybean milk, thin porridge, and the like can be prepared for the doe to eat and drink after kindling. After kindling, the doe's belly is very empty, and she is both thirsty and hungry. If drinking water and feed have not been prepared in advance, the doe will be forced to eat her young rabbits. On the eve of kindling, someone needs to be on duty to provide care, in case the young are born outside the kindling box and fall into the manure and urine ditch, dying of cold and starvation. If there are stillborn or malformed fetuses, they should be removed in time to prevent the doe from eating the stillborn fetuses together with the afterbirth, so as to avoid developing the bad habit of eating her young. Before kindling, quiet must be maintained, and disturbance must be strictly prevented. Kindling in does is very quick, requiring only 20-30 minutes, with about 1 young rabbit born every 2-3 minutes. During kindling, the back arches, the mouth licks the vulva, and sometimes calls are made, and the young rabbit is delivered together with the afterbirth. The doe bites off the umbilical cord, eats the afterbirth, and after licking dry the amniotic fluid and blood on the young rabbit's body, the young rabbit goes to nurse, and immediately afterward the doe gives birth to another young rabbit.</p><p>After kindling is completed, take out the kindling box, count the young rabbits, weigh the birth weight and individual weight, keep good records, and assist the doe in rearranging the kindling box.</p><p>Methods for pre- and post-kindling management of Rex rabbits: Rex rabbit breeding now requires us to carry out the breeding, and especially in other feeding and management aspects we must be more attentive. Let us now look at how Rex rabbits should be cared for before and after kindling so as to better reduce our losses:</p><p>(1) Make good pre-kindling preparations. Three to 4 days before kindling, the doe begins to carry straw to make a nest. The keeper should prepare a kindling box for her in advance and, when the time comes, spread bedding straw, which must be soft, cut short, sun-dried, and disinfected. At the same time, prepare some green, juicy, and highly palatable forage for the doe and put it into the rabbit cage together with the bedding straw, and put in some drinking water with added brown sugar to help the doe lactate. Immediately after kindling, clear away the filth in the kindling box.</p><p>(2) Let the young rabbits take colostrum in time (within 24 hours after birth). Rex rabbits generally nurse once a day, and nursing should be at fixed times.</p><p>(3) Earnestly pay attention to preventing and treating mastitis in does and yellow urine disease in young rabbits. Check carefully and regularly. Once illness is found in a doe or young rabbit, treatment should be given immediately. If treatment is too late, it can lead to the death of the entire litter of young rabbits. Even if it is discovered late or treatment is not timely, the mortality rate will increase, and even if the young rabbits do not die, they will grow slowly.</p><p>(4) Frequently check whether the young rabbits can eat their fill or whether the doe's milk is sufficient. If individual young rabbits are found not to eat their fill, they can be given one supplemental feeding separately. If most young rabbits cannot eat their fill because the doe's milk is insufficient, measures should be taken to prevent the young rabbits from starving to death. In addition, in winter, cold damage should be prevented; in summer, heat should be prevented; and rodent damage should be guarded against year-round.</p>
Generally, the gestation period of Rex rabbits is 31 days. When there are more fetuses, the pregnancy is shorter; when there are fewer fetuses, the pregnancy is longer. Oversized fetuses easily prolong the pregnancy and may even cause difficult labor, so special attention should be paid to observation.
When conditions permit, it is best to move pregnant rabbits that are 25 days pregnant into the same housing, or gather them into several neighboring cages, for easier observation and management. Three to four days before kindling, thoroughly clean and disinfect the rabbit housing and kindling boxes (2%-3% Lysol or 0.1% benzalkonium bromide are both acceptable). After disinfection, the cages and kindling boxes should be rinsed clean with water. Movable kindling boxes should be dried in the sun before being placed back into the cages, to remove the residual smell of the disinfectant, so that the doe will not become restless and burrow and bump around everywhere. Then place soft bedding straw inside, letting the doe familiarize herself with the environment so she can carry straw and pull fur to make a nest. Pregnant does should have their concentrated feed supply reduced 2-3 days before kindling to prevent mastitis. For first-time does, their pre-kindling behavior should be checked; if they are found unable to carry straw in their mouths or pull fur to line the nest, manual assistance should be provided. Use soft fur and straw to make the kindling nest well, and carry out manual fur pulling. Practice has proved that this can stimulate milk secretion; does that pull less fur secrete less milk, and those that pull more fur secrete more milk. Before kindling, feed and drinking water must be prepared; if conditions permit, soybean milk or thin porridge can be prepared for the doe to eat and drink after kindling. After kindling, the doe's belly is very empty, and she is both thirsty and hungry. If drinking water and feed have not been prepared in advance, the doe will be forced to eat her young. Around the time of kindling, someone needs to be on duty to provide care, to prevent the young from being kindled outside the kindling box and falling into the manure and urine gutter to die of cold and hunger. If there are stillborn or malformed fetuses, they should be removed in time to prevent the doe from eating the stillborn fetuses together with the afterbirth, so as to avoid developing the bad habit of eating her young. Before kindling, quiet must be maintained, and disturbance must be strictly prevented. The doe kindles very quickly, needing only 20-30 minutes, producing about 1 young every 2-3 minutes. During kindling, her back arches, she licks her vulva, and sometimes makes calls, and the young are produced together with the afterbirth. The doe bites off the umbilical cord, eats the afterbirth, and after licking dry the amniotic fluid and blood on the young's bodies, the young go to nurse, and immediately afterward the doe kindles another young.
After kindling is complete, take out the kindling box, count the young, weigh the birth weight and individual weight, keep good records, and assist the doe in rearranging the kindling box.
Methods for pre- and post-kindling management of Rex rabbits: Rex rabbit farming now requires us to carry out the raising, and especially in other aspects of feeding and management we must be more attentive. Let us now look at how Rex rabbits should be cared for before and after kindling so as to better reduce our losses:
(1) Make good pre-kindling preparations. Three to four days before kindling, the doe begins to carry straw to make a nest. The keeper should prepare a kindling box for her in advance, and when the time comes spread bedding straw, which must be soft, cut short, sun-dried, and disinfected. At the same time, prepare some fresh, green, succulent, palatable forage for the doe and put it into the rabbit cage together with the bedding straw, and put in some drinking water with added brown sugar to help the doe secrete milk. Immediately after kindling, clear away the dirty material in the kindling box.
(2) Let the young get colostrum in time (within 24 hours after birth). Rex rabbits generally nurse once a day, and nursing should be at fixed times.
(3) Effectively pay attention to preventing and treating mastitis in does and yellow urine disease in young rabbits. Check carefully and often; once illness is found in a doe or young, treat it immediately. If treatment is too late, it can cause the death of the entire litter of young. Even if it is discovered late or treatment is not timely, the mortality rate will increase, and even if the young do not die, their growth will be slow.
(4) Often check whether the young can eat their fill or whether the doe's milk is sufficient. If individual young are found not to eat their fill, they can be given one supplemental feeding separately. If most of the young cannot eat their fill because the doe's milk is insufficient, measures should be taken to prevent the young from starving to death. In addition, in winter, prevent cold damage; in summer, prevent heatstroke; and year-round, guard against rat damage.