How Do Rabbits Get Through Winter? A Detailed Guide to Winter Rearing Methods
What we usually call rabbits is actually the collective term for all genera under the family Leporidae, order Lagomorpha, class Mammalia. There are an extremely large number of rabbit species; in China alone there are 9 species of the genus Lepus. If you go out into the wild, whether deep in the mountains or on the grasslands, as long as you have a bit of luck, you might just catch a few rabbits. So how do rabbits get through winter?
1. How rabbits get through winter
Wild rabbits all have their own burrows for winter, and the burrows contain large amounts of dry grass and straw. The little rabbits use this dry grass and straw to keep warm. At the same time, before winter sets in, the little rabbits eat large amounts of plants, building up body fat and growing large amounts of fur, which is equivalent to putting on a thick cashmere overcoat and further improves the insulation effect. In winter the little rabbits do not come out; only when food is scarce will they run out to forage, otherwise they stay near the burrow.
If they are domestic rabbits, there is no need to take any special measures for them to get through winter. Rabbits do not hibernate. When the weather is good, you can take them out to the balcony to bask in the sun, but do not let them bask at noon. In addition, adding some warming measures to the rabbit's cage, such as cotton wadding or a towel, is enough to let the rabbit get through winter smoothly. Otherwise, just feed them as normal.
2. The living habits of rabbits
The rabbit is a very timid animal. A sudden sound will make a rabbit panic and run around everywhere; even the ordinary barking of a cat or dog can cause this. If the smell of a stranger appears, it will also make the rabbit very nervous. Therefore, when caring for rabbits, it is best to create a quiet environment for them, avoid very loud noises, and it is best not to casually let strangers view the rabbits. This is because there are quite a few rabbits that die of fright from these situations.
When raising rabbits, the more typical feed is bran plus soybean powder mixed with rice plus growth hormones; if needed, an appropriate amount of high-energy concentrate such as whole milk powder or glucose can be added. After the rabbits grow up, a small amount of fruits and vegetables can also be fed. In addition, rabbits have a great many diseases, the common ones being urinary calcium, red urine and blood in the urine, diarrhea, and so on. When raising rabbits, you should observe them more and diagnose their diseases early.
The above is some little knowledge about rabbits. Rabbits can be said to be quite cute animals. When breeding them artificially, you should give them more care to prevent the rabbits from dying for various reasons.