How to raise rabbits so they don't die? A detailed guide to rabbit-keeping methods for beginners
Rabbits are very cute small animals. Although they are relatively easy to raise, they can still easily be raised to death if you don't pay attention to some details of care. Moreover, because a rabbit's digestive system is rather delicate, feeding vegetables and fruits must follow the principle of moderation, and you should not feed blindly. Let's take a look together below at how to raise rabbits so they don't die!
Types of rabbit feed
1. Concentrate feed: Concentrate feed mainly provides rabbits with the energy, protein, and fat they need daily, followed by minerals, amino acids, and so on. At present, the vast majority of rabbit pellets are complete foods, that is, all the nutrients rabbits need are mixed in certain proportions into rabbit pellets, which in theory can meet most of the nutrition rabbits need.
2. Roughage: Roughage mainly provides rabbits with the crude fiber they need daily, followed by protein, amino acids, and so on. Forage grasses of different families also differ in nutritional content and palatability. Legume forages are generally more palatable than grass-family forages, and fresh forage is generally more palatable than green hay. In terms of nutritional value, forage in the young and tender stage has higher nutritional value and lower crude fiber content, while forage in the mature stage has lower nutritional value and higher crude fiber content.
3. Succulent feed: Succulent feed mainly provides rabbits with the vitamins, water, and so on they need daily. Different vegetables and fruits also differ in nutritional content, but their vitamin content is generally equal to or higher than that of forage grass.
Rabbit feeding and management
1. Timid and fond of quiet: Rabbits are very timid. When they suddenly hear a sound, they show a "startled" reaction, and their appetite decreases. When a mother rabbit that is giving birth is disturbed, dystocia often occurs or she refuses to nurse the young rabbits. Apart from moving and eating, they like to rest and sleep, and they become alert at the slightest noise.
2. Cold-tolerant and afraid of heat: A rabbit's fur is very thick and can withstand severe cold. Adult rabbits can endure temperatures below zero, and can breed in winter at around 5°C. Rabbits are very afraid of heat because their sweat glands are underdeveloped and they cannot regulate body temperature by sweating.
3. Resting by day and active by night: During the day, apart from eating, rabbits like to rest or sleep in the cage, but at night they are unusually active and eat frequently. Their nighttime food intake accounts for about 75% of the total daily ration, so rabbit keeping must insist on feeding night grass.
4. Fond of burrowing: Rabbits like to dig burrows to live in. When raised free-range, burrowing becomes more frequent before each breeding period. This point should be noted in the design and materials when building rabbit hutches. According to this habit of rabbits, hilly areas with good climate can be used for burrow raising.
5. Same-sex aggression: When adult male rabbits meet, they chase each other and bite and fight. Female rabbits kept together also bite and fight each other. When male and female rabbits are together, they mostly get along peacefully. Therefore, when managing them, try not to keep adult male rabbits or adult female rabbits together.
Taboos in rabbit keeping
1. Rabbits' food should be fresh vegetables and fruits, and should be fed after being washed clean.
2. Do not give rabbits food that is too cold, too hot, too spicy, or cooked.
3. Artificial feed given to rabbits should be measured appropriately, to avoid wasting feed or the rabbits becoming overweight from eating too much feed.
4. Do not casually pick flowers, grasses, and plants by the roadside to feed rabbits.
5. Rabbits should be fed at fixed times and fixed locations every day, to develop good eating habits.
6. If you want to change the feed, replace a portion of the feed each day and proceed gradually, to avoid digestive upset in the rabbits because of it.
7. Let rabbits have a certain amount of exercise time every day, which helps digestion.