Rex rabbit farming carries risks, so never follow the trend blindly
The Rex rabbit originated in France and developed from a mutation of the common rabbit. Because its fur is short and neat, with the guard hairs not protruding above the plush surface, it looks exceptionally beautiful and enjoys the reputation of being the king of rabbits. The Rex rabbit can be used for both fur and meat, and its pelt closely resembles the precious otter fur. It has many uses, and the whole Rex rabbit is a treasure, which some jokingly call the “golden rabbit”!
China introduced the Rex rabbit relatively late. Due to insufficient farming experience, for a period there were problems of “emphasizing importation over breeding, emphasizing quantity over quality, and emphasizing rabbit breeds over feeding management”. In addition, raising was scattered and dispersed, so it was never possible to form an advantage in raw materials and products, nor to enhance the advantages of quality and commercial goods, which once restricted the development of the Rex rabbit farming industry. In recent years, Rex rabbit fur clothing has sold well in the global market and market demand has expanded rapidly. It should be said that the Rex rabbit farming industry has entered a normal development period of a virtuous cycle in commercial production.
The expansion of Rex rabbit farming scale has also brought market sales problems to some farmers. What exactly is the current situation of the Rex rabbit market? According to relevant information, high-quality Rex rabbit fur is in short supply on the international market. Because Rex rabbit fur products are moderately priced and easily accepted by consumers, their market demand exceeds that of any other fur products. Since the market prospects look good, can Rex rabbits be developed on a large scale? Relevant figures in the animal husbandry field believe that Rex rabbit farming must not be rushed into all at once, and must not develop blindly and excessively.
In many regions of China, Rex rabbit farming has shown blind development to varying degrees. Among existing Rex rabbit farmers, quite a few seek cheap prices, neglect the selection of improved breeds, and blindly introduce breeds without considering what breed is suitable for local farming; some farmers buy breeding rabbits only from small-scale specialized households and individual households, and cross two rabbit breeds, but because hybrid rabbits have very unstable genetic performance, their offspring are prone to severe trait segregation; still other farmers buy commercial rabbits as breeding stock, resulting in heavy losses of breeding rabbits, low survival of young rabbits, the spread of various diseases, and a vicious cycle. Because some farmers do not understand scientific feeding and their breeding techniques are inadequate, they use inbreeding, causing breeding rabbits to be smaller in size. If the breeding of male breeding rabbits is neglected, the culling rate is high, and some even one-sidedly pursue the number of Rex rabbits, directly leading to the degradation of Rex rabbit fur quality. In addition, farmers are accustomed to disinfecting immediately after immunization, believing that this can thoroughly eliminate pathogens, and many farmers also feed large amounts of drugs to prevent stress reactions in rabbits, but the result affects the immune efficacy of the rabbits, ultimately leading to decreased immunity and even immune failure.
Rex rabbit farming is a systematic project. When farmers raise Rex rabbits, they should adapt to local conditions, start at a moderate scale, and develop gradually. At the same time, because Rex rabbits have poor heat and water exchange capacity, are sensitive to temperature differences and climate changes, and have weak disease resistance, only scientific farming can produce benefits. Farmers should pay special attention to the selection of excellent Rex rabbit breeds and do a good job in the scientific breeding of improved breeds. In addition, before raising Rex rabbits, farmers should also fully consider the market sales issue, and it is best to find a relatively stable sales channel in advance to reduce farming risks.