Breeding rabbits at home for beginners - useful tips and tricks

To keep and grow animals you need certain knowledge. Breeding rabbits at home for beginners is not an easy task, so it is important to know the basic requirements for proper care, reproduction and possible diseases.

Conditions for keeping rabbits

For beginners, information on what conditions an animal needs is useful. The breeding and maintenance of rabbits includes such features:

1. Acceptable is the temperature - 12-18 ° C, but fluctuations within 5 ° C are permissible. Sharp jumps in rabbit indicators are poorly tolerated. They do not like high humidity and dry air.
2. At home, you need access to sunlight. With open content, organize protection from above, and in closed rabbits there should be windows within 8-10% of the floor area.
3. Breeding rabbits at home for beginners involves maintaining the house of animals in its pure form. In addition, the dwelling should be ventilated. Tanks for food and water clean every day, and the cells - at least once every two weeks.
4. If you put fresh grass in the cells, then it should be washed in flowing water and wilted.

Cells for keeping rabbits

The most common method of breeding is cellular. It has a number of advantages: you can constantly monitor the condition of the animals and the breeding process, and even easier feeding and cleaning. Ideas of cells for rabbits are based on certain requirements:

1. To the animal was warm, the cells should be protected from wind and precipitation.
2. It is better if the floor is made of mesh or wooden rails, which will help prevent contamination with feces.
3. Breeding rabbits at home for beginners includes the rule that one specimen should have a volume of at least 72x60x42 cm. If females with rabbits, then 89x78x42 cm.
4. Feeders and drinkers should not be on the floor, so that animals do not contaminate food and water, so they should be attached.
5. Note that rabbits can gnaw through wooden cages, so the wall thickness should be at least 1.5 cm.

An enclosure for rabbits

Animal meat breeds should be kept in enclosures, but this option is suitable only for seasonal work. The content of rabbits in cages implies that the rabbit with rabbits should have 5 square meters. m, and for the rest - 1 square. m, they should not be cramped. For breeding rabbits at home for beginners it is important to know about the requirements put forward to the enclosures:

1. An enclosure must have a roof, which will protect from the sun and rain.
2. Inside, for better breeding, you can put a large and a few small cells so that animals can settle.
3. It is recommended to bury the fence to a depth of 0.5 m, otherwise the rabbits will quickly get out.
4. Near the fence, put feeders and drinkers, which should be long, but not very deep. From above make a canopy over the troughs so that the street birds do not eat their food.

What do rabbits eat?

For the health of animals is important not only care at home, but also the organization of proper nutrition. For beginners, there are several important conditions, for example, it is mandatory to ensure a constant supply of clean water, because with a lack of liquid feed will be poorly absorbed. The diet of rabbits for proper breeding should be varied so that they receive the necessary substances. Pregnant females need a more nutritious diet.

How can you feed rabbits?

To breed animals at home it is important to make the right menu, for which refer to such recommendations:

1. In winter, you can feed hay, which should be leafy and soft. In addition, you can give them harvested from summer twigs of pine, birch, linden, apples and so on.
2. The rabbit's diet per day can consist of a mashed bread, which includes boiled potatoes, vegetables and bran. For beginners it is useful to know that for fattening give the animals should be barley, corn, soy, bran and the like.
3. When breeding rabbits to maintain health in the menu in small quantities should be present salt, bone meal and chalk.
4. The transition to the spring-summer diet should be carried out gradually. Let's have fresh grass, but it should not be wet and overripe. It is not recommended for a long time to feed eared animals with the same grass.

What can not feed rabbits?

It is important to know when breeding animals not only what can be given, but also what is forbidden:

1. Dairy. Animal protein is forbidden to rabbits, therefore it is replaced by vegetable, for example, barley.
2. Vegetables and fruits. Rabbits are contraindicated in red vegetables, cucumbers, onions and young potatoes. As for fruits, then from the menu exclude exotic fruits.
3. Cereals and legumes. Not suitable for rabbits rice, millet, millet and rye. Swelling can cause young peas, black and red beans.
4. Plants. You should know what kind of grass can not be given to rabbits , so watch to avoid poisonous plants, for example, celandine, dope, wild radish and so on.

Vitamins for rabbits

For good health and health to living beings it is important to get useful substances. For beginners is important information about what vitamins are needed by rabbits :

1. Vitamin A. Important for the reproductive and nervous system, but also for a strong physical condition. There is it in carrots, green grass, fruits and vegetables. It is a fat-soluble vitamin, so add oil.
2. Vitamins of group B. Useful substances of this group are needed for the proper work of the digestive, cardiac and nervous system. In addition, they affect the quality of the hair and metabolism, and also reduce the amount of cholesterol in the blood and so on. With home-grown B vitamins, rabbits can get from legumes, potatoes and bran.
3. Ascorbic acid. Strengthens the immune system and participates in many processes in the body. To get vitamin C, turn on parsley in the menu.
4. Vitamin E. Helps strengthen the walls of blood vessels and supports the work of muscles. This substance is in the germinated grains of wheat, corn and green forage.
5. Vitamin K. Takes part in blood coagulability and strengthens capillaries. To cope with the deficit of this substance, choose nettles, needles and grains.

Reproduction of rabbits at home for beginners

For slaughter of animals, a female is needed in the state of sexual hunting, which can occur once a week, but depending on the season, the interval may vary. At this time, the rabbit becomes restless, rushes around the cage, plucks its own fluff and refuses to eat. An important sign - the genitals should be bright pink and slightly swollen. Reproduction of rabbits should be done in the morning or in the evening, and in the winter - at lunch.

Features of reproduction of rabbits

For mating to the male, a female must be inserted, otherwise time will be wasted for the rabbit to get acquainted with the new place. The cage should be clean, and without excess items. To pair the rabbits was effective, it is recommended to wait for the double coating. After this, move the female to the place that is usual for her. Experienced rabbit breeders recommend conducting a control pairing in 5-6 days, and if the female is pregnant, then she will not let the male to her.

Diseases of rabbits

At home, animals are susceptible to numerous diseases , which fall into three groups:

1. Invasive. Diseases arise from parasites that affect internal organs and tissues.
2. Non-infectious. Problems arise from improper feeding, when dilution is performed with errors or the temperature regime is violated. For beginners it is useful to know that this group includes bruises and injuries.
3. Infectious. Finding out what diseases are in rabbits, it is important to point out that the diseases of this group develop more often, and they are very dangerous, as the risk of infection of other individuals increases. Infection is caused by microbes, viruses and cutaneous parasites.

Diseases of rabbits - symptoms and their treatment

To describe all diseases will have to spend a lot of time, and the exact diagnosis in most cases can only be put by a veterinarian. Symptoms of the most common diseases in rabbits and how to treat them:

1. Food disorders. The problem is indicated by the absence of feces, too loose stools and bloating. For treatment, a hunger diet is needed for 12 hours, and after that you can give a small amount of a mixture of soft food and boiled potatoes. With constipation, give 1 tsp of castor oil.
2. Injuries. With minor wounds, you can lubricate them with iodine. Deep injuries are difficult to cure and in most cases the animal is slaughtered. If due to frost frostbitten ears, then you need to transfer the rabbit to a warm place, and lubricate the damaged areas with melted warm fat.
3. Thermal and sunny impact. With this problem, the rabbit lies motionless on the side, breathing is quickened, and the nose and mouth are red. It will help in this case a compress, which must be applied to the head. If convulsions are observed, then it will not work.
4. Cold. In the presence of these diseases rabbits at home sneeze and noticeable clear discharge. For beginners, it is useful to know that the animal should be transferred to a warm place in case of malaise, and every day a burial with a solution of furacilin (1 g of substance per 100 g of water) is performed.

Vaccination of rabbits

As a preventive measure, vaccination is recommended for animals, which protect against serious diseases, for example, viral hemorrhagic disease and myxomatosis. Vaccinations for rabbits do at the age of 1-2 months, using complex preparations or drops. If the animals are kept for reproduction, then the vaccine should be given once a year. A suitable preparation is recommended to be selected from a veterinarian or in a veterinarian.