Keys to Raising Healthy Rabbits

Recently, we began raising rabbits and discovered that there are some things that are very important for their comfort. There are a couple of things that are particularly important to make sure that rabbits are not endangered by the environment that you provide for them.

First, you must make sure that rabbits are kept at a comfortable temperature. Many people worry about their rabbits in the winter, afraid that they may be getting too cold. However, winter is not the time that is a great danger to rabbits. As long as they have shelter from cold weather, and the elements, they will be fine. Some people have actually caused much harm to their rabbit herd by trying to keep them warm in the winter by adding heat lamps to the rabbit hutch. This causes the rabbits to become overheated, and may actually cause death.

The greater danger for rabbits is hot weather. Rabbits dissipate heat through their ears, but if it is too hot they cannot get rid of the heat from their bodies. Remember, they are wearing fur coats! It is important to provide ways for the rabbits to cool off, as they cannot "sweat" (like many animals). There are a couple of things that can be done to ensure that rabbits stay cool on very hot days. First, bottles of water can be frozen and put in the hutches with the rabbits. The rabbits will lay up against the frozen bottles if they need to cool off. Another trick is to use ceramic floor tiles which have been frozen. Not only will these cool the rabbits off, but it will also give them a place to sit that will keep them off of the cage floor.

Second, it is important to keep rabbits on a routine to keep them comfortable. They need to have fresh water provided for them all the time so that they can drink freely. Food, on the other hand, should be provided once per day. The rabbit should only be fed what they can consume by the feeding time the next day. Most rabbits will take about 4 ounces of food. Rabbits do not need to have food available at all times, as many will continue to eat far more than they need, and will therefore be overweight. To keep rabbits on a routine, try to feed rabbits at about the same time each day. One exception to these rules for feeding rabbits comes when rabbits are being grown for meat rabbits. Rabbits can be fed all that they want for the first 6-8 weeks to grow them to slaughter size. If a rabbit is to be used for breeding stock, or for a pet, after 8 weeks they should be put on a more moderate diet.

Third, it is important to keep rabbit hutches clean to make sure that they are comfortable. Many rabbits are very clean, and their cages will remain clean most of the time. Only the occasional cleaning will be necessary. Other rabbits can be very messy, spreading droppings over the whole cage. It is important to keep the cages clean so that the rabbits can stay clean. It is very important to keep all the droppings cleaned up so that flies are not attracted to your rabbits. If droppings are caught in the cage floor, it will cause flies to be attracted, which will lead to larvae in the cage.

Rabbits are very easy to care for in comparison to some other animals. If you can make sure that all of these elements are in place, you will have healthy and happy rabbits. Whether you have meat rabbits, or pet rabbits, these keys will make it possible for you to have a healthy herd!