Who can see a rabbit without being overwhelmed by warm feelings. But besides being graceful, there are several curious facts about this rodent.
The
rabitt is present in almost every child's fantasies, because of its enchanting,
sweet and fluffy appearance. The sympathy towards his image is so great, that he
ended up having his image associated to a festivity that is dear to children:
Easter.
Very curious and calm, if treated with care grows attached to people, answers by its name and is very affectionate towards owner, letting him caress it and getting excited when he arrives. Very clean, it looks after its own personal hygiene.
Its fantastic power of multiplication is known by all. Believe it or not, it may have from 3 to 18 babies every 3 months, after very quick "love making". Just a few seconds! Female ovulates when the male bites her back during the act. Next, if he let out a scream and faint, don't be worried. This is absolutely normal, and he will recover in a few instants.
Their teeth never stops growing, so they need to gnaw at things so they will wear off and don't get too long. "There are people who think this is not true," says zootecnist and cuniculture teacher Vera Lúcia de Vasconcelos, "but this happens to all rodents."
If you think the way to carry this animal is by its large ears, you're wrong. The "tecnique" may seem practical to whoever carries the rabbit, but it can hurt or even break its spine with a sudden move of the animal. Observe, in the figure, how to do it correctly.
Rabbits can be bred freely, if place where they stay is correctly fenced. Do not put males and females together to avoid fights. They males will want to mate all the time, and females won't let them. If you take them from their "area", watch them closely. They love to dig tunnels, eat plants and chew furniture.
The European wild rabbit is the ancestor of the domestic rabbit. It is believed it arrived in the European continent through Spain, coming from the North of Africa. Many centuries went by before it was domesticated and became the way it is now. It seems that monks were the first to raise rabbits. When the selection of the domestic breeds started, 270 years ago, there or 5 or 6 breeds. Today, there are more than 50.
This rodent, whose scientific name is Oryctolagus caniculus, lives an average of five years. It has night habits, and is herbivorous. Distinction of sexes is done by looking at the sexual organs, easily spotted. Besides, the female has a more concave profile. You may choose from the New Zealand, Californian, Chinchilla, Vienna Blue, Butterfly, Silver, Rex, and the most exotic, the Angora. There are also the dwarf rabbit and the one with pendant ears, normally found as mutations of the New Zealand and Californian, but also in the other breeds.
When purchasing a rabbit, it is advisable to take it as soon as it is weaned, after 45 days of age, because it adapts better. If the one you choose looks sad, bristled or with diarrhea, choose another. It may have a serious disesase. Buy from a breeder who's willing to orient you in case of doubts. Check that the accomodations are in good conditions and clean. Ask for a little of the industrialized food the rabbit is used to; changing feeding abrubtly causes diarrhea. During the first 30 days, let him loose for in brief intervals, so it will get used to new environment, adapting to the new home.
Black and Fire: Small, this rabbit has a smooth
black coat, with red markings. It weighs 2 tot 3kg. Of English origin, its first
official presentation was in England, in 1894.
Vienna Blue: One of the most popular medium sized breeds, rough and easy
to breed. It was developed around 1893 in Austria, Vienna, as a result of
breedings with giant black and yellow rabbits. It weighs from 3,5 to 5,5kg.
Rex: Smooth coat and a great variety of colors, result of a lot of
selection work. It emerged in 1919, in France, from a short hair mutation of the
wild domestic rabbit. Weighs 3 to 4kg.
Chinchilla: Its main characteristic is the coat resembling the
Chinchilla, famous for its fur. It came about through the breeding of domestic
rabbits, and Beveren Blues, and Russian, in France, 1913. Weighs 2,5 to 3,5kg.
Angora: Nobody knows for sure where the mutation that originated this
rabbit came from. Its main characteristic is the coat, which can be as long as
25cm. It weighs about 4kg. The long and silky fur grows continually, and must be
combed and trimmed so it doesn't curl. This should be done every 70 days
approximately, when hair can reach a length of 10cm. The most common color is
the white. But it is also found in black, dark blue, havanah and Siberian (white
with dapples).
Butterfly: A beautiful breed, the main characteristic is the peculiar
distribution of spots over the body, always white. It usually weighs 2,5kg. The
smooth and dense can be 2,5 long. The spots can be black, grey or brown, and are
distributed in the following way: one butterfly shaped spot around muzzle and
lips, a rim around the eyes, a dot under the eyes, which are not too big, and
oval; the ears are completely pigmented, with a continuous line linking the ear
spots to the tail, and finally a "chain" that starts at the root of
ears in small but defined dots, and ends in the loins.
Californian: Created in California, in 1928, it is one of the most
recent and famous breeds. Obtained through breedings of the Russian rabbit and
the Chinchilla. It weighs 4 to 4,5kg.
New Zealand: American, it came from California. There are three
varieties: white, red, and black. It weighs 4 to 5 kg, and is very strong.
Feeding: It eats 1/3 during the day and the rest
at night. Feed it pelleted feed products, suitable for rabbits, because it
supplies their protein needs. Keep 150 to 200g in the food trough, day and
night. Avoid sudden change of food, it usually causes diarrhea. For distraction,
offer them wild blackberry, orange or plum branches. Zootecnist Vera Lúcia
informs that branches and pellets (hard chunks) help wear out teeth. A mixture
of leaves may be a good complement of fibers, vitamines and minerals. Once a day
feed them the following leaves: beet, raddish, chicory, and kale. They prefer
eating them after they start withering. Don't serve them at refrigerator
temperature. Avoid yellow leaves. Don't feed them lettuce; it causes diarrhea.
They love carrots, but it is fattening. Give it every other day. A vitaminic
complex may be administered as a complement. The rabbit has the habit of eating
night fezes, which have a jelly coating, and are rich in proteins.
Cage: Specific for rabbits, in a fresh place, protected from wind
drafts. Separate males from females. If one of them likes to fight, put it in an
individual cage. Place it far from soil, so urine can be drained. Keep it always
dry and clean. The more rabbits in the cage, the more difficult it is to
maintain the necessary hygiene for their health. Wash and disinfect
accomodations every 2 weeks. Place two food troughs in the cage, one for food,
and the other for fodder. Never place food on the floor. Drinking trough must be
small to avoid them to get their fur wet, and also a disease caused by fungus.
In the winter, a covering may be used around the cage to protect agains cold
weather. Cages for up to 2 rabbits shoud be 80cm long x 50cm wide x 35cm high,
if rabbits are small or medium sized. For giant rabbits, cage should measure
80cm x 60cm x 45cm.
Reproduction: Once a month, after four months of age, doe is in
heat. Her vulva, which is pink, becomes red. Take her to the male's cage. He
will mate soon. Take her out. Put her on an exclusive cage, in a quiet place,
and reforce her diet. Provide a hutch 27 days after mating: a wood box and
straw. The doe will pluck out hair from her abdomen and will build a warm and
soft hutch. Three to eighteen babies will be born, eyes closed, and no hair. She
suckles once a day. Babies come out of nest after 20 days, and start eating
small portions of food. Do not handle them before this. There may be an
accident, or stress. Separate mother from baby rabbits after they're 45 days
old. For small breeds, nest should be 25cm high x 35cm long x 25cm wide. For
medium sized rabbits, 30 x 40 x 30cm. Large rabbits, 35 x 45 x 30cm.
Health: Rabbits are very sensitive to humidity and dust. Keep cage
dry and clean. Rabbits don't take baths. If fur and skin get wet, it might die.
The contact with its own urine, may cause diseases. Secure the health of your
rabbits by feeding them correctly and observing hygiene principles. If ears are
pendant, or rabbit displays apathy, lack of apetite, or sadness, take it to the
veterinarian. Myxomatosis is caused by a virus, carried by mosquitos. It cannot
be transmitted to man, but is lethal to rabbits. Symptoms: fever, swelling
around the eyes, lack of apetie, nose discharge. Give vaccines when they are 2
months old. New doses every six months. Scabies is also common, but cannot be
transmitted to man. Prevent with a special solution and advice from
veterinarian. Using gloves, apply this solution every 40 days with a cotton, on
the paws, ears and tip of muzzle. Check if product penetrated coat down to skin.
To prevent diarrhea, give them banana or guava leaves.
Reading Material: Aprenda a Criar Coelhos - Um Guia de Auto Suficiência,
Coleção Biblioteca Vida, Editora Três, São Paulo,
Brazil. Manual de Zootecnia - Raças que Interessam ao Brasil, by A. P.
Torres, W.R. Jardim and Lia F. Jardim, Editora Agronomica Ceres, São
Paulo, Brazil. Doenças dos Coelhos - Manual Prático, Márcio
Infante Vieira, Livraria Nobel, São Paulo, Brazil.
For More Information: Associação Paulista dos
Criadores de Coelho, tel. (011) 262-3011.
We would like to thank the assistance and text reviewing
done by Ludovido Dewald, president of the Associação Paulista dos
Criadores de Coelhos (Paulista Association of Rabbit Breeders), Vera Lúcia
de Vasconcellos and Dilma Pimental, biologist from Granja Rumo Novo, Rio de
Janeiro, tel. (021) 442-1928.
Research: Ana Martins and Claudia Piccazio.
Text editor: Marcos Pennacchi
Picture: Fernando Torres de Andrade
Owner: Ludovico Dewald
