Why RabbitS?

 Timothy Hay is an important part of a rabbits diet. It provides much needed fiber and helps keep the teeth at a normal length. Some herbs, green leafy vegetables, rolled oats, fresh fruits, and black oil sunflower seeds, may be used sparingly 

as treats. ALWAYS double check for safety before feeding anything new to your rabbit. 

 Rabbits are foraging herbivores, eating mostly grass and weeds. But this fibrous, cellulose rich diet isn’t the easiest to digest, and by the time their dinner has make it through their intestines it still contains many of the nutrients the bunnies need. Bunnies actually make two different kinds of droppings: little black round ones and softer black ones known as cecotropes that are eaten. This process is known as coprophogy, and functions the same as cows and other farm animals chewing their cud. Rabbit droppings also make an ideal garden fertilizer.

Rabbits are naturally very clean animals and can be easily trained to use a litter box.  They are smart, social, curious, and love to learn through play. With patience, and lots of treats, your bunny can be trained to come to their name when called, run agility courses, fetch, jump, and spin. 

 The average litter size for rabbits is five, though mothers may give birth to as few as one and as many as 12! Typically larger commercial breeds of rabbits have larger litters, while a dwarf breed of rabbit may not be able to support quite as many. Since young rabbits grow up quite quickly, “doe” rabbits may have three or four litters in a season. 

 Baby rabbits, also known as kits, stay with their mothers for about 4-8 weeks before they are weaned. During this time, the mother rabbit takes care of her young by nursing them and keeping them warm and clean. As they grow older, the kits start to eat solid food and drink water, and the mother gradually reduces the amount of milk she produces. At around 4-6 weeks old, the kits are usually fully weaned and can eat on their own, although they may still stay with their mother for a few more weeks to learn important social skills and behavior.

     The American Rabbit Breeders Association adapted a chart from the Animal Welfare Act to help rabbit owners determine appropriate cage size for their animal. The minimum space requirements for one rabbit are based on the rabbit’s weight. For example: A large 8-11 lb rabbit requires at least 4 sq. ft. of  floorspace and the minimum cage height should be at least 14". 

Dwarf can be safely bred at 4 to 5 months of age. Medium to large breeds of pet rabbits and commercial meat rabbits, become sexually mature at 6 to 7 months of age. The giant breeds such as the Flemish, or checkered Giant should be at least 7-8 months of age when bred. This allows the rabbit to develop enough body conditioning to support healthy reproduction. It is sometimes possible for a rabbit to become pregnant before these ages, but it can be dangerous or hard on the young rabbits body. Best practice is to separate intact males and females by 12 weeks to prevent injury and unplanned pregnancies. 

The smallest bunny can measure around nine inches in length and weigh less than a pound. Small breeds like this include the Netherland Dwarf and Polish. While the largest giant breed rabbit on record is over four feet long, and weighed more than 50 pounds! Continental Giant rabbits and other farm breeds are well known for being massive. The average domestic rabbit, however, weighs around six pounds. 

 Linebreeding is where breeders frequently choose to mate parents who have a common ancestor, but who are not as closely related as in close inbreeding (e.g., not first-degree and second-degree relatives). The aim is generally to improve or maintain specific traits within the breed. Responsibly line breeding can help refine your breeding stock to maintain the health and quality of the breed. 

 There are at least 60 different rabbit breeds with an average lifespan of seven to 10 years. The oldest rabbit ever recorded lived to 18 years and ten months. Rabbits in the wild can live anywhere from one to nine years of age due to predators, habitat loss, and being hit by cars. 

 In north America, the majority of what we see in our yards and meadows and would call “wild rabbits” are of the genus Sylvilagus. This includes all the various species of cottontails. Domestic rabbits are a different genus (Oryctolagus) and were developed from the European wild rabbit. Wild cottontails cannot be kept as pets or education animals because they are far too easily stressed to live a comfortable life in captivity. Domestic and wild rabbits are so genetically different they cannot even be bred together. Domestic rabbit breeds do not possess the same survival skills and abilities as native rabbits and should never be released into the wild.

  Rabbit meat tastes a lot like chicken due to the fact that both are white meat. The biggest difference between the two is the texture. The general consensus is that the younger the rabbit, the better it tastes. Rabbit meat has the most protein per serving, the least fat, and the fewest calories per serving when compared to other meats like chicken, pork, beef, lamb, veal, and turkey. Domestic or farmed rabbits have more fat in them and a milder taste compared to wild rabbits with amore gamey flavor.