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Care of Ferrets
Care of Rabbits

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Care of Rabbits

REPRODUCTION

Rabbits are very fast breeders. They are usually sexually mature between 16 - 24 weeks of age. A male rabbit is called a "buck" and a female rabbit is called a "doe". The young are called "kittens". After a buck and doe have successfully mated, it will take between 30 - 33 days until the kittens are born. A doe can have between 2 - 9 kittens at one time, but usually only have 4 - 5. Does can give birth several times a year and can fall pregnant soon after giving birth. This is why the buck should be removed from the hutch immediately after mating has occurred. During the last week of pregnancy, the doe builds her nest. During this stage she will pluck her hair from her abdomen and flanks in order to provide warmth for her young. Kittens are born hairless and they cannot see or hear. By two weeks they are furred and have their eyes open and can hear. Kittens start eating solid foods at 3 weeks of age and are weaned at 30 - 35 days. However kittens can should remain with their mother until they are between 7 - 8 weeks old.

WHY SHOULD YOU GET A RABBIT DESEXED ?

It has been shown in the laboratory situation that rabbits are much happier kept in groups therefore it is good idea for the sake of your rabbit to keep a pair or more. The best combination is to keep a male and one or two females. Single sex pairs are more likely to be aggressive to each other and these fights can be very nasty. As already pointed out, rabbits breed fast. Therefore if you do want to keep a male and a female and not be overrun with offspring then at least one of the pair has to be desexed.

Both female and male rabbits can be desexed however normally veterinarians advise the male of the pair be castrated. This is because general anesthetics in rabbits aren't as easy as say a dog or a cat and spay procedure is far more invasive and longer than castration. Also castration reduces aggression in the male rabbit, and bucks tend to have a stronger odour than desexed or female rabbits. Spaying is far less likely to reduce aggression in a nasty female rabbit.

The recommended age for desexing for either male or female rabbits is approximately six months of age. Earlier desexing has a higher anesthetic risk. Generally the procedure is quick and your rabbit is back to its normal self in no time at all.

  HEALTH

If you observe your pet rabbit at night you might be surprised to see it eating its poo. This is normal. If you have a close look at this material you will see it is softer than the normal hard pellets and is covered in a kind of slimy jelly (mucus). This faeces is called a caecotroph and the rabbit needs to eat it. Rabbits are special herbivores because they use the last part of the intestinal tract to ferment their food (a lot of other herbivores have an extra stomach or two). This fermentation process released proteins and vitamins but can't be absorbed this far back in the tract. The rabbit re-eats the fermented product getting a second chance to gain all the value from the food. If you see the uneaten caecotroph in the morning then your rabbit may be sick and you may need to take your rabbit to a veterinarian. The other reason you may see a caecotroph is if your rabbit is too fat to reach its anus. The material is often found matted into the rabbit's fur.

Rabbits can't vomit, which means they don't need to be fasted for anesthetics. It also means it can't bring up fur like a cat can. Rabbits do groom themselves and fur balls can develop. The best protection from fur balls is to feed your rabbit plenty of fibre in its diet.

Rabbits also have red-coloured urine normally. This is due to a stain in the urine called porphyrin. If the urine appears darker (port-wine like) and smokey or appears to have a sediment then there may be blood in the urine and you should take your rabbit to a veterinarian. Rabbits do get bladder infections and are prone to bladder stones if they have too much calcium in their diet. Male rabbits can even develop urine retention if the stone blocks the bladder outflow. Female rabbits can get uterine cancer and the primary sign is blood in the urine. If the womb is removed within the first few months of its development then the outcome is usually excellent.

Unfortunately rabbits can be very fragile. Diarrhoea often results in death. Viruses such as myxomatosis or calicivirus have high death rates. Abscesses in rabbits are often exceedingly difficult to resolve and may result in euthanasia. They also have very fragile bones and easily break their back. It is very important to have good husbandry, which means good feeding and housing, and to handle your rabbit carefully.

COMMON HEALTH PROBLEMS

RINGWORM

Like cats and dogs, rabbits can catch ringworm. The most common sign of ringworm is sudden fur loss and scaly dry skin. These symptoms can be treated using an anti-fungal cream on the infected areas. The cream must be applied to the affected area for no less than 28 days but 2 months is recommended. And remember ringworm is contagious to humans, so always wear gloves when treating an infected rabbit and keep an eye on all your other pets for the same symptoms.

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