Rabbits are considered to be fecund animals, and many farmers cultivate them. Female rabbits start to mate at the age of 3 months, this applies to small breeds, large breeds, onset of sexual activity takes place from 6-7 months.
When breeding animals not to avoid mating rabbits in a relationship, they have to be different mothers. To breed rabbits, you need to understand the issues: how is the breeding female rabbits, gestation, features of the content and nutrition of female with her offspring before and after birth.
How to determine pregnancy
After mating, the breeders start to look to the female. Beginning farmer may not immediately understand and identify the signs and then help the knowledge of experienced breeders.
Signs of pregnancy in female rabbits following:
- Early on it changes the behavior. No pregnant females behave calmly. But when the pregnancy occurs, females not to allow themselves to males, avoid them. And in their persistent behavior females can beat them and bite them, while the farmer will hear them squeal. If the rabbit is in a separate cage, the owner will also be able to see the change in behavior: she will hide from him, maybe even bite and show aggression.
- When will there be a later period of pregnancy, you will notice that the abdomen is clearly increased. To verify this, you can gently lift the rabbit behind the front legs. If the female is in itself complete, to figure out if she is pregnant, will be more difficult.
- Three weeks after mating you can gently probe the stomach. So do the veterinarians or experienced breeders. During pregnancy on the abdomen palpated dense balls are the little bunnies.
- The female secretes milk from the nipple when gently pressed. This feature is already talking about the approach of the breeding.
- When the deadline nears, the female begins teeth to pluck scraps of wool from his belly. So she prepares a nest for the offspring. It starts about 4 days before kindling.
- At a time when birth begins, rabbit is nervous and restless, and can not afford to find a place and eventually is rammed in a secluded corner of the cell.
Pregnancy female rabbits should be held in a calm atmosphere without stress. Nor should it be alarming, to relocate in another place to take hands while she’s pregnant rabbits.
How long is pregnancy in rabbits
Pregnancy in rabbits lasts 30 days. The breeding rabbit can occur before, for a couple of days reducing the period of pregnancy.
To understand what goes a pregnant DOE, you need to pay attention to the following factors:
- The conditions of detention of the animal, environment and lack of stress;
- Pregnancy first or not.
- The number of hatched babies. The more, the higher the probability that the breeding comes first.
Despite the fact that the exact period of pregnancy until the day is unknown, the breeder can still prepare for breeding female rabbits, calculating the approximate date after intercourse. The behavior of the rabbits before the onset of childbirth will also have an effect. The breeder need to enclose the nest in the cage and to contribute to its creation, adding a straw. The female will then be able to advance to insulate the nest down, thereby preparing a bed for toddlers.
But do not too early to start putting a nest in the cage. The animal will not understand what it is, and can deconstruct and throw away the socket or is there something to add.
If it’s too late to put a nest, the female rabbit can give birth to the beyond, as in no time get used to it. And that’s too bad, because out of the nest, the babies can freeze to death. Or she could give birth in a nest, but due to stress will trample the rabbits.
How are birth
The process of birth in rabbits is no different from other mammals. The breeding most often occurs in the early morning or at night. During delivery, the rabbit herself cope, and the assistance is not required. Most often birth takes place quickly, it depends on the number of cubs, but in some cases the process can last all day. Then, to help better call the vet. Every rabbit is born from 10 minutes to an hour.
Once all the kids were born, the DOE eats the placenta and wrap with newborns. If there are stillborn, and eats them. To prevent this, you need to remove them from the cage soon as the birth. Babies are born wrinkled and naked. But after ten days obuchayutsya and become very sweet crumbs.
Once the birth is over, you need to make sure all the kids were in the nest. If someone is lying separately, before you put it in the nest, the female rabbit need to be deposited into a separate cage. When all the kids are in the nest, the mother returns. It is important to ensure odors in the cage was not. And first you need to get a cage.
If you need to put the kids in the nest or to count them, before you contact them up must wipe the straw and down from their nests to eliminate the smell. In General, without having it is better not to contact with rabbits after birth. And the first time the family be left alone and not to disturb. Just change the water and add feed.
Some female rabbits can be good and caring mothers, and some not so. Bad mothers are often young rabbit, which is the first birth. As a rule, these bunnies toddlers crawl around the nest in search of milk and heat. It is more likely that a breeding rabbit will gain experience and will take care of the offspring. But this time, not to allow the rabbits to die, to help the breeder. You just need to gently pull scraps of wool from the belly of the rabbit and cover with the kids. The female, feeling your smell, fix it and show attention to newborns, feed them. Then nature will tell.
Good mothers come to their young in the morning and evening to feed them. And all the kids they are in the nest fed with full bellies and carefully covered.
Depending on the breed of rabbit to produce the light about 6-10 bucks. But first and most often breeding rabbits less than that is not an indicator of fertility.
The diet of a pregnant rabbit
In the period of gestation of offspring a female needs good nutrition and plenty of fluids. The expectant mother needs to gain weight. The diet should be a source of calcium, for example, bone meal or chalk.
In that case, if the weight is typed badly and the DOE does not look well-fed, it is necessary to add vitamins and give a more three-dimensional portions. Novice breeder best to seek the advice of a veterinarian. As it will be able to determine how much and what feed is necessary to give scrolley rabbit.
In the initial period of pregnancy it is advisable to provide roughage in the future provide a concentrated feed.
10 days before the birth the rabbit food contains the following products:
- Food with high protein content, for example, sunflower seed cake – 50 grams;
- Ground egg shells – 2 grams;
- Fish oil – 2 grams;
- Chalk, bone or meat and bone meal – 2 grams;
- Soybean meal – 30 grams;
- Oats and beans – 100 grams;
- Carrots and other succulent feed.
Young female rabbits spend more resources on its own development, so they need to give the feed more nutritious by 20% than older individuals.
Nutrition of the rabbit after birth
After birth, the rabbit becomes a nursing mother and produces milk. Milk should contain a large amount of protein. So food for the rabbit should consist of proteins in the amount of 20 grams per 100 grams of product.
The first time food should be as nutritious, varied and contain all the necessary components for feeding calves. Be sure to add to the diet dill, parsley, nard or other herbs that promote lactation. In winter you can give fresh hay. You can make the mash of oats, bran, hay, mineral supplements. Also add to the nutrition of fish oil, meat and bone meal or chalk, fresh vegetables, fresh potatoes, salt.
Serving lactating rabbit should be a lot more, you need to always keep the feeder was empty. When the kids start to feed themselves, then continue to fill the bird feeder is not smaller volumes. They grow very fast, within a week after birth they weigh twice more, and after a month their weight is increased 10 times. Good nutrition is very important during this period.
