General information on rabbits; the key facts about rabbits, children and rabbits, history of rabbits, adoption, bereavement, holiday care, rehoming, allergies.Is a bunny the right companion for me? Holland Lops. Honestly ask yourself these questions, before buying a bunny. Are you able to provide an appropriate size housing as soon as your bunny gets home? Here is the story about Lionhead Rabbits. No matter how the Lionhead rabbits began, I think most people will agree they are adorable. Keeping Rabbits as Pets Information and Pictures. Bear the black lop-eared rabbit. What Are Dwarf Rabbits? Dwarf rabbits are the smallest species of domestic rabbits. Dwarf rabbits vary in size from about one and a half pounds to three and a half. Do you have the space for your rabbits to exercise? And how much exercise time can you give the rabbits each day? Not only during the first day but every day? Can you afford to keep them? Vet checkup, boarding, sickness, food, toys, etc.???? Are you aware that rabbits can live up to 1. Have you thought about the long- term and can you commit to this responsibility? Are you willing to accept that as an adult you are the one responsible for the upkeep of the rabbit not a child? House cleaning, exercise supervision, finding a bunny sitter? Lack of interaction can make them depressed, withdrawn or aggressive. These are just a few questions that you need to ask yourself prior to buying a bunny. Not all vets know about exotic pets like rabbits, we recommend Creekside Animal Hospital in Draper. Domestic rabbit - Wikipedia. This article is about the domesticated form of the European rabbit. For information on the wild variety, see European rabbit. For general information on all rabbit species, see Rabbit. A domestic rabbit or domesticated rabbit (Oryctolagus), more commonly known as simply a rabbit, is any of the domesticated varieties of the European rabbit species. Rabbits were first domesticated in the Middle Ages and are used as sources of food, fur, and wool, as research subjects, and as pets. The male is called a buck and the female is a doe; a young rabbit is a kit or bunny. History. 1. 2th century BC, mistaking the European rabbit for a species from their homeland (the rock hyrax. Procavia capensis), gave it the name i- shepan- ham (land or island of hyraxes). A theory exists that a corruption of this name, used by the Romans, became the Latin name for the peninsula, Hispania – although this theory is somewhat controversial. By the 1. 6th century, several new breeds of different colors and sizes were being recorded. In the 1. 9th century, as animal fancy in general began to emerge, rabbit fanciers began to sponsor rabbit exhibitions and fairs in Western Europe and the United States. Breeds of various domesticated animals were created and modified for the added purpose of exhibition, a departure from the breeds that had been created solely for food, fur, wool, or labor. The rabbit's emergence as a household pet began during the Victorian era. Domestic rabbits have been popular in the United States since the late 1. What became known as the . We hear the complaint often: “My rabbit constantly has runny eyes. The vet gave us antibiotics, and it cleared up for a while. But once we stopped, it came right. From 1. 89. 8 to 1. Belgian Hares were imported to America. The domestic rabbit continues to be popular as a show animal and pet. Many thousand rabbit shows occur each year and are sanctioned in Canada and the United States by the ARBA. Today, the domesticated rabbit is the third most popular mammalian pet in Britain after dogs and cats. Rabbits have been, and continue to be, used in laboratory work such as production of antibodies for vaccines and research of human male reproductive systemtoxicology. The Environmental Health Perspective, published by the National Institute of Health, states, . Animal rights activists have opposed animal experimentation for non- medical purposes, such as the testing of cosmetic and cleaning products, which has resulted in decreased use of rabbits in these areas. An older term for an adult rabbit is coney, while rabbit once referred only to the young animals. More recently, the term kit or kitten has been used to refer to a young rabbit. A young hare is called a leveret; this term is sometimes informally applied to a young rabbit as well. A group of rabbits is known as a . Meat and fur rabbits are fed diets which will improve meat or fur production and allow for the safe delivery of large litters of healthy kits while minimising costs and producing feces which meet waste regulations where appropriate. Most pellets are based on alfalfa as a protein and fiber source, with other grains being used to complete the carbohydrate requirements. Minerals and vitamins geared toward specific requirements of rabbits are added during production. Many commercial rabbit raisers also feed grasshay, although this can represent a hygiene issue in rabbitries. This allows rabbits to digest, via fermentation, what they otherwise would not be able to metabolically process. Because a rabbit has a sensitive and rather substantial gastrointestinal tract, a rabbit's diet should consist of some amount of fiber. Without a proper diet, gastrointestinal stasis can occur and have detrimental effects on the animal. In rabbits, this valve is very well pronounced and makes the rabbit incapable of vomiting. The food enters the stomach after passing through the cardia. Food then moves to the stomach and small intestine where a majority of nutrient extraction and absorption takes place. Food then passes into the colon and eventually into the cecum. Peristaltic muscle contractions (waves of motion) help to separate fibrous and non- fibrous particles. The non- fibrous particles are then moved backwards up the colon, through the illeo- cecal valve, and into the cecum. Symbiotic bacteria in the cecum help to further digest the non- fibrous particles into a more metabolically manageable substance. After as little as three hours, a soft, fecal . The rabbit instinctively eats these grape- like pellets, without chewing, in exchange keeping the mucous coating intact. This coating protects the vitamin- and nutrient- rich bacteria from stomach acid, until it reaches the small intestine, where the nutrients from the cecotrope can be absorbed. This soft fecal matter is rich in vitamin B and other nutrients. The process of coprophagy is important to the stability of a rabbit's digestive health because it is one important way that which a rabbit receives vitamin B in a form that is useful to its digestive wellness. This is different from ordinary diarrhea and is usually caused by a diet too high in carbohydrates or too low in fiber. Soft fruit or salad items such as lettuce, cucumbers and tomatoes are possible causes. Increasing dietary fiber and decreasing carbohydrates should restore the gut flora to normal in the cecum and return gastrointestinal tract motility to normal. This can be avoided by providing a healthy diet of unlimited grass hay as the main part with fibrous green foods such as broccoli and cabbage and limited high fiber/low energy pellets. Note also that there are other more serious but uncommon causes such as cancer, intestinal obstructions and abscesses. Sexual maturity age for small breeds (Mini Rex, Polish) is 4 to 5 months. For medium breeds such as New Zealand, or Rex, onset is 5 to 6 months, and 6–7 months in large breeds (Flemish Giant, Checkered Giant). Males usually require more time to fully mature, and normally reach adult sperm counts between 6–7 months. Due to the territorial nature of female rabbits, it is standard practice for the doe to always be brought to the buck's cage. When the doe is brought to the bucks' cage, he quickly mounts her, performs pelvic thrusting culminating in ejaculation, and . The whole act may take less than 3. When he is finished, the buck should then be removed, but many breeders will reintroduce the buck a few hours later to increase the size of the litter. Females have six to eight nipples. They produce milk for four to five weeks. While most species produce approximately 5% milk fat, rabbits produce 1. See excerpted table below for comparison of species with the highest and lowest milk fat content. Each of these groups have differing interests and needs for genetic information. In biomedical research community and pharmaceutical industry, rabbits are used to produce antibodies, test toxicity of consumer products, and as a model organism. Among rabbit fanciers, the fiber/fur industry, the genetics of coat color and hair properties are paramount. The meat industry selects for disease resistance, feed conversion ratio, and reproduction potential. Linkage maps. Between 1. En, l, r. 1, r. 2, A, dw, w, f, and br had been established (phenotype is listed below). Dutch coloring. En - - English coloringl - - angorar. A - - Agoutidw - - dwarf genew - - wide intermediate- color bandf - - furlessbr - - brachydactyly. The distance between these genes is as follows, enumerated by chromosome. The format is gene. They are A, B, C, D, E, En, Du, Si, V, and W. Each locus has dominant and recessive genes. In addition to the loci there are also modifiers, which modify a certain gene. These include the rufus modifiers, color intensifiers, and plus/minus (blanket/spot) modifiers. A rabbit's coat only has two pigments, pheomelanin (yellow) and eumelanin (dark brown). There can also be no pigment, causing an albino or white rabbit. In parenthesis after the description is at least one example of a color that displays this gene. Note: lower case are recessive and capital letters are dominant. The genes are. A=agouti (. The genes are. B=black (chestnut agouti, black otter, black)b=brown (chocolate agouti, chocolate otter, chocolate). The genes are. C=full color (black)c(ch. Slight reduction in eumelanin creating a more sepia tone in the fur rather than black. Warmer parts of body do not express color. Known as himalayan, the body is white with extremities (. This gene dilutes black to blue and chocolate to lilac. It works with the 'A' and 'C' loci, and rufus modifiers. When it is recessive, it removes most black pigment. The genes are. E(d)=dominant black. E(s)=steel (black removed from tips of fur, which then appear golden or silver)E=normale(j)=Japanese brindling (harlequin), black and yellow pigment broken into patches over the body. In a broken color pattern this results in Tricolor. It is incompletely dominant and results in three possible color patterns. En. En=. The genes are. Du=absence of Dutch patterndu(d)=Dutch (dark)du(w)=Dutch (white). The genes are. V=normal color. Vv=Vienna carrier, carries blue- eyed white gene. May appear as a solid color, with snips of white on nose and/or front paws, or Dutch marked. BEW). The genes are. Si=normal colorsi=silver color (silver, silver fox). The genes are. W=normal width of yellow bandw=doubles yellow band width (Otter becomes Tan, intensified red factors in Thrianta and Belgian Hare). The genes are. P=normal colorp=albinism mutation, removes eumelanin and causes pink eyes. Mostly of them have historically been bred to be much larger than wild rabbits, though selective breeding has produced a range sizes from . The modern, long- haired Angora breed is raised for its long, soft fur, which is often spun, like wool, into yarn. Other breeds are raised for the fur industry, particularly the Rex, which has a smooth, velvet- like coat and comes in a wide variety of colors and sizes. There are 4. 9 rabbit breeds recognized by the American Rabbit Breeders Association in the United States. There are many more breeds of rabbits worldwide.
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