Some Cal "How To's"
There are three essentials to having quality rabbits: Genetics, Housing and Conditioning (care and feeding). I'd like to share with you our personal opinion on these three things based on what we’ve discovered works best in our barn. By no means is this the only way or the best way for everyone. I hope this information will give you a general idea on what it takes to properly raise your Californians.
Housing
The first step in any rabbit project or show barn is proper housing. Inadequate cages and protection from the elements will greatly affect the quality of your rabbits. I’ll begin with the cages. We have found that cages built of 14 gauge wire that is double galvanized after it has been welded is much stronger and durable than thinner wire that has been galvanized before being welded. We recommend wire with ½ x 1 inch squares for the floor wire and 1 x 2 inch squares for the side and top wire. On doe cages we encourage baby saver wire to be used for the sides. This is a wire that starts off with ½ x 1 inch holes at the bottom and gradually gets larger until it reaches the 1 x 2 inch hole. This protects the babies from falling through the wire onto the ground. All of our cages have a 12 x 12 inch opening for the door in the front of the cage. We do not recommend free standing wooden hutches for several reasons. One reason being that the wood trim catches and holds waste, which increases the chance of sickness and urine stains. Also the legs give predators (ants and snakes) easier access to the young. Because of this we have found that wire hanging cages work much better. Below is a list of cage sizes that we feel work well for Californians.
Breeding doe cages 30”w x 30”l x 18”h
Breeding buck cages 24”w x 30”l x 18”h
Holding cages (for show stock & rabbits to be sold) 24”w x 24”l x 18”h
Seeing that the doe cages are not only used for the doe’s permanent home but also for her babies to be raised in, a larger feeder should be inserted in the front of the cage so there is plenty of room for several bunnies to eat at once. There are many types of feeders available. We prefer to use “J” Feeders because there is less waste of feed. For the buck cages and holding cages a small “J” Feeder is all that is needed seeing that there will only be one rabbit eating from the feeder at a time. Since these cages are narrower across the front, mounting the feeder in the door itself is a good option. There are many small animal supply dealers, such as bunnyrabbit.com and Bryant’s Small Animal Supply in
Shelter from the sun, strong wind and rain is also very important. It’s understandable that a barn is not possible for everyone. But a roof over the cages and some kind of sides are necessary to keep your rabbits in good condition. I recommend a structure that is well ventilated with plenty of air circulation by natural breeze and/or fans. Make sure that rain is not able to blow in on your rabbits by either having a partial wall or tarps that can be let down during bad weather. If not, your rabbits are more likely to suffer from colds and have damaged fur. Walls or tarps will protect them from direct sun as well which is a must. Of course a closed in barn with fans and central air is perfect but is more costly and not always possible.
Care and Feeding
I feel that this is the most important part of raising show rabbits. Rabbits must have adequate food and water. A rabbit without water for as little as a few hours will become stressed and begin to feel rough across it’s back and hindquarters. Always keep plenty of fresh water that is free of algae and any other trash available to your rabbits. Clean your crocks, water bottles or watering system on a regular basis. We prefer to use an automatic watering system in our barn. This is a cost effective way to make sure that our rabbits always have water and it’s less work for us and the kids.
Quality feed is vital. There are many feed options available. There are so many opinions on this subject that almost every breeder will tell you something different. Keep in mind that this is what we find works best for our rabbits and may or may not work for yours. It’s up to you to research feeds and find what meets the needs of your stock. We feed Petrus Feed. It's a great feed. We recommend a feed that has a nutritional value of 15-16% protein, 2-3% fat, and a minimum of 19% fiber. Some breeders successfully feed their breeding does 18% protein. The correct amount of protein and fat will make them grow and fill out properly and the high fiber will make them have good, firm flesh condition. We feed every rabbit in our barn the same feed. The subject of feed supplements is almost as touchy with breeders as the feed itself. Like feed, there are many choices. We personally feed all of our rabbits Doc’s Rabbit Enhancer once they reach about 4 pounds. We’ve found that this helps to improve overall fur and flesh condition. Air flow and temperature control are also important when it comes to conditioning your rabbits. This is more difficult if you have a barn that is closed in, but it is still possible with more or larger fans. The air needs to be constantly cycling to provide your rabbits with the freshest air possible. A box fan or several smaller fans should be sufficient. Here in
Sickness, Disease, Parasites, etc.
Sore hocks are sores on the bottom of the rear feet. This can be caused by several things. Poor genetics, lack of density of the coat, low quality floor wire or the weight of their body along constant rubbing of their feet on the wire. Athlete’s foot spray or campho-phenique will treat this very well. There are also plastic pads that can be put in the cage bottoms for them to get onto until the sores are gone.
Ear canker is a parasite that will build up and cake in the inner ear. If a rabbit is scratching and shaking it’s head this is a sign that they could have canker. This can be treated with a few drops of campho-phenique in the ear. Vet RX can be used also. Do not try to clean out the build up unless it is so bad that the liquid can not get into the ear. It’s best to let it come out on it’s own. If it’s not treated soon it can get into the brain and the rabbit will have to be put down so check your rabbit’s ears on a regular basis. Fur mites are another parasite that will attack your rabbits. They are very small and can be mistaken for small bits of dust in the fur. If your rabbit has mites you will notice them vigorously scratching. So much that they can scratch their hair off and make sores behind the neck. They may also become rough across the backbone. A drop of Ivermectin on the back of their neck will take care of this as well as prevent ear canker. This is something you can do every few months if you’d like. Some people only treat their barn when there is a sign of infestation because Ivermectin will sometimes cause rabbits to molt (shed fur) a couple weeks after treatment. Vet RX not only treats mites it helps cure sniffles and other respiratory infections. You can rub it directly under the nose or put it in their drinking water daily until the sniffles are gone. You can do this as treatment only or keep it in the water all the time as a preventative. Campho-phenique and Vet Rx are 2 miracle liquids that should be kept in your barn at all times.
Now is a good time to talk about cleaning out your rabbit barn. There will always be rabbit hair floating around and sticking to everything in the barn. It’s important to try to clean it out as often as possible as well as dust from feed that attaches itself to the bottom of the feeders and cages. If this continues to build up it will increase the allergens that could make your rabbits have runny eyes and noses. Also, rabbit urine is very high in ammonia which can cause sniffles in the barn too. So the more you clean out under the cages and the more you sweep or vacuum out the barn the less chance of sickness. This could be a long slow job depending on how many rabbits you have but you will have healthier rabbits in the long run.
Breeding & Handling
When breeding your rabbits an important thing to remember is that does are very territorial. Because of this you should always take the doe to the buck cage for breeding. It’s good to have the doe ”take” 2 or 3 times. Make sure not to overuse your buck. After the buck breeds a doe let him rest for a few hours or even until the next day before taking another doe to him. This will lessen the chance of the doe “missing.” (not actually being bred) If you find that the doe is not interested & will not breed try giving her a slice of bread or a few drops of peanut oil on her food. Try breeding her again in a couple of days. This seems to trigger something that causes them to come in. The gestational period for rabbits is 28-30 days. During this time try not to over handle the doe. Increasing her feed is not necessary right away. We usually wait until her litter has been born and then we double her feed. Around day 25 is a good time to put a nest box in the cage. Make sure not to put the box in the corner where she uses the restroom. Our boxes are 12”w x 18”d x 12”h. Proper bedding is important for the doe to build a good nest. We put about 2 inches of shavings in the box & then fill it with hay.You may have to add more over the next few days because usually the doe pulls it out before she finally gets ready to build her nest. Just make sure not to add any bedding if she has started pulling hair. Wait until she has given birth and the babies are a day or 2 old then you can put in a handful of hay. It may not be necessary if she has built a good enough nest with her hair. Be sure to check the box regularly for dead babies and replace all soiled bedding. Before handling the babies rub your cleaned hand on the mamma to get her scent on your hand. If there are any runts or weak, sickly bunnies removing them and doing away with them is a good idea. She will usually push them off or kill them anyway. If you have a doe that has a large litter you may want to foster some out to another doe. Just mark their ears with a marker before putting them in with their foster mom. Rub vanilla on the foster mom’s nose so that she can not smell the difference between her babies and her new ones. By the time it wears off they will all smell the same. You can also foster out babies who’s mother has abandoned them. If your breeding for a meat pen show it’s good to balance out your litter weights by fostering. If you have a doe with 9 babies you can take out a couple of her babies and give them to a doe that only has 4. This way the litters are closer and will grow at closer rate. You should wait until the babies are about a week old before fostering if possible so they are stronger and will take the move a little easier. For these reasons we always breed 2 or 3 does at the same time. Once the babies start jumping out of the box you can take the box out and put some hay in the corner of the cage. This is a good time to start handling them on a daily basis and teaching them table manners. (how to pose, flipping them, checking their teeth & toenails) This is usually around the time they begin to nibble at food and you should start filling up the feeder so they have free choice of feed all the time. Keep them on full feed until they are weaned which is when they are around 8-9 weeks. This means that if you’re raising them for a meat pen, leave them with their mother until the day of the show. This gives them maximum nutrition and reduced stress which leads to better growth. After weaning it’s still important to handle them everyday so that they will behave on the show table. Make sure they stay clean of urine stains also. Lightly misting the fur with water usually cleans the spots. For stubborn stains you can mist them with a 3 part solution of water, peroxide and Windex. Just always come back over the coat with water to help prevent drying the coat out. Do not over work the fur or it will become broken and open. Another option to prevent stains is to put dividers around the buck cages.
I know this is a lot of information and I have still not covered everything. Please call us if you have any further questions and we will be happy to help you any way we can. Another good guide is “The Guidebook to Raising Better Rabbits and Cavies” which is available through the American Rabbit Breeders Association. I encourage you to talk with other breeders. Get their opinions as well…experiment. Experience is the best teacher and the learning never truly ends.
-Joe Nelson
bravenet.com