Guidelines and Tips for Raising Rabbits at home (Must Read)
Tips for Buying Rabbit(s):
The first question you have to ask your self before buying rabbit is ->Am i going to breed the Rabbit and like to sell the Babies?
or
I need the Bunny as my pet just like a Dog?
Well, If you are planning to be a breeder then:
- Choose 1 male and 2-3 Female Rabbits
- Make sure that Male should not be a lower breed than Female i.e. Female is from a Giant breed and male is a dwarf in that case female will take down the male and there could be a chance of injury or loosing your male.
- Its good to choose same breed rabbit to avoid genetic disorders.
- Never choose more than one male in your colony.
If you are planning to be a Pet lover then:
- Try to choose only one rabbit to keep in your house.
- Preferably Male, as the males can be more attached to humans than females you will not feel boring.
- Male rabbits prefer circling around your feet unlike females which concentrates only on eating and digging burrows.
Tips for Homing your Rabbit:
Now next question will be whether you are going to keep the bunnies indoor or outdoor?
In fact keeping bunnies outdoor is much safer option for both bunnies and you!
The reason is they can inhale fresh air and you wont get allergic to any of their mites.
If you are keeping them outdoor then make sure that cats cannot stick their paws inside their cage.
And the cage is kept under good shade cause Rabbits cannot bear heat but they do well in extreme cold.
If you are preferring to keep them indoor make sure that your cage has a detachable tray for easy waste removal.
The cage should be filled with tiles / wooden board at least for 1.5 square feet to avoid them getting sore on their feet.
Tips for handling your Rabbit:
Never lift your rabbit by their ears as that will hurt them very badly and chances of getting hair-line fractures on their ear bones.
It should be lifted with the support of their body weight to keep them in comfort zone.
Tips for Feeding your Rabbit:
The rabbit that does not have access to clean water will die within a week especially younger ones.
Always check whether they have plenty of water to drink.
Rabbits hate and avoid dirty water, If the water is stinky it wont lick even a drop from it no matter how thirsty they are.
The best kind are those that are placed on the side of the cage on the outside and face into the cage.This is better because the rabbit can not knock it over. The bottle should be cleaned out and fresh water should be supplied every day.
Feed rabbits from your own backyard:
Some plants grows faster and easy to maintain which gives dual benefit i.e. for you and your bunny!!
Banana plant :
- Easy to grow and maintain.
- Banana leaves can be fed unlimited to rabbits due to their high fiber content.
- Banana peels can be a tasty snack for your bunnies and Banana fruit will be a good treat also.
Tapiaco Plant (Maravalli/Kelviragu):
- One of the fastest growing plant and easy to plant in any climate.
- The stick can be used to regrow the plant easily.
- Plug leaf by leaf (Old ones first) rather than cutting off the entire branch so that you wont run out of leaves any time.
Sunflower Plant:
- Sunflower plants are taller and provides sufficient food for your rabbits.
Alfalfa Plant:
- Alfalfa is a legume and can be grown in varying climatic conditions.
- Alfalfa is high in protein and helps your bunny gaining weight
- They grow faster and regrow even faster after each cut.
Other plants which can also provide feeding values are
- Rose plant
- Brinjal plant
- Chilly plant
- Spinach
- Bermuda grass
- Wheat crop
- Maize crop
