Rabbits Behaviour and Welfare

Why keep rabbits?

rabbits  are very territorial and they don't like it interfered with.
They must be handled regularly and kindly by the owner.
rabbits  are bred for exhibition and there are breeders' organisations in most parts of the country.
They can be kept for a domestic meat supply or can be run commercially for meat. They produce white meat, which is grouped with poultry and veal but they have the large advantage that they don't compete with man for grain.
Commercial rabbit farming for meat is usually a large operation where production, processing and marketing are all integrated like broiler chickens. What they produce per kg of body weight far exceeds any other farm animal and their reproductive rate far exceeds any other farm animal.
rabbits  can also be kept for their fibre (Angora) either as a hobby with a few animals, or with larger numbers in a commercial operation.
They are been integrated with a tourism where the Angora  rabbits  are on display, their fibre harvested, spinning is demonstrated and end garments offered for sale.
They can also provide pelts, usually as a byproduct from some other commercial operation such as meat. However some coloured and patterned pelts come from surplus exhibition rabbits.

Breeds and types

In New Zealand all breeds have been imported, but we do not have the full range seen in Europe or USA. Below are the main ones.

Meat rabbits

New Zealand White
Flemish Giant
Dutch
Californian
Himalayan

Fibre rabbits

Angora

Exhibition rabbits

Netherlands dwarf
French lop
Rex
Chinchilla

Handling

You can lift small young  rabbits  by holding them gently and firmly around the loin.
Larger  rabbits  are carried by holding the scruff in the right hand for balance and taking the animal's weight on your left hand and forearm held under the rump. If the rabbit struggles, the left arm can hold it.
Vicious  rabbits  (biting and scratching). There can be a number of reasons for this so try to find out why. It may be rough handling, starvation, too cramped conditions, teasing, etc. Regular quiet and gentle handling is a good investment, especially for pet animals.
If  rabbits  are persistently vicious, then they should be culled.

Nails

Caged  rabbits  will need to have their nails clipped at regular intervals.
With Angoras they can be nail clipped when shorn.
Use proper nail clippers and only cut about 5mm from the quick, which is easily seen against the light. If you cut into the quick the nail will bleed and cause pain.
Use a strong light under the nail to help see the blood line and avoid cutting into the quick.

Teeth

Rabbits have teeth occlusion problems where top and bottom teeth do not meet correctly and are not worn down evenly. They grow past each other so grown long and need to be treated. Consult a veterinarian for the correct procedure.

Sexing

Do this at 6-8 weeks so males and females can be cages separately.
Hold the rabbit upside down in your left hand with your fingers holding the legs to prevent struggling.
Use your right hand to press gently on the side of the vent area.
In the male (buck) a small tubular protrusion (sheath) can be seen, and in a doe there is a minute slit.
Seek experienced help to confirm your diagnosis.

Sexual maturity (puberty)

Most breeds are sexually mature at 5.5 to 6 months old. So a doe mated at 5.5 months will have her first litter at 6.5 months. Bucks are best used first at 6 months old.
The Angora is ready for breeding at 5-6 month's of age, but many producers wait till the third shearing at 8 months to evaluate its fibre production before using it as a parent to improve the stock.

A good production routine is as follows:

Week 1 Mate, shear, dose, cut nails.
Week 3 Put next boxes in dam's cage
Week 4 Kits born
Week 5 Kits removed from dam, sexed and shorn.
Week 12 Shear the doe and re-mate her.

Oestrus (heat)

rabbits  come on heat all the year round but do not have a regular cycle like larger farm animals. But high temperatures in summer (above 30°C) will reduce oestrus.
Follicles mature in 18 days, remain for about 7 days and regress in the next 9 days unless ovulation occurs.
The ovaries contain sufficient follicles on the 2nd and 3rd after kindling, and then again on the 17th to 20th day to allow successful pregnancy. So  rabbits  can be mated the day after the kits are born. So pet owners should be warned! This is why the rabbit can become a major environmental pest.
The event of mounting stimulates ovulation and they are prone to false (phantom or pseudo) pregnancies by this event. So for example females mounting females in a communal cage can stimulate false pregnancy.

Mating

In general mate young bucks to old does, and young does with an old buck. But this advice should not be set in concrete.
For mating - Make sure the doe is ready before taking her to the buck's cage. Her vulva will be slightly swollen and a bit red or purplish in colour. When not on heat it will be pale pink or white. Watch out for fighting and possible injury if the doe is not on heat.
Does are often taken to the buck in the morning and then 6-8 hours later in the same day. If the doe ovulates and conceives separately to each mating, both litters will be born close to the same time and there will be no size variation.
Mating may be a noisy affair (maybe pain or ecstasy) and the buck will fall sideways or backwards after the event. Don't leave the two together for long after mating as their attitudes can change quickly and end up with a fight.
Females can be held and supported from below if necessary to make the buck's job easier. But make sure she is properly on heat or false pregnancy and wasted time will be the result.
A doe can be bred the day after her kits are born, provided she is healthy.
If she is skinny as a result of her large litter and high milk production, then she must be built up with full feeding for a few days before mating.
Sometimes a sluggish buck can be stimulated by a back massage or a tickle of his sides and thighs. This may not always work so beware incase he doesn't like it.
Bucks that have become obese may need to be put on a strict diet to lose weight to boost their libido.

Pregnancy

Pregnancy in  rabbits  averages around 31 days.
Does can be palpated to determine pregnancy but it needs experience. The doe is held by one hand and the other is used to palpate the belly in front of the pelvis to feel for the small developing embryos. But be careful as injury can result if not done properly.

Preparation for birth

Nest building. Does are nest builders so some form of nesting material (hay, straw or clean shavings) must be provided to put in the next box in the cage. Do this a few days before she is due.
The doe will also pluck her belly a few days before birth to line the nest. This will also remove long hair to expose her nipples for the kits.
You may have to pluck the belly hair if the doe neglects to do it.

Birth

Kits are born naked and blind and stay confined to the nest for 2-3 weeks.
Leave the doe alone during birth and avoid any disturbance. Severe trauma at birth may result in her eating the young.
Give her a "feed treat" the next day so when she's out of the box you can count the litter. Examples are some leaves of comfrey, plantain, dandelion, or clover.
Litter sizes will vary greatly. An average litter is about 7 but this can range from 2 to 24 kits per litter.
Larger litters tend to have more losses up to weaning. Mortality of 6-8% is usual immediately after birth.
High death rates will occur if the kits are not suckled on the three consecutive days after birth.
Check for kits that get dragged over the edge of the box when the doe comes out.
Check the kits every day until they are ready to come out of the box on their own.
High temperatures may cause problems and often it's a good idea to put nesting boxes on the cool ground in a safe place.
Kit's eyes should open by 12-14 days. If any are delayed they may need bathing and some gentle encouragement by applying gentle pressure on each side of the eyelid.
Suckling takes place once a day, usually in the morning

Fostering

Offspring (kits) can be fostered from one doe to another provided they are within one week of birth of the foster mother. This is a useful practice to give kits from does with large litters to does with small litters - provided they have a good milk supply to rear them.

Rearing orphans

This is generally not worthwhile unless you want to preserve some special blood line. It's vital that the kits have their mother's colostrum immediately after birth. Talk to your vet about a suitable milk substitute for young kits.

Weaning

Young  rabbits  are normally weaned at 8 weeks of age and the sexes should be caged separately after this.
Number weaned averages around 6 but with a wide range from 2-10.
Some litters may wean themselves at 28 days, but it's a good idea to leave them as family group till 56 days.
You can leave a couple of kits with the doe for a few days after weaning a heavy-milking doe, to avoid milk build up and caking on her skin.
To reduce the stress of weaning young  rabbits  and possible weight loss, transfer the feeder from their old cage to the new one, so some familiar smells go with them to their new quarters.

Feeding

Pet  rabbits  will live well on kitchen and garden scraps, grazing the lawn and supplemented with pellets from the pet shop. In fact they may become obese on this diet unless you take care to avoid overfeeding.
If you want  rabbits  to grow and reproduce effectively, then you will have to consider their nutrition very seriously.
High performing  rabbits  must be fed a balanced diet containing all the nutrients required to meet their needs. These will vary with climate, pregnancy, growth, lactation, litter size and so on.
From day 1-21 days of pregnancy a doe will not need much more than the feed needed to maintain her bodyweight. But from day 22-31 there is a massive increase in feed requirements to nurture her growing litter up to birth.
Calcium and phosphorus are particularly important for growth, pregnancy and lactation. There are also a large number of vitamins and trace elements needed for health and high production.
rabbits  require fibre which can be incorporated in a fully pelleted diet. Diets fed as pellets save a lot of waste.
Pelleted diets should contain at least 15 % crude fibre and 17% protein. Check the nutritional content before you buy.
For  rabbits  producing fibre, the Sulphur amino acid content of the ration must be above 0.6%.
Clean water should be made available at all times.
All feed and water troughs/bottles must be kept clean - neglect will lead to digestive upsets and disease.
Don't leave feed in the hopper for more than two days as it becomes stale.
Make sure that  rabbits  clean up what they are offered each day - don't overfeed them.
Stale, mouldy or contaminated feed must never be fed to rabbits. It can lead to rapid death. Don't store feed for more than 6-8 weeks incase of moulds developing.
Introduce any new type of feed or new batch, over a few days to allow the gut flora to adjust. Mix the last bag of the old batch with the first bag of the new batch.
Check the feed analysis on the bag and if you don't understand anything, consult your supplier.

Coprophagia (eating faeces)

rabbits  produce two types of pellets - hard and soft.
The hard pellets drop through the cage and are not eaten.
If these hard pellets are soft or diarrhoea occurs, then feed more hay and cut down the pellets.
The rabbit will also produce naturally-soft pellets which it eats direct from the anus. This is Coprophagia.
Coprophagia is part of a normal rabbit's digestive system where it recycles vitamins.

Housing

For generations,  rabbits  have been kept very successfully as pets, for meat and for fibre in hutches either outside in gardens or inside other buildings.
Hutches. Size is not critical, as long at the rabbit has enough area (see below for cage sizes).  rabbits  like a dark enclosed resting/nesting area, and an open area for feeding and exercise.
Outside hutches need to be weather proof, but avoid using treated timber incase the  rabbits  start chewing the wood and get poisoned. Covering outside surfaces with bitumastic felt is ideal for weather protection.
Pet  rabbits  are also commonly kept in runs with a covered area where they can graze the lawn.
For larger rabbit operations, it's better to consider cages inside buildings.
For purpose-built structures you need to be aware of local authority regulations and bylaws.
Siting of rabbit houses is critical to success, and to avoid environmental/health problems.

Minimal floor areas needed for caged rabbits.

Does - 8/litter to 5 weeks (0.56m²)
Does - 8/litter to 8 weeks (0.74m²)
Weaners 5-12 weeks/rabbit (0.07m²)
rabbits  over 12 weeks/rabbit (0.18m²)
Adult breeding stock over 12weeks (0.56m²)

The main problem in buildings is environmental control to deal with the cold in winter, high temperatures and humidity in summer. Cold in New Zealand is a minor problem except for young kits or newly shorn Angoras. Our problems are more likely to be heat and humidity control.

With commercial houses being open-sided, the problem can be air control without causing draughts. Windbreaks can be planted alongside rabbit houses which can also provide fodder (e.g. tree Lucerne).
Cages are essential if you want to keep any number of rabbits. They're easy to keep clean and provide free air flow.
Cages need to be made of welded wire mesh.
Floor 25 x13mm mesh of 2.5mm diameter.
Sides and top 50 x 25mm mesh of 2mm diameter.

Cage sizes

For does and litter to weaning , - min floor area of 0.54m², 900mm x 600mm x 450mm high.
Weaners 5-12 weeks - ditto (provides 0.07m²/head)
Woollers over 12 weeks - 770 x 450 x 450 high (0.3m²/head)
Cage doors. Should be big enough to get  rabbits  and equipment in and out easily. An opening of 330 x 420mm is ideal. Side doors are preferred to those on top to allow more room below cages and ease of operation.
Feed hoppers. Should be fitted with a dust extractor, either gauze or a narrow slot and a lip or partitions in the trough to stop the rabbit scratching out the feed.
Fit the feed hoppers through the cage wall with the base not more than 75mm above the floor. It must be big enough to hold a day's feed.

Water

Nipples are the best way to ensure a continuous clean water supply. Fit them about 200mm above floor height. If fitted too low it may discourage drinking and if too high it could be out of reach.
Check water nipples regularly as lack of water is the main cause of  rabbits  not eating.

Nest boxes

Should be large enough for the doe to kindle in comfort, and suckle the kits for 3-4 weeks without risk of injury through over crowding.
Size 500mm x 250mm x 250 mm high.
Make one side 180mm high for easy entry by the doe and retain the kits.
Untreated 12mm plywood is ideal for nest boxes. Or use a wire mesh frame with a disposable wax cardboard liner. Or a box with sheet metal top and sides and a wooden or composition floor. In freezing conditions put polystyrene in the nest box under the hay for extra insulation.
Nest boxes can be put inside the cage or mounted outside the doorway.

Waste disposal

Pits dug 500mm deep below the cages are best. Put a layer of coarse sand or fine road metal in the bottom of the pit for drainage. The dung should be left undisturbed and kept as dry as possible (watch for leaking water systems). This method should last six months or a year before cleaning is needed.
Rake off waste hay at regular intervals. The dung pits are an ideal place to start worm farming. It's a very good idea to concrete the walkways between the cages for both hygiene and safety reasons.

For optimal production, 15 hours of daylight every 24 hours should be maintained.
rabbits  and their leftovers will attract vermin such as rats, mice, stoats, weasels, ferrets and possums. Make sure you have a pest prevention and destruction programme in place at all times.

Health and welfare

The secret to success is to provide a good healthy environment and remember that prevention is always more effective and cheaper than cures.
rabbits  should live to 5-6 years old if healthy and well cared for.
Constant vigilance is the key to see problems almost before they have developed.
Dust, toxic gases like ammonia, and high humidity irritate lungs and nasal passages and will make a rabbit more prone to respiratory problems such as snuffles.
Ammonia fumes are killers. They arise from accumulated dung and urine below cages. Make sure you have good ventilation all year round.
rabbits  must have a free flow of air at all times, but without draughts.
Cages must be kept clean, especially from a build up of dung, hay or fibre. A regular clean with a blowtorch is a good idea. This will also remove dung pellets hanging from hairs below the cages.
In commercial operations, cages must be up off the ground where dung and urine fall into a pit below to be cleaned out once a year. One tier of cages is best as banks of them often cause problems. Many producers keep a worm farm in the droppings below the cages.
The water supply must be kept clean and free from faults. Nipple drinkers are best.
Discuss an animal health programme with your vet before you start, then you'll know how to develop a management programme based on disease prevention.
Have a quarantine or isolation area for new animals brought in or those under observation. Sick animals can also be held here when under treatment.
Normal temperature in the rabbit is 38-39°C.
Normal respiration is 32-60beats/min.
Now that the Calici virus is here in New Zealand, it would be wise to contact your veterinarian about protection against it by vaccination.

Fibre harvesting

Removing the fleece from a rabbit can cause a great deal of stress. Angora fibre can be harvested by shearing or plucking.
Shearing needs special skill and patience with the animal as the rabbit's legs have to be strapped on a special flip-over board.
rabbits  are normally shorn first at 8 weeks, then at 20 weeks and 32 weeks.
Small animal clippers with the correct head are essential if you have many animals. It will take about 20 minutes to shear a rabbit. Experts can do it in 10 minutes.
Scissors can be used for few animals but they must be sharp and well maintained.
It is vital to avoid "second cuts" in the fibre. Keeping the shearing head flat on the skin all the time does this.
The fibre is so light that it doesn't fall away like wool on a sheep. It's a good idea to have a helper to do this and blow gently on the fibre to remove any second cuts.
Also wear a mask as spare fibres float in the air and can be easily breathed in.
The skin must be held tight with your spare hand to avoid cuts and teats must be protected by your fingers when shearing the belly.
Shorn yields will always be greater than plucked yields.
The first crop is shorn from  rabbits  at 2 months old when the "baby" fibre is removed. After that the animal must be shorn every 90 days. Some people even shear every 10-12 weeks.
Animals will need protection from cold until the coat has grown again. A nest box and bedding will provide this. Appetite will increase after shearing so give them some extra feed.
Plucked fibre brings the highest price in Europe.
For plucking, the rabbit has to be handled 2-3 times to remove the entire coat unless it happens to be in a complete moult.
Plucking is often done over a period of days as all the fibre may not be "ripe" all at the same time.
To gain plucking experience, try the long fibres on different parts of an old doe. If they come out easily, pluck them with index finger and thumb. Use the other hand to hold the rabbit.
Remove the long fibres only and don't attempt to pluck them unless they are loose, as this will stress the rabbit.

Grooming

Grooming can be very stressful for the rabbit if not done with care.
It is done with a wire comb and keeps the rabbit's fleece free from mats and knots.
It is best done as a weekly routine when little work is involved.
Neglect and poor husbandry will produce matted dirty fleeces, resulting in low returns and mountains of work trying to rescue fibre.
rabbits  shorn every 10-12 weeks need very little grooming.

    Dr Clive Dalton

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