Despite what one may think, rabbits are relatively
straightforward animals in terms of their needs. The breed of rabbit you decide to raise will
also play a role in the needed equipment.
First and foremost, a rabbit needs stable living quarters. The
area where you put your rabbit needs to be well ventilated. Rabbits can be housed in wire cages or wooden
hutches. Wire cages are easy to clean,
sanitary, and relatively easy to assemble.
They are also fairly inexpensive.
Wooden hutches are a practical option if you do not have a sheltered
area to put a cage in. These hutches
provide rabbits with ample room to hop about, but they can be difficult to keep
sanitary. They also can cost quite a bit
more than a wire hutch or cage. For
these reasons, I recommend the wire hutches if there was any question.
Rabbit needs to have enough room to sprawl out, exercise and
possible raise a family in their cage.
For this reason, it is important to ensure the cage is of sufficient
size. The smaller to medium sized breeds
require a smaller cage than a large breed, such as the Flemish Giant. Common dimensions for wire cages include
24X24, 24X30, and 30X30. Custom sized
cages can be built as well.
A dropping pan and
legs often come with a wire hutch, but if the cage does not contain these
items, they must be purchased unless you have a hanging system. Wooden hutches often are designed for the
droppings to just fall through the wire floor so they must be cleaned out from
underneath the hutch.
Food crocks, water
bottles, and dishes are a must.
Heavier crocks are ideal for larger rabbits or rabbits that tip over
their dishes. If the rabbit drinks from
a water bottle, a crock is not necessary and vice versa. Each rabbit will require one dish for food
and either a bottle or additional crock for their water. A smaller dish can also be included in each
cage if an additional feed was being fed simultaneously.
A high quality pelleted rabbit feed is a must for all
rabbits. When looking for a pelleted
feed, try to aim for one that contains
around 17% protein, 2.5-3% fat, and 14-18% fiber, which would provide adequate nutrient levels for a wooled breed, growing litter, or producing mother. Slightly lower levels will suffice for smaller breeds or rabbits not in litter.
Toys and hay racks
are optional items. Hay can easily
be fed by grabbing a bunch and putting it into the cage or by tying it together
to hold it together. A hay rack can be a
nice option for the wooled breeds to prevent them from getting chaff into their
coats. If toys are desired, be sure that
they are safe for rabbits.
A slicker pet brush
is a necessity for wooled breeds. This
will make it possible to tease out any snarls forming in their coats. A blower
is very helpful in grooming the angoras but is not necessary, as long as you
have good quality grooming tools for their coats.
Nail clippers are
something I consider necessary, but it may not be considered in large scale
commercial rabbitries. Clipping the
nails not only prevents you from getting scratched when handling them, but is
also healthier for the rabbit as their nails may break if they get
overgrown. It is also safer for does
with litters to prevent injuries.
If you are planning on breeding, a nestbox is an essential. The
box must be large enough that the doe can comfortably sit or sprawl in it with her
litter to feed them, but not so large that it takes up most of their cage. The smaller the rabbit breed, the smaller the
box needs to be.
If you were planning on breeding and selling kits, a tattoo pen or clamp is a must. Although both produce good results, I prefer
the pen as you can adjust the size of the tattoo depending on the size of the
rabbit’s ear. You also do not have to
purchase additional letters or numbers.
And of course, your
time is also a vital part of the success of your new rabbits. Depending on how many rabbits you have, you
need to have enough time to maintain clean living quarters, feed and water your
rabbits, and handle them. While large
scale rabbitries do not tend to handle their rabbits so much, I feel it is
important for maintaining a laid back and friendly herd.
While it is not a requirement when raising rabbits, I would recommend
joining the American Rabbit Breeders Association (ARBA) club. This club provides a wide variety of benefits
including show winnings, rabbit registration, a bi-monthly magazine, connections,
and more. Even pet owners can gain
valuable information from joining this club.
If you decided to get very involved in your rabbits, many of the breeds
have their own national clubs as well.
I hope this post helped you realize that rabbits are very
straight forward animals to raise.
Please check back next week for another post on this series!
