What to feed baby jack rabbits
How to Care for a Baby Jackrabbit
By Cynthia Measom | Updated September 26, 2017People often happen upon wild, baby animals in their yard or in the wilderness. While it's easy to automatically assume that the parent abandoned the baby, that's not always true. But sometimes, people feel they must protect a defenseless creature. If you discover a seemingly abandoned baby jackrabbit, it's probably best to leave it alone until you determine that the mother truly abandoned it. If you decide rescuing it is the best option, educate yourself regarding proper care techniques.
Gently pinch the loose skin on the back of the rabbit's neck. If the skin forms a tent, the rabbit is suffering from dehydration.
Rub the genital area of the rabbit gently with a warm, wet cloth to stimulate urination. Observe the urine. Brown and gritty urine signals dehydration.
Arrange soft, clean towels in a box for a nest. As long as the room temperature is 65 to 70 degrees, the rabbit should be comfortable. If the room is colder, place a heating pad--on low-- under approximately half the area covered by towels so the rabbit can move close to or away from the heat as needed.
Feed the baby jackrabbit goat's milk in an eye dropper or twice a day. Hold it upright and point the dropper to the bottom of its mouth. Allow the rabbit to swallow between each drop to prevent aspiration.
Stick to these feeding guidelines from The Indiana House Rabbit Society:
Newborn to 1 Week: 2 to 2-1/2 cc/ml twice daily.
1 to 2 weeks: 5 to 7 cc/ml twice daily
2 to 3 weeks: 7 to 13 cc/ml twice daily
3 to 7 weeks: 13 to 15 cc/ml each feeding, twice daily
Jack rabbits should be weaned at 7 to 9 weeks. Replace the goat's milk with tiny pieces of cut up apple or banana. Place the fruit in a small dish and allow the rabbit to eat as desired.
Provide oat hay, Timothy hay and/or alfalfa hay to the rabbit once its eyes open. At about 9 weeks, it should be ready for release back into the area where it was found.
This is best done at dusk or dawn.
Before caring for a baby jackrabbit, place some small twigs in a tic-tac-toe pattern over the top of the nest. Wait 24 hours, and check to see if the nest has been disturbed. If it has, do not move the baby. Its mother is likely still around.
Warnings
Avoid overfeeding, as it can lead to fatal intestinal disease.
The longer you keep the rabbit after weaning, the more difficult it will be for it to adapt to living on its own in the wild.
References
- Indiana House Rabbit Society: Wild Rabbits
Photo Credits
Writer Bio
Based in Texas, Cynthia Measom has been writing various parenting, business and finance and education articles since 2011. Her articles have appeared on websites such as The Bump and Motley Fool. Measom received a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Texas at Austin.
Do You Know What to Feed a Wild Baby Rabbit?
Written by The Rabbit Hole Hay Team
Let’s start with the basics about rabbits in general.
Baby rabbits are only fed from their mother a few minutes a day. A mother’s milk is packed with the necessary nutrients that feeding once is more than enough for the little bun.
The feeding normally occurs at night to help protect the babies. The mother rabbit can be seen away from the nest during the day which is why it is important to leave babies in nests alone unless you are confident that the mother has either abandoned the nest for good or has died. So needing to take care of a wild baby rabbit is rare, very rare.
Orphaned Baby Bunnies: Wild
So what do wild baby rabbits eat when they don’t have their mother giving them their nutrient packed milk? Rabbit.org provides this information on what to feed an orphaned wild baby rabbit until you are able to take them to a wild rabbit rescue.
Feeding Of True Orphans
Age + Amount (This WILL vary SO MUCH depending on type of rabbit. It is impossible over the Internet to see your particular rabbit, so this is only approximate.
) Use KMR kitten or KMR kitten plus Goat milk, regular not low fat. Add a pinch of acidophilus (aka Probiotic) to the formula to promote healthy gut flora. Formulas vary depending on region. Avoid Esbilac and any puppy formulas! FEED TWICE A DAY ONLY for healthy babies. It may be easiest to start with a 3 cc/ml syringe or an eyedropper. Feed only with the bunny sitting UPRIGHT, and point syringe down towards bottom or side of mouth, so if too much comes out, the baby does not aspirate. At first, they may only take a few drops at one feeding until they are not stressed and used to this.
- Newborn to One Week: 2 – 2+1/2 cc/ml each feeding (two feedings per day).
- 1-2 weeks: 5-7 cc/ml each feeding (two feedings per day). (depending on bunny..may be much LESS if smaller rabbit!) Newborn babies (if eyes closed) all need to be stimulated to urinate and defecate prior to or following feeding until their eyes open. (Except Jackrabbits do not). *See how to below.
- 2-3 weeks: 7-13 cc/ml each feeding (two feedings).
Domestic eyes open at about 10 days of age. Start introducing them to timothy and oat hay, pellets and water (always add fresh greens for wild ones). - 3-6 weeks: 13-15 cc/ml each feeding (two feedings–again, may be LESS depending on size of rabbit! A cottontail/brush bunny will take so much less!! Half this at most.) Cottontails wean and release about 3-4 weeks and jackrabbits much later (9+ weeks), whereas domestic rabbits are 6 weeks.
- 6 weeks-9weeks for Jackrabbits only, continue up to 9 weeks with formula, gradually changing to a dish for the warm formula, replacing the formula after 9 weeks slowly with a a dish of cup-up tiny banana or apple pieces.
To read more on how to take care of an orphaned rabbit, read the full article from here.
A wild rabbit’s diet varies on the temperature they are living in. When the temperature is warmer, their diet consists of: clover, flowers, grasses and other plants that grow in that temperature. When the temperature is cooler, their diet becomes more sparse including: twigs, bark and remaining greens.
Sounds very different from the Timothy Hay and Orchard Grass that a domesticated rabbit might eat right?
Not sure if your momma rabbit is feeding your new baby rabbits? Do you need to know how to feed your baby rabbits by yourself? Download our Human's Guide to Feeding Baby Rabbits to learn about what to look for in your baby rabbits, feeding techniques, a feeding schedule and more! We pride ourselves on supporting a community of small pet owners who care deeply about providing happy and healthy lifestyles for their pets.
How to feed rabbits at home
Proper feeding of rabbits requires balanced mixtures containing a certain norm of the necessary products and having a high nutritional value. Without observing this condition, it is impossible to achieve good growth and strong immunity in animals. By adjusting the diet of rabbits, you can improve the quality of meat and fur, increase the survival of offspring and maximize the potential of the breed.
- What can rabbits eat?
- Benefits of specialty feeds
- Benefits of compound feed produced by MEGAMIX
- Feeding rates and rations
- Self-preparation of feed
- Nuances of feeding rabbits depending on the season
- What should not be fed to rabbits?
What can be fed to rabbits?
The metabolism of rodents is so intense that they need to constantly eat for the proper functioning of all body systems. If the rabbit for some reason stops eating, then during the day there is a malfunction in the digestive tract. This entails serious consequences for health, up to and including death.
Compound feed for rabbits is complete and concentrated. The first one provides all the needs of animals in calories and nutrients. The second is used as a supplement to the main diet. Young rabbits reach a commercial weight of 3.5–4.5 kg, provided that they are properly fed, at the age of 4–5 months, and an adult female brings 30 or more cubs per year.
If the diet is balanced and meets the needs of the breed, the rabbit is capable of the next reproductive cycle as early as 3-5 days after birth.
Livestock specialists have repeatedly researched the best way to feed rabbits. The diet of meat and decorative animals should include the following products:
Cereals (concentrated feed) have the highest nutritional value. They contain a large amount of protein and a minimum of water. Oats are considered the best grain, as they are well absorbed, have a positive effect on intestinal motility and reproductive functions, and do not contribute to obesity. It is used in the form of whole or crushed grains. Rye, barley and wheat are offered to rabbits in the form of crushed, mixed with other feeds.
It should be remembered that you can not give a lot of wheat, and it is better to remove the shell from barley. These grains are difficult to digest, often leading to bloating. Many farmers recommend pre-treatment of grain products: soaking, sprouting, steaming or yeasting.
Sprouting allows you to increase the amount of vitamins and increase protein digestibility. Yeasting improves the digestibility of fiber, but feeding animals with such grains for more than 5 days in a row is undesirable, as it can provoke fermentation in the intestines.
Green foods form the basis of the rabbit diet from spring to late autumn. This type of food includes: vegetable tops; fodder cabbage; wild herbs; seeded cereals and legumes. Nettle, wormwood, dandelion, couch grass, plantain, quinoa are considered the most suitable wild plants. Freshly cut greens are recommended to be slightly dried and dried in the sun. The tops of fodder and sugar beets, carrots, turnips, rutabaga, Jerusalem artichokes are also suitable as green fodder. Sugar and fodder beet tops are not recommended for young animals. It has laxative properties, therefore, along with it, animals are advised to give plant foods that have a fixing effect. For these purposes, yarrow, comfrey, branches and leaves of oak and alder are suitable.
In the mass of green fodder beet tops should not be more than 30%.
The aerial part of legumes, legumes and cereals is rich in vitamins and minerals, and also contains a large amount of proteins. However, experienced rabbit breeders advise using the above plants in a mixture with other feeds, since herbs alone will not be able to provide good nutrition and can lead to bloating in animals.
The diet of rabbits should be approximately 25% roughage. These include: hay, straw, tree branches. The optimal harvesting time is in spring and summer. Such food is very important, as it creates a feeling of satiety and contains fiber necessary for the normal functioning of the digestive tract.
The main share of roughage is hay. Harvest it using the same herbs as for green fodder. Legume hay has much more plant protein than grain hay, so it is more nutritious. Haylage is under-dried hay pressed into briquettes. Rabbits eat it with gusto, and also love clean straw if it's well dried.
Juicy food (vegetables)
- Potato: high in fast digesting starch. It is recommended to give in boiled form;
- Carrots contain C and B vitamins vital for breeders, pregnant/nursing females and growing rabbits. It is the main source of carotene in winter. The daily norm for an adult animal is up to half a kilogram. Young rabbits are started on portions weighing 20–30 g.
- Cabbage contains many minerals, vitamins C and E. Helps to improve the quality of the skin and fur. Introduced into the diet of animals gradually, used both raw and boiled.
- Zucchini helps to better digest other foods. They are given fresh.
- Pumpkin improves coat quality and has a positive effect on milk production in lactating rabbits. It has a good effect on digestion and weight gain in animals. Offered to rabbits both raw and boiled.
- Feed and sugar beet improves metabolism and blood quality, improves immunity. Use raw or boiled, no more than 150–200 g for young animals and 250–300 g for adults per day.
Excess beets can lead to diarrhea in animals. Table varieties are strictly prohibited. - The diet of rabbits also includes melons, watermelons, turnips, Jerusalem artichokes, and radishes. However, their nutritional value is not very high.
Processed products of legumes and oilseeds (meal, cake of soybeans, peas, beans, sunflower, hemp, flax) are sources of fatty acids necessary for the body, including essential ones.
The composition of feed mixtures necessarily introduce products of animal origin: meat and bone or fish meal. Meat and bone contains about 40% protein and 14% fat, while fish contains about 45% protein and 7% fat. Flour is mixed into wet food in small portions - 5–10 g per individual.
Also, table salt must be present in the diet of rabbits. The rabbit needs 0.5–1 gram per day. For adults, the rate is increased by 1.5–2 times. When fattening animals, the daily amount of salt is 2-3 grams per individual.
Benefits of specialty foods
Complete nutrient mixtures can be prepared independently, but this is a very time-consuming work.
To produce a quality product for feeding rabbits, you need:
- crushers, crushing components to the desired size;
- stocks of various grain crops;
- meat and bone and fish meal;
- protein-vitamin-mineral complexes;
- cake.
It is important to check the quality of incoming raw materials to minimize the risk of mortality. In the process of preparing mixtures for feeding rabbits, it is necessary to know exactly how much and what components are required, and at home or in a small enterprise it is difficult to achieve proportions. Because of this, there is a possibility of an excess of some nutrients and a deficiency of others, which can lead to improper formation of rabbits and young animals.
For the storage of compound feed, it is necessary to maintain normal ventilation in the room, a humidity level of not more than 75% and a temperature of up to 25 ° C. It is desirable to place bags on lattice racks or pallets.
For small farms and medium-sized farms, buying ready-made feed can be more profitable than own production. The higher cost of the product is offset by guaranteed quality and time savings.
Benefits of compound feed produced by MEGAMIX
Our compound feeds for rabbits are presented in correctly formulated complete mixtures, which contain all the necessary nutrients:
| universal | for lactating queens |
|---|---|
| Ideal for weaned rabbits and fattening animals. | Also suitable for queens and rabbits. on milk feeding. |
Feed is produced in the form of granules and packaged in convenient packages: standard bags of 25 and 40 kg or big bags for large customers. The composition of the mixtures contains only valuable components that improve productivity, strengthen the immune system, positively affect the quality of the fur and the resulting meat, increase the growth and activity of rabbits.
Thanks to our own science-intensive production, we create recipes that best meet the needs of a particular breed of animal. The quality of incoming raw materials and the final product is carefully checked against more than 280 indicators in our analytical center, accredited to the international standard. Our requirements for commercially available compound feed for rabbits are stricter than GOSTs. All products undergo mandatory certification.
The company closely cooperates with VolGAU. The effectiveness and safety of all feeds are tested in a research center. Due to this, we are able to quickly navigate the needs of customers, clearly analyze each request and select the most profitable option for the customer. Our production facilities are designed to produce up to 180 tons of products annually.
We work not only in the central regions of Russia (Moscow and nearby regions), but also organize delivery to the cities of the Urals, Western Siberia, the North Caucasus, Crimea through an extensive network of dealerships.
Feed mixtures from MEGAMIX are effective for breeding rabbits at home, on medium-sized farms or large complexes. Using them, you will provide the animals with all the necessary trace elements, vitamins and mineral supplements, get a high average daily weight gain and reduce the risk of livestock infection.
Norms and diet
For agricultural breeds (meat and fur)
In summer, one rabbit needs 40-50 grams of concentrated and roughage plus a pound of green. During preparation for mating, the amount of food increases: green for 600 grams, concentrated and coarse - 70-80 grams. For a pregnant female, you will need 550–700 grams of greenery and 70–90 grams concentrated and coarse. A lactating female needs at least a kilogram of greens per day and up to 150 grams of roughage.
In winter, the basis of the diet is succulent food (150–200 grams) plus hay (120–150 grams). The amount of rough and concentrated feed remains the same. During preparation for mating 150-200 grams of juicy, 90-100 grams of concentrated and coarse and 150-200 grams of hay.
A pregnant rabbit needs 200-250 grams of juicy, 100-130 grams of coarse and 150-200 grams of hay. A lactating female will need 300-350 grams of juicy, 140-160 concentrated and coarse and 200-250 grams of hay.
Fattening of meat breeds usually occurs in autumn and winter. When fattening, the amount of concentrated feed, bran and root crops (especially boiled potatoes) is gradually increased.
In ornamental breeds, digestion works worse than in agricultural ones. They can be given the following foods.
- Hay is the main feed for ornamental breeds. It should be clean and dry and should be replaced as needed.
- Grass - it can be added to the diet in summer. It is desirable to collect grass away from roads and other sources of pollution.
- Granulated food - 2 tablespoons per day.
- Vegetables and fruits - can be given little by little, in small pieces and only washed and fresh. Radishes, parsley, carrots are good. It is better to exclude beets and cabbage in order to avoid stomach problems.
A complete balanced diet for rabbits, of course, should include the main vitamins:
- A - has a positive effect on the functioning of the nervous and reproductive systems in wards, improves their general physical condition;
- B1 - responsible for the metabolism of carbohydrates in the body, normalizes the activity of the cardiovascular system, indirectly improves the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract;
- B2 - improves the condition of the skin and fur, optimizes the general physical condition of animals;
- B5 - normalizes the digestive system;
- B6 - is responsible for the absorption of proteins and simple proteins, as well as for the enzymatic balance in the body;
- B12 - promotes the absorption of proteins, is extremely important for the health of newborn rabbits;
- C - strengthens the immune system and normalizes the digestive tract;
- D - necessary for the proper development of the eared musculoskeletal system, promotes better absorption of minerals;
- E - is responsible for the development of the muscular system of pets.
Stabilizes the work of the heart and reproductive system; - K is an essential vitamin for rabbit breeding.
Self-feed preparation
The mash is a delicacy for rabbits. The most popular recipe includes:
- boiled potatoes;
- carrots;
- oats;
- germinated wheat;
- table salt;
- bran;
- chopped hay.
The mixer is prepared using a blender or other chopper. To enrich it with biologically active substances, concentrated feed additives are added to it.
Hay is harvested using the same herbs as for green fodder. It is important to mow the plants before they bloom. The resulting raw material is dried on the street, and then allowed to lie down for some time in a well-ventilated place under a canopy (without direct sunlight).
Silage ingredients are crushed to fragments no larger than 1 cm in length. The resulting mass is placed in a sealed barrel and covered with a layer of sawdust 5 cm thick.
The resulting substrate is compacted until juice appears and pressed down with a wooden circle, on which a load is placed on top. In the process of silage maturation, the barrels are stored in a moderately warm place, and then removed to a cool room.
Nuances of feeding rabbits depending on the season
The summer diet of animals should consist of cereals by 30-40%, and in winter and with intensive fattening - by 50-70%. In the summer, green food predominates in the diet of rabbits, but with the onset of cold weather, juicy food - silage and vegetables - become the main part of the menu. The owners who grow vegetables and melons on their plots give the animals various root crops, cabbage, zucchini and pumpkins. Such food contains many vitamins, but little fiber and protein; in lactating rabbits, it contributes to more intense lactation.
When planning the volume of the product harvested for the winter, farmers proceed from the calculation: 40 kg of hay for a rabbit; 10–15 kg per head of potential offspring.
If there is not enough hay for all the livestock, then first of all it should be fed to females and lactating females, young animals. For adult males during the dormant period (if mating is not planned), the above product can be replaced with pea, lentil, oat or millet straw. You can’t feed it for a long time, because there are very few nutrients in the straw.
Branch fodder becomes a good help in winter. Timely harvested young twigs of trees contain quite a lot of vitamins. In addition, rabbits that have a constant opportunity to eat such food are much less likely to express a desire to gnaw on cages. Branches of only certain tree species are suitable for harvesting: willow, willow, maple, linden, acacia, mountain ash, poplar, aspen, ash, oak, alder. The content of nutrients in tree shoots is highest in the first month of summer.
Vitamin supplements are administered most often at the end of winter - in early spring, when there is a shortage of green and succulent fodder.
To fill the need for vitamins A and D, animals are given special concentrated preparations or fish oil is added to food. At the same time, the amount of fish oil required by rabbits is calculated depending on their physiological state.
What should not be fed to rabbits?
It is better to refrain from adding birch branches to the diet, as they can lead to kidney disease. The same can be said about the branches of cherries, sweet cherries and plums. They contain hydrocyanic acid, which is quite dangerous for the body of animals. Branches of wild rosemary, buckthorn, bird cherry, apricot and elderberry are strictly forbidden to give to rabbits.
Even beneficial plants in excess can harm rabbits. From freshly cut grass, they have bloating of the intestines. Therefore, before feeding rabbits, it must be dried in direct sunlight. As a rule, an excess of cabbage leads to intestinal upset. It is also not recommended to give dirty vegetables to rabbits. This negatively affects the work of the digestive tract.
Rabbits should not be fed plants with a high concentration of toxins:
- hemlock;
- mustard;
- colza;
- digitalis;
- dope;
- we milk;
- Colchicum.
Buttercup caught in the feed mixture causes serious poisoning. Thrust is also dangerous. This flower is able to paralyze the muscles of the animal. Among the harmful herbs is aconite. Rabbits develop severe salivation, convulsions, and a slow pulse. Aconite poisoning leads to the death of the animal. From the marsh marigold in rabbits, the work of the kidneys is disrupted.
For the most part, the rate of weight gain and the taste of meat depend on proper nutrition. If you follow all the recommendations for feeding rabbits, you can quickly get large carcasses with good fur at the exit and significantly increase the livestock when breeding decorative breeds.
What to feed rabbits - the right diet, recommendations
Rabbits have a very well developed digestive system, which is due to the feeding habits of such an animal.
The basis of the diet, as a rule, is represented by roughage, which is very rich in fiber, so the digestion of such heavy food requires full processing by gastric juices.
Article content:
- Rabbit food groups
- What and how to feed a rabbit in summer
- What and how to feed a rabbit in winter
- General rules for feeding, mode
- Feeding ornamental rabbits
- What not to feed rabbits
- Rabbit feeding video
Rabbit food groups
Hares should never be starved . Inadequate or improper feeding can not only cause a slowdown in growth processes and diseases, but can also provoke the death of an animal.
This is interesting! A feature of rabbit digestion is a very poorly developed gastric and intestinal muscles, so all food moves inside the digestive tract not through muscle contractions, but pushing through a new portion of food.
There are four main groups of rabbit foods that make it easy to provide the animal with a complete and balanced diet: coarse, green, concentrates and succulent foods. Green fodder is used mainly in the spring-summer period, and can be represented by:
- wild herbs;
- seeded cereals, legumes and leguminous crops;
- vegetable tops, including the aerial parts of Jerusalem artichoke, turnip, swede, sugar beet and fodder beet;
- fodder cabbage.
It is best to allocate plots in which clover, alfalfa, lupins, vetch, oats, winter rye, barley and corn are sown independently. Cereals, legumes and legume-cereal grasses contain a significant amount of proteins, as well as vitamins and minerals.
However, as the practice of rabbit breeding shows, giving green fodder should be carried out in mixtures, which will reduce the risk of flatulence in the rabbit. It is important to remember that tomato tops are categorically contraindicated for rabbits, and potato tops can be used, but with very great care.
It should also be borne in mind that beet tops have a laxative effect, so its amount in the total green mass should be minimal.
No less important for proper digestion is roughage, which should make up a quarter of the diet . This category includes hay and tree branches, which must be harvested in spring and summer, as well as grass meal. Grass for hay is mowed before flowering, and dried first under the sun, and then under a ventilated canopy. Roughage should be stored in dry rooms, on special wooden decks. Branch feed:
- linden branches;
- maple branches;
- willow branches;
- willow branches;
- acacia branches;
- poplar branches;
- rowan branches;
- aspen branches;
- ash branches;
- elm branches;
- oak branches;
- lilac branches;
- apple branches;
- raspberry branches;
- pear branches;
- hazel.
Birch, plum, cherry and sweet cherry branches may be fed in small quantities.
Branches from plants such as bird cherry, elderberry, wolf's bast, apricot, buckthorn and wild rosemary are categorically unsuitable. In winter, the diet is supplemented with fresh branches of coniferous trees.
Particular attention should be paid to succulent forages represented by root crops and silage, including watermelons, pumpkins, cabbages, potatoes, carrots, kuusika, beets and squash. Any succulent feed is very well eaten by rabbits and is almost completely digested. Very complete and highly nutritious silage is represented by a mixture based on beets, carrots and kale, with the addition of haulm.
Concentrated feeds, represented by cereals, grains of leguminous crops, cuts, meal, cake, compound feeds and feeds of animal origin, have the highest nutritional value. Such mixtures have a high energy value due to the large volume of proteins and the minimum amount of water. Valuable crops include oats, corn, barley, wheat, sorghum and rye, as well as peas, lentils, beans and soybeans.
Oats are given whole, crushed or flattened. Wheat, sorghum, rye and barley are pre-crushed and mixed with other foods. The amount of wheat should be limited.
Essential Vitamins and Minerals
Generally, rabbits are deficient in vitamins and minerals during winter and early spring . There are several vitamin-mineral complexes that are very successfully used by rabbit breeders:
- "Chiktonik" - includes about three dozen vitamins and basic amino acids. The drug is given in five-day courses, every month, at the rate of 1 ml per liter of pure water;
- "Prodevit" - a vitamin complex designed for weakened animals suffering from ulcers, rickets, liver diseases, as well as pathology of the mucous membranes. The drug is available in the form for injection and oral administration;
- "E-Selenium" - a drug intended for the correction of developmental and growth disorders, with exacerbation of infectious diseases, the treatment of poisoning and other pathologies.
Available in the form for injection and oral use.
Mineral supplements, represented by mineral stones: "Chika" and Carly, have proven themselves very well. You can also use "Bio-iron", supplemented with basic microelements, and the vitamin-mineral supplement "Ushastik".
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What and how to feed a rabbit in summer
Feeding in summer is very different from the main winter diet. A special feature is a significant amount of green and succulent fodder:
- fattening rabbits are given 700 g of grass and 70 g of concentrated fodder;
- males and females on vacation are given 700 g of grass and 30 g of concentrated feed;
- males in mating are given 800 g of grass and 40 g of concentrated feed;
- female rabbits are given 800 g of grass and 50 g of concentrated feed;
- young female rabbits are given 900 g of grass and 50 g of concentrated feed;
- lactating rabbits are given 1200 g of grass and 70 g of concentrated feed;
- young animals aged one to two months are given 300 g of grass and 20 g of concentrated feed;
- young animals aged three to four months are given 500 g of grass and 45 g of concentrated feed;
- young animals at the age of five to six months are given 600 g of grass and 55 g of concentrated feed.
It is important to remember that when giving branch and succulent food, the amount of grass is reduced exactly by half.
Important! Grass must be dried before giving to the rabbit, and salt is best laid out in the cells in the form of a lick stone.
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What and how to feed a rabbit in winter
In winter, special attention is paid to the nutritional value of feed, due to the need to maintain an optimal diet in frosty weather. The rate of giving feed varies depending on the age and condition of the rabbit:
- fattening individuals are given 150 g of roughage, 500 g of root crops and 80 g of concentrated feed;
- males and females on vacation are given 150 g of roughage in the form of hay, 150 g of root crops and 40 g of concentrated feed;
- males in mating are given 150 g of roughage, 200 g of root crops and 55 g of concentrated feed;
- female rabbits are given 180 g of roughage, 200 g of root crops and 60 g of concentrated feed;
- young females are given 250 g of roughage in the form of hay, 300 g of root crops and 70 g of concentrated feed;
- lactating females are given 200 g of roughage, 400 g of root crops and 90 g of concentrated feed;
- young animals at the age of one or two months are given 50 g of roughage, 150 g of root crops and 35 g of concentrated feed;
- young animals at the age of three to four months are given 100 g of roughage, 300 g of root crops and 55 g of concentrated feed;
- young animals at the age of five to six months are given 150 g of roughage, 350 g of root crops and 75 g of concentrated feed.
Also very suitable for winter feeding are waste products represented by bran, meal, oilcake and dry beet pulp, as well as malt sprouts, which have a fairly high nutritional value.
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General feeding rules, mode
In order to properly provide a rabbit with good nutrition, it must be remembered that such an animal has some digestive characteristics. The feeding regimen must be observed very strictly, since only the timely distribution of food contributes to the proper production of gastric juice. As practice shows, a rabbit can approach the feeder more than fifty times a day, so food is often consumed by such animals, but in small volumes.
The amount of feed given and the feeding schedule varies . For example, females during lactation, as well as rabbits under the age of two months, need to be fed four times a day. It is enough to feed young animals and adults two or three times a day. Approximate diet depending on age and time of year.
Three meals a day in winter:
- morning feed - half of the daily norm of concentrated feed and hay;
- daily feeding - root crops;
- evening feeding - half of the daily norm of concentrated feed and half of the norm of hay or branches.
Feeding four times a day in winter:
- morning feeding - a third of the total daily allowance of concentrated feed and a quarter of the total daily allowance of hay;
- the first daily feed - one third of the total daily allowance of concentrated feed and half of the total daily allowance of root crops;
- second daily feeding - half of the total daily allowance of root crops and half of the total daily allowance of hay;
- evening feeding - a quarter of the total daily allowance of hay and a third of the total daily allowance of concentrated feed.
Regardless of the number of feedings, at night the rabbits must put a sufficient amount of branch food in the cage feeder.
Three meals a day in summer:
- morning feeding - half of the total daily allowance of concentrated feed and a third of the total daily allowance of grass;
- daily feeding of fodder - one third of the total daily norm of green fodder;
- evening feeding - half of the total daily allowance of concentrated feed and a third of the total daily allowance of grass, branch feed.
Feeding four times a day in summer:
- morning feed - a third of the total daily allowance of concentrated feed and a sixth of the total daily allowance of grass;
- the first daily feed - one third of the total daily allowance of concentrated feed and one sixth of the total daily allowance of grass;
- second daily feed - half of the total daily allowance of grass;
- evening feed - one third of the total daily allowance of concentrated feed and one sixth of the total daily allowance of grass, branch feed.
A very important condition for proper feeding is the constant availability of clean and fresh water in the cage drinkers.
Water should not freeze in winter or get too hot in summer.
How to fatten a rabbit
Young animals are selected for fattening, the age of which is 2.5 months, as well as adult culled individuals. The fattening period is about a month, but may vary depending on the fatness of the animal and its age characteristics. All fattening consists of preparatory, main and final stages.
At the first stage, which lasts five to six days, the usual diet is slightly supplemented with concentrated feed, represented by mixed fodder, cereals and legumes, as well as herbs. At the second stage, which lasts eight days, the animals are fed feed that can stimulate the deposition of fat. For this purpose, you can use boiled potatoes with the addition of feed or wheat bran, corn, peas, flax or hemp seeds, oats and barley, wheat and oilcake. It is also advisable to introduce a small amount of milk into the diet during this period.
At the final, weekly stage, appetite is stimulated by adding dill, parsley and cumin to the feed.
Also during this period, it is necessary to completely exclude the supply of hay and increase the total daily volume of concentrated feed.
This is interesting! Rapid weight gain is facilitated by the restriction of motor activity, therefore, during the fattening period, the cage in which the animal is placed should be as close as possible.
Feeding baby and lactating rabbits
Viable, well-developed and high-quality offspring can be obtained only with the right diet for female and lactating rabbits. At the stage of fertility, it is important to provide mineral nutrition as competently as possible, so the rabbit is given one and a half grams of bone meal or chalk, as well as a gram of table salt daily.
In winter, the daily ration should consist of 150-200g of quality hay, 50-60g of concentrated feed and 200-225g of succulent feed . In summer, the rabbit's diet may consist of: 800-1000 g of fresh grass and 40-50 g of concentrated feed.
Regardless of the season, each mother rabbit is given about 5-8 g of meat and bone or fish meal without fail.
The rapid growth and development of young rabbits is due to the high nutritional value of the mother's milk, so a lactating animal must be provided with a complete feeding. From the moment of birth until the sixteenth day, females are given 1400 g of grass + 40 g of concentrates in summer, and about 250 g of hay + 300 g of succulent feed + 80 g of concentrated feed in winter.
Starting from the sixteenth day, 100 g of grass + 5 g of concentrated feed are added in summer, and in winter 20 g of hay + 20 g of succulent feed + 7 g of concentrated feed for each born baby rabbit.
Feeding young rabbits
It is desirable to plant young rabbits at the age of one and a half months, which minimizes mortality among young animals. Any new food is introduced dosed and gradually. To make adaptation as easy as possible, a few drops of liquid B vitamins are added to drinking water.
The diet of young rabbits should be presented:
- dried grass or quality hay;
- boiled potatoes;
- pumpkin or squash, carrots;
- milk powder;
- vitamin and mineral complexes in winter;
- herbal meal;
- oats;
- moistened compound feed;
- bone and fish meal;
- reverse.
Supplementing the daily diet with plants such as chicory, chamomile, yarrow and burdock, as well as branch food 0231 . Starting from the age of four months, the diet is gradually changed by reducing the proportion of combined feeds. In winter, 10-20% hay, 55-60% feed and 20-30% succulent feed are given. In summer, the diet should consist of 30-40% dried herbs and 60-70% concentrated feed. Daily it is recommended to introduce fish oil into the diet in the amount of 0.5 grams.
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Feeding decorative rabbits
Decorative rabbits are real rodents that need obligatory grinding of teeth, so the owner of such a pet should approach the issue of choosing a diet very responsibly.
The basis of nutrition should be hay and grass. Such products are perfectly digested by animals, so not only adults, but also very small rabbits can eat them.
Wild plants such as burdock, white clover, dandelion leaves, sow thistle and tansy are ideal for feeding. Plants should alternate, which has a positive effect on the digestion of the animal.
Succulent food is given to ornamental rabbits boiled or raw. In addition to carrots, it is desirable to diversify the pet's diet with green beans, apples, fresh cucumbers, sugar or table beets, pears, and green peas. A very good result is obtained by mixing vegetables and fruits with bran or ground roughage. Beets and cabbage are given to rabbits in limited quantities, but fruits, vegetables, watermelon and melon peels can be consumed by the pet in plenty. Special importance is attached to concentrated feeds, including oats and rye, as well as corn.
Branch food or special grain sticks with basic trace elements are given for grinding teeth.
Experienced ornamental rabbit owners and specialists recommend paying attention to the following fully balanced ready-made rations:
- Vitakraft Menu Vitel for rabbits;
- Jr Farm Adult for dwarf rabbits;
- Venelux Funny rabbit Special Premium;
- Versele-Laga Сuni Narure Re-Valance with a lightweight formula;
- multi-component food JR Farm Grainless mix;
- food with coccidiostat Fiory Karaote.
It is important to remember that when using prepared foods, at least 20% of the total daily ration should be succulent foods. High-quality hay and clean water must be available to a decorative rabbit around the clock. It is advisable to feed an old and obese pet with grain-free mixtures with a high amount of fiber.
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What not to feed rabbits
Rabbits should not be given sour, salty or sweet foods, as well as freshly cut grass, which can provoke bloating. Root crops must be clean, without spoiled parts.
