Caging
Building a large cage to house them will require some wooding planks and wire mesh. The cage must be supported by poles to raise it from the ground to avoid rabbits can digging their way out. To accommodate a medium-sized rabbit, the height of each cage should be around 80 x 60 x 60 cm. The cage should have a wire mesh floor with medium to large holes enough for feces to fall ( but not too large to allow their feet to get stuck in it). Their droppings can be used as manure in vegetable farming.
A nesting box is however required for mother rabbits to keep their young ones warm. The estimated size is between 38 x25 x 25 cm.
Best Practices
- Cages must kept clean and dry regulary to prevent diseases.
- Cages must be well ventilated as rabbitts love fresh air.
- Cages need to be away from noisy dogs, cats and rats, to prevent them from attacking.
- Protect cages from direct sun, rain and win but no necessary putiting them in a buliing. They don’t like heat.
Feeding
Rabbits eat practically anything good that mother earth provides in the soil. Farmers do also feed them with green maize (Ebrow Ebun), leaves, carrots, and cabbage ( very small). They also eat prepared maize food, porridge, bread, and leaves of fruits.
Dos and Don’ts
- Do not feed rabbits with eitther tomatoe and potato leaves. They are poisonous to them.
- Do not feed them with spoilt leftovers, leaves spayed with pesticides, and bread with mould.
- Do not make changes tio their diet quickly but gradual introduction to new ones.
- Do provide clean water always.
- Do feed them early in the morning and late afternoon preferably.
Breeding Season
During the breeding season, male rabbits are kept in separate cages, and female rabbits are introduced to them. Male rabbits rollover if mating was successful. If the female rabbit is not ready for mating, she will be running away from the male. To get successful, it is advised to leave them in the male’s cage for the next 5 to 6 days.
Agric experts have made us aware that the average age for female rabbits to breed is between 4 to 6 months old whiles the males are from 5 to 6 months old. Female rabbits are more productive during summer and pregnancy lasts about one (1) month.
Selecting for breeding
When making the selection for breeding, make sure you buy 6 months old healthy rabbits with bright eyes, dry noses with clean ears and feet. Also, make sure you don’t go in for the older rabbits with long toenails as they might have reached the end of productive life. Furthermore, choose rabbits from high-performing parents. Replace your breeding inventory every three years and eliminate bad performers.
Birth
Approximately 25 days after mating, soft and dry grass can be placed in a clean and dry nesting cage. The female rabbit adds a piece of her own fur to the grass to make it comfy. Babies are usually born early in the morning so examine them carefully to see if most are alive, and Immediately get rid of the dead ones.
Avoid touching the babies unless absolutely necessary. If the female rabbit catches your scent, the mother may reject the babies. Before touching the baby, it is recommended to apply a strong odor and non-toxic substance to the female nose. The baby should lie close together in the nesting cage and make sure they are breastfeeding and well-nourished.
Monitor the mother rabbit’s behavior especially if it is her first time giving birth as they can eat their babies. If there are too many babies, the mother rabbit may not always be able to feed all babies. Some babies can be given to another female rabbit who has few babies but make sure they are of the same age.
Weaning
Weaning off baby rabbits usually takes between 30 to 35 days. At this stage, they can be taken away from their mother. Make you properly identify females and males and place them in separate cages. Depending on the level of feeding and rearing, females can be re-mated from 2-3 days to 1 month after birth. At the ages of 3-4 months, young rabbits are usually large enough to be sold for money or consumed.