Rabbits

Overview

•Also known as bunnies or bunny rabbits in the family Lagomorpha(were formally classified as rodents) - rabbits and rodents are now often referred to together as members of the superorder Glires

•305 breeds of domestic rabbits worldwide (domestic sizes vary from dwarf to Giant)/ 13 wild rabbit species

•TAXONOMY

-Male rabbits are called bucks; females are called does

-the term kit or kitten has been used to refer to a young rabbit; group of babies known as a litter

-A group of rabbits is known as a colony, nest, or warren

•Reproduction

-The average female rabbit becomes sexually mature at 3 to 8 months of age and can conceive at any time of the year for the duration of her life. However, egg and sperm production can begin to decline after three years

-The rabbit gestation period is short and ranges from 28 to 36 days with an average period of 31 days. A longer gestation period will generally yield a smaller litter while shorter gestation periods will give birth to a larger litter. The size of a single litter can range from four to 12 kits allowing a female to deliver up to 60 new kits a year. After birth, the female can become pregnant again as early as the next day

•The position of the eyes in its skull results in the rabbit having a field of vision thats nearly 360 degrees, with just a small blind spot at the bridge of the nose.

•rabbits have large hind leg bones and well developed musculature. The hind limbs of the rabbit are longer than the front limbs. Longer hind limbs are more capable of producing faster speeds

•Rabbits' ears are an important structure to aid thermoregulation and detect predators ❗️sensitivity to how soon/close predators can be detected depends on ear size and length

•Rabbits are herbivores that feed by grazing on grass and other leafy plants, so their diet contains large amounts of cellulose (which is hard to digest). To acclimate, Rabbits solve this problem via a form of “hindgut fermentation”:Cellulose is digested with the aid of symbiotic bacteria; Most of the digestion takes place in their large intestine and “cecum”: The unique musculature of the cecum allows the intestinal tract of the rabbit to separate fibrous material from more digestible material

•Rabbits pass two distinct types of feces; hard droppings and soft black viscous pellets, the latter of which are known as caecotrophs: also called 'night feces' or 'soft feces,' are the material resulting from the fermentation of food in a part of the digestive system called the 'cecum. ' Cecotropes, which are nutrient-rich, are passed out of the body but are then reingested by the rabbit so additional nutrients can be absorbed. ❗️They are made up of micro-organisms and undigested plant cell walls

Vs Hares

•Hares are precocial, born relatively mature and mobile with hair and good vision, while rabbits are altricial,born hairless and blind, and requiring closer care.

•Hares live a relatively solitary life in a simple nest above the ground, while most rabbits live in social groups in warrens.

•Hares are generally larger than rabbits, with ears that are more elongated, and with hind legs that are larger and longer.

•Hares have not been domesticated, while descendants of the European rabbit are commonly bred as livestock and kept as pets.

•The rabbit is characterized by its shorter ears while hares are characterized by their longer ears

Meat

•200 million tons of rabbit meat produced annually; Approximately 1.2 billion rabbits are slaughtered each year for meat worldwide.

•US Department of Agriculture have conducted extensive tests and have stated that domestic rabbit meat is the most nutritious meat known to man

•two healthy 10 pound does can produce more than 600 pounds of meat a year

•Rabbits are both a smart economical choice and ecological choice; using the same amount of food and water that a steer needs to produce 1 pound of meat, a rabbit can produce 6 pounds.

•Rabbits are efficient feeders, needing only 4 pounds of feed to make 1 pound of meat

•The most productive meat rabbits are those with “commercial” body type, in the 9-10 pound range

•Wild rabbit and domesticated rabbit have some nutritional differences and are also considered to be fairly different in terms of flavor

•Domesticated rabbit has a larger variety of vitamins and minerals, making it more nutrient-rich; Wild rabbit has twice as much iron as domesticated rabbit, and the domesticated rabbit has more than twice the amount of selenium

•protein content is 21%

•Rabbit meat is rich in vitamins B12 and E, while also having a higher concentration of most minerals

•rabbit meat has one of the lowest fat amounts and highest protein amounts of many typically consumed meats

Uses

1.)Hide/Fur

•The Angora rabbit breed was developed for its long, silky fur, which is often hand-spun into yarn. Other domestic rabbit breeds have been developed primarily for the commercial fur trade.

•Most pelts come from rex rabbits, which have short, thick, velvety coats. Jersey wooleys have longer hair and angora rabbits have silky strands so long that they are often harvested and spun into yarn

•Rabbit hides can be crafted into hats, gloves, blankets and bedspreads, pillow covers, etc.

•Rabbit fur can be shorn and felted for use in mechanics, crafts and in millinery

2.)Manure

•Rabbit manure is considered a ‘cold’ manure, and can be placed directly onto a growing garden; nitrogen levels are sufficient but won’t burn plant roots like other manures

•One doe and her offspring will produce over one ton of manure in a year

•Rabbit manure is organic matter and improves poor soil structure, drainage and moisture retention.

•approximately 2 percent nitrogen, 1 percent phosphorus and 1 percent potassium

•Improves the life cycle of the beneficial microorganisms in the soil

•Manure Tea – “Bunny Brew” – Rabbit manure tea is water that manure has been steeped in and is full of nutrients making a concentrated liquid organic garden fertilizer!

•You can grow and raise worms directly in the rabbit droppings

Breeds