Rabbits are kept in households not only for breeding for meat, but also as pets. Let's consider suitable breeds for breeding decorative rabbits, the conditions that need to be created for the animals, how to feed them, reproduce them, and treat them for diseases. How much profit can you make if you breed decorative rabbits for commercial purposes?
Suitable breeds of decorative rabbits
For content decorative breeds of rabbits as domestic ones Pets can be purchased from several suitable breeds.They have an attractive appearance, a calm character, they are unpretentious in maintenance, can easily tolerate being in a small space, and are calm about grooming procedures.
The most popular breeds of domestic rabbits that can be recommended for beginners: dwarf Dutch, lop-eared Dutch, dwarf ram, dwarf butterfly, miniature rex and others.
Basic conditions for keeping and caring for animals at home
Domestic decorative rabbits are kept in special cages in an apartment. They select a spacious one in which the animal can not only sleep, eat, but also move around. It is important to provide your pet with enough living space to keep it healthy. You need to clean the cage every day; the rabbit should not be on a dirty floor. Decorative rabbits easily learn to use a tray, just like cats and dogs; placing the tray in a cage can make care much easier. Once a month or more often the cage must be disinfected, and the rabbit must be removed from it at this time.
The importance of cleaning is not only that the animal will live clean, but also that it will breathe fresh air, and this is extremely necessary for the rabbit’s body. But you also need to make sure that there are no drafts in the room where the cage is, which could make the animal sick.
The feeder and drinker need to be removed, washed and dried. There should be no leftovers of uneaten mash left in the feeder, which will turn sour and can become poison for your pet’s sensitive stomach.
Rabbit food
The easiest way to feed a rabbit living in an apartment is with special dry feed designed for decorative breeds. It includes all the nutrients and mineral elements that the rabbit’s body needs. You can buy food at a pet store.
You can also feed ornamental animals with regular natural food. Miniature rabbits eat the same things as regular ones - grass, hay, grain, root vegetables and vegetables. Any food must be fresh and of high quality. Feed the rabbit 3 times a day, dividing the daily norm into equal parts. In addition to food, give your pet fresh water.
Mating
Decorative breed rabbits are capable of breeding at 4 months. Animals can be bred for the first time at 5-6 months. In a year, 1 female can give birth to a maximum of 6 litters, but it is not recommended to do so often, since bearing and feeding offspring greatly wears out the body, and the animal may simply die. In the practice of livestock breeders, it is customary to receive 3 litters per year from a female rabbit.
As for males, the frequency of mating does not affect their body in any way. Females can give birth to healthy offspring up to 3-4 years of age, males - up to 5-6 years.
Pregnancy and childbirth
Pregnancy lasts 28-33 days, in order to prepare for childbirth in time, you need to remember the due date. 3-4 days before giving birth, you need to put clean straw in the cage of the decorative female so that she can make a nest from this material. Childbirth in rabbits is usually easy and does not require human presence. Female rabbits give birth at any time of the day, but more often at night or in the morning.
Female rabbits feed their young with milk for 2 months; they cannot be taken from their mother before this period. If you pick them up earlier, the rabbits' immunity will be reduced and they may get sick often.At the age of 1 month, babies can already be interested in the food that their mother eats, and by the time they are weaned, they already eat the same food as adult animals. At this age, babies are ready for sale.
Diseases and mandatory vaccinations
Although decorative rabbit He usually lives alone, without any relatives in a cage, and he can get sick. Animals are susceptible to viral and bacterial infections. For prevention, it is worth vaccinating against common diseases so that the developed immunity protects the rabbit from infection. Vaccinations are done at a veterinary clinic according to a specific schedule. Vaccination is mandatory for purebred animals that participate in exhibitions and are suitable for breeding.
Approximate profit calculations for average indicators
Before making a profit from breeding rabbits, you need to spend money on purchasing purebred animals with good pedigree, cages and equipment, food and necessary medicines. Consider the cost of 5 rabbits (1 male and 4 females). A purebred animal with a pedigree and no defects in appearance, which is worth buying for breeding, costs, on average, 3-8 thousand rubles. In total you will have to spend 25 thousand rubles. 5 cages will cost 30 thousand, food - another 45 thousand. You will need to spend 20 thousand a year on medicines and vaccinations, as well as on paying for electricity and water.
4 females a year can give birth to 100 babies. If we take into account that a baby rabbit can be sold for 4 thousand rubles, during the breeding season you can get 400 thousand rubles; the profit will be 280 thousand rubles.
Keeping a decorative rabbit in an apartment or house must be approached responsibly. You can keep one animal as a pet, but if you are breeding purebred rabbits, you need to purchase at least 1 male and 4 females.Of course, maintaining and propagating the breed will require investment of capital and time for care, but it can, with proper rearing of rabbits, bring profit.
