- Rabbits require proper care including suitable housing, a balanced diet of vegetables, fruits, and hay or pellets, as well as daily access to clean water. They need to be groomed regularly by brushing their fur. - When raising rabbits for meat production, larger breeds like Californians and New Zealand that mature quickly are recommended. A pellet and alfalfa hay diet and proper breeding practices are important for quality meat yield. Gestation is around 30 days.

1. Start Today In Raising Your Own Healthy Rabbits
- Start Today In Raising Your Own Healthy Rabbits
- Basic Knowledge To Raising Your Own Rabbits
- Raising Rabbits for Meat
- Resources
Start Today In Raising Your Own Healthy Rabbits
Being a rabbit owner can be fun and relaxing. But on the other hand its not easy
because rabbits are fragile animals. But if you know what you are doing then you
will be a happy owner. If you are new to raising rabbits then its advisable that
you learn all you can in raising these creatures. Once you learn about raising
rabbits then you will be prepared for what is ahead of you.
Rabbits are high maintenance animals which require a lot of attention and
affection. Although they are cute cuddy creatures that you may think aren’t
harmful, in actual fact they can hurt you if you handle them in a way they don't
like. Their back legs are strong and they use them to beat you off. So before
you make the decision in raising rabbits they are some things that you need to
know.
- There are different sizes of rabbits. They are small rabbits that can be kept
in small houses and are not good for producing meat. Then they are the bigger
ones that that need a lot of space to live in. These are the rabbits that are
kept for meat production and breeding.
- When it comes to feeding rabbits you should know that they are vegetarians, so
you can't feed them meat. You should feed them chewy veggies like carrots and
cabbages. You can also feed them rabbit pellets since they have a lot of
nutrients which will help them grow stronger and healthier. A supplementary diet
of hay or alfalfa can be given to them as well.
- You should decide if you want to keep indoor or outdoor rabbits. If you want
to keep outdoor rabbits then you should make sure you offer protection for them.
You should build them shelter and a protective fence. Rabbit houses should be
made from steel cages or wood cages because rabbits can eat on the wood.
Raising rabbits is not the simplest thing to do but at the same time its not
that difficult. Just take care of them by giving them proper housing, feeding
them right and also some little bit of cuddling.
Basic Knowledge To Raising Your Own Rabbits
Rabbits are no doubt adorable creatures, they are fluffy and cute which is why a
lot of people like keeping them as pets. But before you too start raising
rabbits you have to know how to take care of them.
Just like any other animal rabbits require some love and attention. Loving them
means you should care for them by providing them with the right food and
shelter. Rabbits require some special kind of food compared to other types of
livestock like chickens or cattle. For food rabbits can be given a mixture of
fruits, vegetable and hay. For younger rabbits you should give them alfalfa hay
and older rabbits can be given timothy hay.
The type of fruits you can give your rabbits are apples, pears, melons,

2. strawberries and peaches. When giving them these fruits you can cut them into
smaller pieces. When it comes to vegetables you can give them spinach, broccoli
and not forgetting their favorite carrots. Dandelions can be given to them as
well.
Clean water should be given to your rabbits as well on daily bases. The right
way to give water to your bunnies is by placing a water container just outside
the cage but in reach for the rabbit. The reason why you should put the water
container outside is because the rabbits can knock over the container as a
result the house will get wet.
Rabbits need to be groomed as like dogs do. Every once in a while you can brush
your rabbits fur. If your rabbit has short fur you can brush them twice a week
and if they have long fur then try to brush them everyday if possible. To brush
the rabbit you can buy special brushes that are designed for rabbit fur.
Raising Rabbits for Meat
When you decide to raise rabbits as a business you should be prepared to work
more then when just raising rabbits as pets. The first thing to do when starting
out is to choose the right breed for the project.
When you want to raise rabbits for meat the right breed to choose is the
Californians and New Zealands breeds. These breeds are easily to care for and
mature faster. Some people even cross breed them because their babies grow
faster and produce great tasting meat. New Zealands breeds can take just 8 weeks
to be ready for the market and Californians have fine boned body structures with
lots of flesh.
For your rabbits to produce quality meat you have to feed them well. Pellets and
alfalfa hay is highly recommended to feed your rabbits, they contain just the
nutrients needed in meat production. On the other hand lettuce and cabbage is
not recommended because they can cause diarrhea. You also shouldn't over feed
your rabbits because this will cause body fat.
Breeding is also important when it comes to raising rabbits for meat. Rabbits
that are medium are bred when they are 5 to 6 months but large breeds should be
bred when they are 8 months. Only healthy and not closely related rabbits should
be bred. The female rabbit should be taken into the male cage when mating the
two, reason being female rabbits are territorial in their own cage thus they
won't allow the male to mate with them
The gestation period of rabbits takes about 30 days which is the same time they
take to give birth. The doe should be as comfortable as possible when given
birth. Rabbits know how to take care of their babies so there is no need to
worry. But just in case you need to offer a hand you can feed them with a
mixture of skim milk, karo syrup, egg yolks and bone meal.