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video Rabbits are considered to be very gentle animals that require special attention to feeding and care.
Any novice breeder should initially learn how to feed rabbits. The diet of rabbits should be balanced, containing fresh food, to ensure the maintenance of a constant body temperature and the development of their own immunity and energy.
Read also the article: how to cook a rabbit?
Before compiling a menu for rabbits, it is necessary to study their physiological features, as they eat food almost around the clock. More than 60% of the feed they eat at night, so by evening the feeders should contain food in the required amount. Constant eating of food is determined by the need for water. If the water does not enter their cells automatically, through specially installed drinking taps, in the evening it is necessary to fill the troughs up to the top with water. During the morning visit to their pets, the breeder will see empty bowls. The truth is, it usually happens in the warm season. With the onset of the winter period, the need for water decreases, and the rabbits begin to drink much less. In spite of this, even in winter, water is a necessary component of nutrition for them.
In cases where rabbits are kept in non-insulated open-air cages, it is recommended to dilute the frozen water in hot water at low temperatures. This manipulation is done at least 2 times a day. Water in rabbits should not cool off.
Females awaiting replenishment and lactating individuals should be provided with constant access to warm water, regardless of the season and air temperature.
Feed both green vegetation and other feeds to rabbits. Rabbit feeds are divided into the following types:
- roughage;
- concentrated feed;
- juicy herbs and vegetables.
In the drinking bowls of rabbits should always be clean water. Periodically it is recommended to add special vitamins for rabbits to the water, which improve digestive processes and help strengthen the immune system. Among all the vitamins, Chiktonik vitamins are especially popular, 1 ml per liter of water is diluted. For feed, it is best to arrange special feeders in the cages, which will help avoid trampling it.
In cases where several different feeds are fed for 1 feeding, it is recommended that initially give concentrated feed, then juicy. New feed should be introduced, starting with small volumes and gradually increasing the volume to the daily rate.
Juicy feed
Juicy feed are the most preferred rabbits. With the onset of spring heat, eared pets should be fed with wild-growing( meadow) grasses, vegetation of leguminous crops, and also given to the rabbits tops from vegetables from the vegetable garden and fodder cabbage.
It is forbidden to give the rabbit grass that has just been mowed. Without fail, the grass should be slightly wriggled. Fresh grass in rabbits can swell up the stomach and cause digestive upset, which can lead to the death of a pet.
Grass, which is recommended to give to rabbits in the summer:
- field dandelions;
- Alfalfa;
- garden wreaths;
- young nettle;
- meadow grasses;
- leek;
- clover;
- cereals and legumes( in particular, tops of peas, beans, beans, corn).
Never give unknown vegetation to rabbits, especially if it raises any doubts or suspicions.
Feeding rabbits with legumes and cereals should be mixed. Some legumes and cereals are not recommended to give to rabbits, it is better to mix them with other vegetation in order to avoid the occurrence of flatulence.
The following vegetable crops may be given as green fodder as
- rutabaga;
- Turnips;
- fodder beet;
- sugar beet;
- potatoes;
- carrots.
It is strictly forbidden to feed a tomato to rabbits. Potatoes from potato are given in small quantities, previously dried.
Beet tops are also better to give in small proportions, as it has laxative properties. The share of beet tops should not exceed one third of the green fodder.
Juicy feeds also include vegetables such as carrots and beets( feed pumpkin), squash, which are very useful for nursing females to increase the volume of milk and working males.
Concentrated feed
It is recommended that individuals fed for fattening should be given concentrated feed:
- cereals( oats, wheat, barley);
- compound feed for rabbits;
- bran;
- cake;
- bone and fish meal;
- bean grains;
- animal feed.
Concentrated feed should make up a large part of the diet of animals. They are very nutritious and well digested. In addition, they have a large amount of proteins contained in them and a minimal amount of water, which ensures intensive growth and an increase in lactation in nursing females.
The best grain food for rabbits is oats, which are high in nutrients and are dietary grains. Feeding oats does not lead to excessive obesity in rabbits and has a beneficial effect on the digestive tract. Oats are fed both in crushed form and whole grain.
Such feeds as wheat, barley and rye are best given in a ground form and in small quantities, mixed with other types of feed.
Bone and fish meal have a large amount of protein( up to 50%) and are good additives to the main feed. Mix flour is recommended with wet food in the ratio of 5 grams per head.
Granulated feed for rabbits is enriched with essential vitamins, trace elements, and also contains alfalfa. With this compound feed you can completely replace the whole variety of other feeds.
There are two types of feed for rabbits:
- PK 90-1, designed to feed rabbits from one month to half a year;
- PK 93-1, designed for feeding eared specimens contained in meat, is also well suited for young rabbits for up to 3 months.
Rarely, rabbit breeders use compound feed designed for feeding pigs to feed rabbits. This feed can feed their pets, but it is best to use feed that is produced specifically for rabbits.
In no case should granulated feed be used for birds( chickens, ducks, geese), as they contain small stones and a shell.
Compound feed, which is designed for feeding pigs or cows, should not be more than half the daily diet of rabbits. Specialized compound feed for rabbits can be used instead of other feed.
Roughage
Hay, branch feed and straw are rough rabbit feeds. They must be in the diet, as they improve digestion and grind down teeth. A favorite delicacy for rabbits among rough feeds are branches of the following fruit trees and shrubs:
- acacia;
- Raspberries;
- apple trees;
- linden;
- willow;
- aspen trees.
With great pleasure, eared pets gnaw bark from branches, thereby grinding their teeth. Regular consumption of branches will relieve the rabbit breeder from such problems as chewing the cells.
Another important nutritional component for rabbits is salt( licorice).It contains carbohydrates, minerals and essential vitamins for the body of rabbits. Properties of salt:
- favorably affects all the vital processes in the body of pets;
- improves metabolic processes;
- helps strengthen the immune system.
Hay is the main feed from a range of coarse feed. Hay harvested the same types of green vegetation, which is used as a succulent feed in the summer. It is recommended to cook hay before the grass starts flowering. The mowed grass should be thoroughly dried for a couple of days under the sun, then dried under a canopy. For an adult rabbit for a nourishing wintering it is necessary to prepare up to 45 kilograms of hay.
Branches also need to be prepared in advance, collecting them in brooms and drying under the roof in a well-ventilated place. The branches will serve as an additional source of vitamins in the winter season. Not rarely experienced breeders feed their pets in winter with branches of spruce, pine and cedar. They improve appetite and increase growth activity. With regular feeding of conifer branches to rabbits, their fur becomes smooth and shiny.
It is recommended to give coniferous branches in small quantities and take a break for a couple of weeks every 20-25 days.
Breeding rabbits in a private household is a rather interesting activity. It should be remembered that it is better to use concentrated feed for rabbits as feed, rather than using the full variety of feed, if not properly balanced, there may be unfortunate consequences for individual individuals. But with a properly formulated diet, rabbits will always be active and cheerful.
