Keeping rabbits in a pit looks like an optimal, low-cost option, suitable for those who want to save on materials when building housing for rabbits and get a quality product. This type of breeding involves the restoration of the natural habitat for rabbits.
Pros and Cons of Pit Rabbit Maintenance
Keeping animals in the pit is a simple and budget way.
- Benefits
- building materials take a little;
- the pit does not require repair;
- infrequent pit cleaning;
- increased fecundity of the animal with natural content;
- increased taste of meat.
- disadvantages [/ li
- lack of space in the presence of the whole herd in one pit;
- the rapid spread of infectious diseases between animals;
- the difficulty of catching a rabbit in a pit;
- you need to change the male for females to avoid incest.
How to choose the right place for the pit
Before you dig a hole, you must decide on its location.
It is best to dig a hole in an elevated area, which will be in the shade. This is necessary in order to avoid flooding or water entering the animal’s housing. You can also place a pit near wells and trees - this will not affect the quality of the content.
For breeding, you need to build another pit for the rabbit with rabbits.
Did you know? Female rabbits build a nest for their babies by plucking fur from their own abdomen.
How to make and equip your own home
Having determined the location for digging a hole, you can perform further work.
It is recommended to dig a 2x2 m pit, as it is convenient to clean. A pit of this size can accommodate 150 rabbits. Since rabbits themselves can dig holes, dig it in advance with a downward slope, about a meter per meter and a half in depth, so that the animal does not run away.
Be sure to strengthen the walls with bricks or slate to prevent them from shedding. If this is not enough to strengthen, the walls are worth bricking. One side must be left open to create a hole. In order for the animal to further independently know where the place is located in which it can dig a hole, you need to dig a small passage in advance.
Remember that the hole in height, starting from the floor, should be about 20 cm. This is necessary so that the urine does not fall into the nests of the herd, and also so that the dug ground does not block the entrance to the hole.
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It is worth taking care of the litter at the bottom so that the rabbit's paws are not wet - because of this, animals can develop various diseases. To create the litter, it is necessary to fill the bottom of the pit with 20 layers of sand and put a metal mesh on top. This will make it easy to clean the pit: the urine will be absorbed by the sand, and the net will not allow the animal to dig additional holes.
For the winter, rabbit housing will need to be insulated with straw or hay, which must be changed four to eight times a month. Put a canopy in the opposite direction from the entrance doors to the pit - this will protect rabbits from predatory animals and dogs.
How to choose the right breed
Before breeding rabbits, it is necessary to choose a suitable breed for keeping in the pit. First of all, decide for what purpose you plan to get rabbits.
There are rocks of various directions:
- meat type rabbits;
- animals of fast and low-cost breeding;
- rabbits that give high-quality skin.
- California. The average weight of a rabbit is 4–4.5 kg. If you are going to breed rabbits in the warm season, then this breed is suitable for you, because they are heat-loving. However, in winter it is recommended to transfer them to the barn.
- Burgundy. This type refers to the meat breed. Sometimes the weight of this breed reaches 4.7 kg. Poorly tolerate heat, like cold.
- Rex. The most common breed among breeders. In the room where the Rex rabbits are located, the temperature should be 15 ° C. They weigh only 4 kg.
Important! It is not necessary to breed rabbits of the breed gray giant, New Zealand and Soviet chinchilla, as they weigh from 5 kilograms or more. Overweight will interfere with their free movement in the pit.
We populate rabbits in a hole
Six-month-old rabbits are selected for settlement, they quickly adapt to new living conditions.
To reduce the stress of staying in a new environment, you must follow some rules:
We advise you to find out
- To start, start twenty individuals. On the third day after the first launch - another twenty, and so on, until a whole herd is in the pit. There may be conflicts over the territory, so do not forget to watch the animals.
- If one of your friends, neighbors or acquaintances keeps rabbits in a pit, borrow a pet from them. Run it first, it will set an example and help your herd adapt more quickly. Then the rabbit can be caught and returned to the owners.
- Do not immediately change the feeding regimen - do it gradually so that the rabbits can get used to the new housing.
- You need to vaccinate rabbits to protect them from infectious diseases.
What to feed
The diet of rabbits living in the pit is practically no different from feeding animals with a different way of keeping. Both cereals and greens are required to be added to food.
Watch that the animals have enough food. However, the feeder should not be overfilled excessively, since the food may crumble and crush. You need to feed the animal once or twice a day. Drinking water should be at room temperature.
The rabbit diet should consist of the following products:
- legumes;
- beet tops;
- forage cabbage and its leaves;
- sugar and fodder beets;
- raw and boiled potatoes;
- hay;
- salts;
- chalk;
- grains of cereals and legumes;
- turnips.
In winter, it is necessary to additionally give animals:
- carrot;
- apples
- silage;
- potato peelings.
Bark and branches are advised to harvest in the summer - they must be cut and dried. For the preparation of hay use the same grass as in the summer.Important! In winter, rabbits get few mineral substances, therefore, it is recommended to add mineral additives to the feed. The lack of necessary trace elements affects the health of your pet.
Do not forget to add such vitamins to drinking bowls and feeders:
- Threaded;
- Chiktonik;
- E-Selenium.
- Chica mineral stone;
- Mineral block "Carly".
Some foods should not be fed to rabbits at all, or given in limited quantities so that the animals do not develop digestive disorders.
Prohibited products include:
Find out also
- Tomatoes
- cucumbers
- red cabbage;
- onion;
- eggplant;
- rice
- millet;
- millet;
- milk products;
- bakery products.
Do I need to warm the pits before winter
With the advent of cold weather, it is worth insulating the pit for rabbits, as the ground will freeze. For warming, you can use a thick layer of hay. It is necessary to lay it on the earthen floor of the pit.
Rabbit breeding
In the pit, rabbits feel more comfortable than in the cage, so the process of reproduction occurs naturally. It is difficult to track it, however, practice shows that, being in the pit, rabbits almost always expect offspring.
Babies born under such conditions can be fed from different mothers, and this greatly increases their resistance to diseases.
Important! The male must be changed on time in order for the offspring to be born healthy.
Answers to popular questions
Many rabbit breeders are faced with typical care questions for these animals. Below are answers to the most common questions about rabbit breeding.
What to do if rabbits do not want to dig holes
Digging holes is an instinctive behavior in rabbits. In individual adults, it disappears. To get it back, try caging animals with small rabbits that previously built pits. They will set the right example for young animals.
There is an artificial method of teaching such behavior: for this you will need to dig a hole in the corner of the pit yourself. Use a shovel for this, and then strengthen the structure with earth and clay.
How to catch a rabbit in a pit
To simplify the capture of the rabbit, it is necessary to build a valve in the pit and tame the animal to itself. Observe the behavior of rabbits, bring them food. In domesticated animals, instinct appears when the valve is opened - they know that they will receive food. To catch the rabbit, it will be necessary to open the valve and catch the animal with a net.
Did you know? A rabbit weighing 2 kg is able to drink the same amount of water as a dog weighing 10 kg.
Rabbits found a way to freedom
Examine the location of the exits from the pit. Find the exit holes and fill them up, then make new indentations that will lead to the bottom of the pit.
What to do if rats appear
Rats are dangerous pests for the offspring of rabbits. Newborn rabbits easily become their prey.
To neutralize rats, you need to purchase a repellent ultrasound device in an agricultural equipment store; it is installed in places where rats often appear.
The device is quite inexpensive. When buying, it is important to pay attention to the fact that it was tuned specifically to rats, otherwise the ultrasound can also disturb rabbits.
Did you know? The biggest rabbit in the world - rabbit Amy (England, Worcester). Her body reaches 1.2 meters in length, and her live weight - 19 kg.
Keeping rabbits in a pit is suitable for almost all breeds of rabbits. Natural conditions increase animal productivity. Follow the rules of building a pit for animals and caring for them, and your animals will delight you with a tasty and healthy product.
