The family council decided that pets should live in the family. Rabbits can compete with dogs and cats, especially with hamsters and rats, and certainly with parrots and fish, for the right to be near you and become a joy to your children. Domestic rabbits are pretty smart animals.
They lend themselves to training and training. They respond to a call by name, can overcome barriers, play with the ball and amusingly make a stand on their hind legs. And keeping a domestic rabbit is not a complicated process and does not take much time and effort.
House for the rabbit
Rabbits are unpretentious animals. By putting enough food and water for them, you can leave the animals at home alone. But leaving them unattended outside the cage for a long time is not safe. They can gnaw electrical appliance cables. It is best to buy a special cage where the animal can move freely. The height of the side walls of the cage should be from fifty centimeters and above so that the animal can sit on its paws without interference from above.
In the cage you need to place a stable feeder and drinker. The bottom is best covered with wood filler, sawdust and hay. In warm seasons, animals will be happy to walk on the green lawn. In this context, the answer to the question whether rabbits can have fresh grass, only positive.
Purity lovers
Domestic rabbits are very clean. They are easy to accustom to the toilet tray. It is important to monitor its purity and change the filler in time. Your pet will defiantly not use the dirty tray. It is better to wash the cage with organic detergents without extraneous pungent odors. Residues from chemical detergents can harm the cleaners, and rabbits cannot tolerate the smells of kitchen cleaners. Animals take care of the cleanliness of their fur themselves. They can be washed only in emergency cases, because when bathing, the protective layer of fat is washed off, and the coat will become dull, it may fall out. It is enough to comb it with a special brush.
Pet health at your fingertips
It is worth remembering the proverb “cowardly like a hare” and not letting children overdo it with boundless love. Little rabbits are afraid of sharp screams, noise. In order for the animal to grow up healthy, and not shy and nervous, it is not necessary to tug it often. The good friendly atmosphere in the family is important. A well-groomed, healthy rabbit is active, inquisitive, gladly makes contact and eats from his hands.
For the pet, not only regular food and cleanliness of the contents are important, but also calm, affectionate communication with the owner.
Feed costs
Domestic decorative rabbits are fed twice a day. In the morning, like the English aristocrats, they are better off giving oatmeal and other cereals. In the evening, fruits, vegetables and herbs are better. Be sure to plant hay during the day for snacks. Not eaten, but good food leftovers do not need to be removed from the feeder. The rabbit is a nocturnal animal and will live on later. In general, the cost of eating a rabbit will pleasantly surprise you with its insignificance. But it is important to think about the diet in advance. It is not much different from the diet of a wild relative and must satisfy all the animal's needs for minerals and vitamins.
Diet
In the wild, rabbits eat a wide variety of grass. They love the stems, leaves, flowers, root crops, roots of so many plants. When feeding decorative rabbits, you do not need to deviate from the usual natural menu. It is only important from an early age to accustom them to a diverse herbal diet.
The need for herbal food
Herbs such as dandelion, clover, alfalfa, nettle, for rabbits needed, first of all, for the normal functioning of the stomach. It is a source of fiber and a green storehouse of vitamins and minerals. Fiber is vital because it pushes hairballs that constantly enter your pet’s stomach. And there are a lot of abrasive particles in it, helping rabbits to grind teeth in time and in a natural way. Many people ask whether rabbits can be given nettles. Allegedly, it can cause bloating and diarrhea. Such a bowel reaction in rabbits is possible on any new herb in the diet. And so as not to doubt whether it is possible to give nettles to rabbits, you need to know more about this plant.
Nettle in the diet of ornamental rabbits
Nettle is a wild medicinal plant. The first shoots appear as soon as the snow melts. In early spring, nettle for rabbits is an indispensable source of vitamins. It has antibacterial properties - it is a natural medicine for animals and humans. Green shoots are rich in protein, accelerating intestinal motility. For adult rabbits, leading a sedentary life and accustomed to herbal food, young shoots are simply necessary for the normal functioning of the intestines.
Can small rabbits be given nettles? Starting at the age of three weeks, yes. But first, in very small quantities and not more than three times a week. For feed, it is better to grow nettles in your own garden, on the balcony or collect away from roads and industrial enterprises. Useful young shoots before flowering plants. So that the nettle does not burn, it is thoroughly washed and scalded with salted boiling water. It is dried and finely chopped with a vegetable knife with a ceramic blade that does not oxidize greens. In this form, it can be added to dry food or mixed with hay. In order for your pets to have a nutritional and vitamin supplement
in winter , be sure to
prepare nettles for the winter.Nettle in farming
For a farmer or a rabbit breeder, the question of whether it is possible to give nettles to rabbits is definitely resolved positively. The reasons already listed are antibacterial properties, essential trace elements, vitamins. Plus, it is a source of valuable plant protein that rabbits can absorb better than any supplement. And most importantly, it is a safe source of protein, especially necessary for increasing the weight of animals.
Cereal bran mixed with nettles, sprinkled with salted water - a favorite treat for rabbits - is irreplaceable on the farm. Nettles must be added to food for rabbits feeding small cubs for better lactation. And this is always important to remember: rabbits should never be given wet grass in the dew or just mowed with a metal scythe. And such grass as datura, belladonna, backache, euphorbia, celandine, buttercups, hellebore, black root - for them poison in any quantity and in any form.
Branch feed
In addition to grass, branch feed for rabbits is very useful. In the cage for decorative rabbits, you can lay branches of ash, birch, linden, fruit trees, pears and apple trees. Pine or juniper bark is very useful. This is again the source of the necessary trace elements and healthy vitamins. It’s also convenient for rabbits to grind cutters about the bark of branches. For farms specializing in breeding, living in burrows, branch feed for rabbits is even more relevant. Only branches of hazel, oak, elm, alder, in the bark of which there are many tannins, will not fit the table of rabbits.