Remember: "Rabbits are not only valuable fur ..."? You can immediately add to this that it is also a mass of positive emotions at the sight of a wonderful eared lump chewing grass in its cage or jumping around the room. It's hard to resist his charm!
But, naturally, having got a pet for himself, the owner is trying to find out how many years the rabbit has been living. How to make his life long and happy?
Rabbits: life expectancy in the wild and in captivity
It should be noted right away that animals living in the wild live much less than their decorative counterparts. Probably, everyone understands why: the struggle for survival, illness and the high risk of becoming a predator's dinner greatly shorten their time in this world.
Even taken home, a wild rabbit exists in captivity a little - on average about two years. True, there are cases when such pets delighted their owners and much longer: up to 7-8 years.
We hasten to reassure the owners of wonderful fluffy lumps: the average life expectancy of a rabbit, born and raised at home, no less than cats and dogs with whom a person is used to living side by side, namely: from 7 to 13 years.
It is clear that these figures cannot claim the title of absolute indicators. They vary both up and down. It all depends on the breed, diet and health status of your pet.
Different breeds have their own indicators. Let's look at them.
Dwarf rabbits
These crumbs are very convenient for home breeding. They are very clean (they can be taught to use a cat's toilet), get used to their nickname and recognize the owner well. Seeing him and hearing his name, the little clever women rise on their hind legs to greet the person entering.
With careful care, the life expectancy of dwarf rabbits is from 8 to 12 years. Among them are centenarians who died at 18 years old.
True, according to the observation of domestic rabbit breeders, many working individuals with the dwarf gene die at the age of five. Obviously, this is due to more severe wear of the body of the offspring producer.
Lop-eared rabbits
Due to the character traits that fold rabbits have, lifespan they have noticeably more than individuals with ears standing upright. They have a more stable nervous system for stress, and therefore their heart and blood vessels function better, which, of course, prolongs life. These fluffy koloboks are non-aggressive, never use their teeth, quickly get used to the owner and willingly play with him.
The longevity of lop-eared rabbits is from 7 to 8 years.
What determines how many rabbits will live
The life expectancy of a baby, born into the world, depends on several important components:
- Heredity (healthy mom and dad).
- The absence of congenital malformations. So, for example, with an incorrect bite of a rabbit, they are removed from breeding, because this anomaly greatly undermines the state of health and, accordingly, the life expectancy of such an individual.
- Feeding and maintenance. Since rabbits are moving animals, they need to create conditions for movement, the ability to walk outside the cage. To maintain normal health, you should let your pet out for at least an hour twice a day to warm up.
Canadian rabbit breeders, for example, advise castration to prolong the life of animals. This, in their opinion, is necessary to exclude inflammation and malignant neoplasms in the urogenital system of animals. These pathologies quite often affect five- or six-year-old individuals, significantly reducing their life time.
How to keep a rabbit at home
In order to maximize the life expectancy of rabbits, the eared need certain conditions. Firstly, vaccines made on time. Secondly, a comfortable cell. It should allow the baby to stretch out to its full length and stand on its hind legs. In addition, there should be a place for a house in which a shy animal can hide from everyone, for a toilet, as well as for a manger with hay. It’s good if the cage will contain boxes of sand for digging, as this is one of your pet’s natural needs.
The pallet in such a cage must be plastic. Do not forget to provide your pet with a car drink.
Rules for the care of decorative rabbits
Rabbits, the life expectancy of which we are discussing today, can please for a long time, if the owners adhere to the basic rules for the maintenance of their miracle:
- Avoid drafts when placing the cage with the rabbit, as well as places near heaters.
- Keep your pet away from the TV. Your baby is a very shy creature, and stress shortens life.
- Take the animal in your hands very carefully: in no case - by the ears.
- Do not wash it unless absolutely necessary!
- Include both raw vegetables and special dry food in the rabbit’s menu, while not forgetting the hay.
And most importantly, of course, love and attention from the owner. The life of our pets depends on caring for them!