Keeping rabbits in enclosures

Keeping rabbits in a cage has a number of advantages. This is due to the fact that in their natural habitat, rabbits like to run and jump.

Being kept in cramped and isolated conditions can affect the mood and health of animals.

What should the enclosure be like?

The rabbit enclosure has the following characteristics:

1. Usually, To house up to 30 rabbits, it is necessary to fence off 20 square meters of open space, located on a small elevation, so that moisture does not accumulate.
2. Fencing It can be made of either wood or mesh materials.
3. Ceiling height should be at least one and a half meters, as rabbits can jump very high.
4. Walls should be dug deeper into the ground to prevent the wards from being undermined and escaping.
5. The floor of the enclosure remains earthen, this is more familiar to animals, they will be able to dig holes, as in the wild, and also enjoy fresh growing grass. If it is impossible to leave the floor earthen, it should be carefully insulated with hay or sawdust in sufficient quantity so that the animals can burrow there in case of cold weather.
6. Some part of the enclosure must have a roof to protect from precipitation, you can also build houses where the rabbits can take shelter in bad weather and bring forth offspring. For ease of cleaning, the roof of such a dwelling is made opening.

“There shouldn’t be any nooks and crannies in the enclosure that would be difficult for a person to get into. Rabbits can get into something, and they can even die there. Therefore, all places should be visible and accessible, so that it would be easy to get into them” (rabbit breeder I. Stepanov).

Pros and cons of content

Pros:

• Terms, closer to natural, this has a positive effect on the appetite and mood of rabbits;
• Reproduce under these conditions they are also willing;
• When maintaining In enclosures animals almost never get sick;
• It is economical. The construction requires less building materials than individual cages. And building an enclosure is simple and takes little time, it can be done in half a day;
• Saves space. Many animals can live in one enclosure. If each of them has its own cage, then the square meters will be needed many times more;
• Feed and water all animals can be fed at once, pouring into a common feeder and pouring water into one large drinking bowl. Also, when kept in an enclosure in the summer, rabbits can eat grass that grows on the territory of the enclosure;
• Easy to care for: The enclosure needs to be cleaned less often than the cages. It is possible to make such an enclosure on a summer cottage, taking care of the rabbits only on weekends;
• If you use sawdust for bedding, then you get a good fertilizer;
• DEF from attacks by rats or other predatory animals. A family of rabbits can fight back and protect their offspring as a crowd.

Cons:

• Seasonality such content. For the winter, all livestock will have to be either slaughtered or moved to a warmer room;
• Vulnerability to infections. If one of the herd gets sick, all the rabbits are likely to die;
• Such content not suitable for large meat breed rabbits, as it implies physical activity. Rabbits kept in cramped cages are fatter and have more tender meat due to underdeveloped muscles;
• Different female rabbits may produce offspring in one place, and later rabbits may die;
• Also A rabbit accustomed to an enclosure may die if it is transferred to a cage.

How to build it yourself?

Requirements for construction

Before you start building a rabbit hutch, you need to choose a suitable place where it will be located.

The main requirement for placement is that the enclosure is installed on an elevated place to avoid flooding during rainy periods and snow melting.

In the southern regions, farmers recommend installing the enclosure in the light shade of trees to protect the pets from overheating. In the northern regions, they do it differently – the housing for rabbits is placed in the open sun.

How to calculate area?

Having decided on the location, you need to correctly calculate the area of ​​the structure. It is determined based on the number of livestock. On average, each rabbit should have at least 0,7 m2.

For female rabbits with babies, more space is needed. The optimal value is 1 m2 for each adult.

Construction Materials

To build an enclosure with your own hands, you will need the following building materials:

• beams;
• board;
• metal mesh;
• supports (you can use pipes or metal pegs);
• shovel;
• self-tapping screws, nails;
• screwdriver;
• door hinges;
• lock;
• slate;
• sand;
• sawdust.

Attention! It is important to correctly calculate the perimeter of the enclosure in order to purchase the required amount of mesh, boards and slate. It is necessary to take into account that the side parts of the enclosure are dug to a depth of at least 0,8 m so that the rabbits cannot dig under and escape.

Off plan

Having chosen a suitable place on the site for building a rabbit enclosure, it is necessary to take measurements and draw markings.

At the initial stage, a ditch is dug into which the walls of the slate structure will later be deepened.

At the corners, supports are dug in to a depth of 0,8 m.

Sheets of slate (it is more convenient to use flat ones) are placed in the recesses. They are fastened together. The ditch is filled with earth and compacted, the area is leveled.

The mesh is attached to the metal corner supports using self-tapping screws.

The height of the structure walls is 1 m. It is advisable to board up the back of the structure to protect the animals from drafts. A door is installed on the front or one of the side walls.

The top layer of soil inside the enclosure to a depth of 15 cm must be removed and replaced with sand.

A grid is fixed on top of the sand layer, onto which sawdust is then poured. Some farmers leave the earthen floor, others concrete it and then insulate it with bedding.

Attention! Not all breeds are able to live on a wire floor. Heavy rabbits and those with sparsely furred paws will suffer from pododermatitis.

The mandatory attributes of the enclosure are shelters – wooden houses where the pets will hide when they are cold or scared, and female rabbits with litter also need such shelters. It is in them that kindling takes place.

If desired, you can build a small canopy over the structure; it will protect the rabbits from the hot sun, rain and snow.

Drinking bowls and feeders are installed inside the enclosure. It is important to ensure that this equipment meets the needs of the entire herd, otherwise the rabbits will fight for food and water.

The finished dwelling can be used to house long-eared animals.

Arrangement of the floor in the enclosure

To properly arrange the floor in the enclosure, you need to follow the following recommendations:

1. It is advisable to lay a fine-mesh net on the floor to make cleaning easier.
2. Thin bars must be laid on the mesh, leaving small gaps between them.
3. The boards should be laid at an angle of 45º relative to the crossbars of the fence, otherwise the rabbits may injure themselves. In addition, do not forget that the animals will definitely gnaw the wood.
4. Before you start building an enclosure, you generally need to prepare a detailed drawing in which the room is divided into living areas, food compartments and water bowls. This will make the construction process much easier.
5. In specialized stores, you can buy special plastic ladders for rabbits as a covering, which are laid instead of bars. This will be much more comfortable for the animals. In addition, cleaning them is much easier, and the process of rotting is not terrible for the material, unlike wood.

Construction of a pit enclosure

Photo of the pit:

In order to build such an enclosure, it is necessary to fence the enclosure area with a net. Slate is dug in along the perimeter of the enclosure along the net so that the rabbits do not dig passages out.

Sheets 40-50 cm high are used, since animals do not dig deeper holes.

Inside the enclosure, you need to place feeders with grain and hay, as well as nipple drinkers.

Sparrows or other birds may flock to the food, which will increase the risk of animals becoming infected with viral diseases.

To avoid this, cover the top of the enclosure with a net. This will also protect the rabbits from dogs and cats.

This simple design is suitable for keeping rabbits in the summer.. Females can be placed in the enclosure. Males are placed in a separate area to control the reproduction of rabbits.

There will be fights among males during the first days of living together. When the territory is divided and a hierarchy is established, the conflicts will stop.

Rabbit enclosures covered with wire mesh allow too much light into the enclosure, making the animals feel uncomfortable.

Therefore, it is necessary to install wooden booths with earthen floors or awnings in the enclosure, which will provide shade inside the open space. It is in shaded areas that rabbits will dig holes.

Having a fenced rabbit run has its advantages and disadvantages.

The advantages include the following features:

• it is easy to care for animals in such an enclosure and monitor their health;
• a fenced enclosure is well suited for mating animals;
• The open walking area is easy to clean as the floor remains earthen;
• In the enclosure, the conditions for keeping rabbits are close to natural, the animals develop a strong immune system, so they get sick less often.

The disadvantages of the walking area include:

• absence of a queen cell;
• increased consumption of compound feed for fattening animals;
• slow weight gain in rabbits.

Unlike cage housing, it is difficult to set up a nesting area for rabbits in a fenced walking area.

Without a separate nesting area, adults may kill their offspring, making it difficult to breed rabbits in an enclosure.

Feeding rabbits only on hay and grain will not give you good weight gain.

Giant rabbits, such as the Grey Giant breed, need to be fattened for meat for at least 6 months using expensive compound feed.

Otherwise, the rabbits will not gain weight. Therefore, keeping rabbits in an enclosure with a fenced walking area is not profitable.

This type of enclosure is more suitable for keeping downy breeds of rabbit.

This is what a house for a two-tiered rabbit enclosure might look like. Schematic representation of an enclosure for keeping rabbits in winter.

Caring for the enclosure

Timely hygiene is the prevention of most diseases in rabbits.

It is necessary to clean the enclosure weekly, removing waste and treating it with special veterinary products that prevent the growth of bacteria.

Make sure that the hay and sawdust in the enclosure are always fresh and do not allow them to rot.

Change the water in the drinking bowls regularly, making sure that there is always enough water.

Feeders and drinkers for rabbits

Types of feeders for rabbits:

1. Bowls You can use regular dishes, but active rabbits can easily knock them over.
2. Bunker. This design of the feeder prevents food from being scattered around the enclosure; food is poured into it once every couple of days.
3. Gutter. This feeder is easy to make and can feed several rabbits.
4. Nursery. Used for hay.

Types of drinking bowls for rabbits:

1. Bowls You can use regular dishes, but, as with feeders, rabbits can turn them over, which can lead to dampness and mold in the enclosure. And the rabbits themselves will suffer from thirst.
2. Cup-shaped. They are made from bottles and have a fairly large volume.
3. Vacuum. You can also make them from plastic bottles. The water in these drinkers stays fresh longer.
4. Nipple. Special drinking bowls with a ball at the end. The rabbit drinks by pressing the ball with its tongue. The most universal type of drinking bowl for rodents. Water does not flow out of such a container by itself, does not evaporate, and the rabbit cannot turn it over. The only disadvantages may be in winter, when the ball freezes.
5. Automatic. Drinking bowls for large farms. Water is automatically supplied to the enclosure from a large container through pipes.

Breeding rabbits in an enclosure

If you are going to breed rabbits in an enclosure, you should follow these recommendations:

• when the enclosure is ready, it is necessary to populate it correctly. All the rabbits are released there at once, subsequently they will be replenished with rabbits born there;
• but to move in It’s better not to add strangers to an already formed family – they won’t accept you;
• with the exception of females that are kept separately from males, being introduced to them only for the purpose of reproduction. Males are not introduced to females;
• the day after mating a “control” mating is carried out to ensure that the female rabbit becomes pregnant; when the goal is achieved, the males are again separated. The female rabbits raise their offspring for three to four months, after which new males are selected from the offspring and also separated;
• female rabbits kept together they are friendly to both their own and other people’s offspring, if it smells “familiar”, females can feed all the rabbits in the herd;
• male rabbits it is necessary to separate them in order to prevent a double pregnancy of the rabbit, their body is designed in such a way that this is possible, but such offspring will be smaller and less viable;
• for reproduction female rabbits need nesting boxes – artificial burrows that can be replaced with boxes or special houses with an opening roof;
• mating should not be allowed between consanguineous rabbits (father-mother-son-daughter-brother-sister), the offspring may be unhealthy;
• if you breed rabbits for sale, cross only one breed of one color, animals of different colors are not considered purebred.

Do not place a rabbit enclosure next to poultry. They may become infected with a common disease and die all at once.

Readiness for reproduction:

• Large breeds – 8 months female, 9 months male.
• Medium breeds – 6 months female, 7 months male.
• Small breeds – 5 months female, 6 months male.

The gestation period lasts about a month. A female rabbit can give birth to healthy rabbits for up to three to four years.

Breed selection

There are different types of rabbits for breeding: meat; meat and fur; fur; down; decorative.

In total, experts count about 200 separate breeds that are well suited for breeding.

General rules

To ensure that rabbits grow healthy and reproduce well, you need to adhere to the following rules for caring for them:

1. The key to an animal’s health and good mood is air, movement, sun and good food.
2. To satisfy the need for food and water, feeders and drinking bowls are placed in the enclosures in the quantity needed for the entire family to prevent fights.
3. Drinking bowls should be placed in different corners of the enclosure so that the animals do not crowd around them, but can drink freely.
4. The basis of the diet in summer is fresh grass, and in winter – hay.
5. To sharpen their teeth, rabbits need tree branches, such as pine, willow, aspen, poplar, apple, linden, maple, birch, spruce, and juniper.
6. Cramped enclosures are vulnerable to mass animal disease. If one gets sick, all can die.
7. To prevent infections, it is better to vaccinate the entire rabbit population.
8. Use special products to disinfect the enclosure, feeders and drinking bowls.
9. During pregnancy, the doe needs special care and enhanced nutrition, rich in vitamins and minerals.