Rabbit Production - James I McNitt

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suffering should be removed to a quiet, well-ventilated place. Considerable relief can be given by placing a wet cloth in an animal’s cage for it to lie on. In the case of the doe that has advanced to the stage where bleeding is occurring and quick action is necessary, placing cracked ice between the folds of a wet cloth and placing it in the cage so she can lie on it is quite effective and may save a doe about to kindle. Immersing the entire animal in cold water for three seconds is another emergency measure to save a heat-stressed rabbit. Many rabbit breeders freeze two-liter soda bottles filled with water and place them in the cages when it gets very hot.

      Sprinkling the roof and floor of the rabbitry may give relief, except in areas of high humidity. If a roof sprinkler is thermostatically controlled, it will take care of quick weather changes and is especially useful if the caretaker is not available for regulating the sprinkler. If it is extremely hot, sprinkling the rabbits is another possibility, especially the does that will kindle in the next day or two. Be careful not to wet any feed in the feeders. Heavily pregnant does do not seem to be able to dissipate the heat as well as other rabbits, and giving them a cool dip or sprinkling may be the only way to save their lives.

      Fur Chewing

      When there are several rabbits in a cage and the habit of fur chewing develops, the eyelashes and whiskers are chewed first, then the fur on the head and on the body. Rabbits that are alone in a cage chew the fur on their sides or back of their rumps and are capable of reaching fur on the sides of their body where it would seem impossible. If rabbits can reach the coat of another rabbit in an adjoining cage, they may chew its fur. Sometimes does chew the fur on their own young. In cases in which rabbits are chewing their own fur or the fur of other rabbits, the coats have an uneven appearance (Fig. 5.17).

      Fig. 5.17. Examples of fur chewing. The dark patches are areas of exposed skin. These rabbits were fed a diet containing sunflower leaves, which contain tannins that react with protein to cause a protein deficiency. (Courtesy of OSU Rabbit Research Center)

      Fur chewing is most likely due to a faulty ration or to the rabbits not receiving the proper amount of feed and is usually associated with a ration that does not contain enough fiber. Keeping good quality hay or straw available at all times and feeding small quantities of green feed daily will assist materially in preventing the fur chewing habit from developing. If the feeding of hay does not solve the problem, increasing the protein content of the ration might help. The addition of 2½ kg of magnesium oxide per ton of feed sometimes aids in control of fur chewing.

      Occasionally rabbits will pull fur from their cage mates because of boredom. This vice is overcome by putting a round can or a wooden block in the cage. The rabbits spend hours chewing and playing with these objects and seem to forget about the fur chewing. Hanging a small block of wood in the cage will also work and will also provide the additional benefit of reducing fighting. This method of prevention does not work if there is a dietary deficiency.

      Other Causes of Hair Loss

      Hair loss only on the face may be caused by improperly cut wire for feeder installation or rough places on the feeder itself. Such rough spots scratch the rabbit’s face, and a bacterial infection (usually Staphylococcus) sets in, causing hair loss on the face. Changing the feeder or smoothing the rough spots with emery cloth will alleviate the problem.

      Sanitation

      Sanitation is very important in controlling disease. Ideally, cages should be cleaned daily. Any manure hanging on the bottoms of cages should be removed with a wire brush. This helps control enteritis and hepatic coccidiosis. A wire brush mounted on a long handle is a handy tool. A battery-driven electric drill with a wire brush head can be mounted on a handle and used for cleaning the bottoms of cages. A plastic toilet-bowl brush will be less damaging to the galvanizing on the wire but will need more frequent replacement. Cages may be brushed or sprayed with a bleach solution (30 ml of bleach per liter of water). Disinfectants are effective only on the surface, so cages must be thoroughly cleaned to remove attached dirt prior to disinfecting. Rabbits excrete large amounts of calcium carbonate in their urine; calcium deposits may build up (Fig. 5.18). Calcium carbonate is soluble in acid, so a mildly acidic solution (e.g., vinegar) will aid in removing these deposits.

      Fig. 5.18. An example of a deposit of calcium carbonate in a rabbit cage. Rabbits excrete large amounts of calcium in their urine. (Courtesy of OSU Rabbit Research Center)

      Hair should not be allowed to build up on cages and elsewhere in the rabbitry (Fig. 5.19). Hair can be removed from cages by burning with a propane torch. Be careful with a torch, as it can be a fire hazard. Do not use a torch to burn hair or cobwebs off the ceiling or walls. A vacuum cleaner may also be used for removing hair.

      Fig. 5.19. Accumulation of hair on cage bottoms. (Courtesy of D.J. Harris)

      Flies in the rabbitry are a nuisance. It is conceivable that they could be vectors in the spread of diseases such as pasteurellosis, but this hasn’t been proven. In an urban or suburban area, the rabbit raiser can be the target of legal action if the rabbitry is the neighborhood source of flies. Flies can be controlled by the use of screens to keep them out of the rabbitry and by the use of baits and spraying programs to eliminate them if they do gain entrance. Such management procedures as repair of leaky water valves are important to keep the manure habitat as dry as possible. (This also helps minimize ammonia production.) Insecticides can be of the organophosphate type, such as malathion, or of the natural type, such as pyrethrum products (obtained from the pyrethrum flower). Spray contact with the rabbits should be mini-mized-especially with organophosphates. A good rule of thumb is to use only spray products that are safe for use around lactating dairy cattle. Another method of fly control is the use of natural fly predators, such as beetles and wasps, that can be purchased from commercial sources. The naturally occurring black soldier fly, Hermetia illucens, is also beneficial for fly control in the rabbitry. The females, about the size of wasps, live on nectar from flowers and only enter the rabbitry to lay eggs. They fly close to the ground, lay their eggs in the manure pack, and leave. The larvae are about 2 cm long and are a dirty gray color. They out-compete the filth fly larvae (primarily houseflies and stable flies) for food and will reduce the numbers that hatch. They also will reduce the volume and water content of the manure pack. They are very active and will result in the manure pack moving into the aisles each night. Shoveling the material back under the cages each day is a small price to pay for good fly control.

      Growing earthworms in the manure pack will also help keep filth fly populations under control by stirring and drying the manure. However, moisture requirements for worms are much higher than are generally advisable for rabbits, so growing worms under the rabbits may result in increased incidence of pas-teurellosis and other respiratory diseases.

      A white fungus is often observed on the manure beneath the cages (Fig. 5.20). It is probably harmless, although it is possible that spores released by mature fungi could contribute to respiratory disease of the rabbits. It can be controlled if desired by application of a fungicide to the manure.

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