Preface It is our immense pleasure to come out with this edition of “Hand book on Rabbit Production and Management” The book has been authored in accordance with the syllabi prescribed by Veterinary Council of India (VCI), New Delhi for under graduate students of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry all over India. The book includes comprehensive and up-to-date information on the topics highlighted and also deals with animal ethics and welfare of Laboratory Rabbits and Pet Animals in precise manner and in simple language, which becomes easy for students to understand. There are many books available on this subject covered in this text giving details of many aspects of topics, but definitely there was a long felt need of availability of updated information in concise form at single source. We have strived at our level best to fulfill this necessity of the subjects. Further, an attempt has been made to incorporate quality figures, charts, illustrations and photographs in the book as per need and availability. We hope, the text will be suitable and useful for students including those appearing for comprehensive examinations, teachers and scientists. We humbly request our readers and users of this text to come forward by offering their suggestions and comments, which will be sincerely taken in positive spirit for improvement of next edition, if at all Almighty wishes to bring out the same in future.

Rabbit domestication dates back no farther than the previous millennium. It were the Phoenicians who are said to have discovered the wild rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus of Southern Europe and North Africa when they reached the shores of Spain about 1000 B.C. In Roman times, the rabbit was still emblematic of Spain. The Roman spread the rabbit throughout the empire as a game animal. Like the Spaniards, the Romans also ate foetuses or new born rabbits, which they called laurices. It then becomes a practice that the rabbits were kept in leporarian, stone –walled pens or parks for hunting purposes. These leporaria ultimately paved the way for the development of game parks in the middle Ages. The monks ate laurices during lent because they were an aquatic dish. In France, only the lord of the manor could maintain a warren.

Brief History Fondness of man for rabbits is well established by its appearance in the Aesop’s fables and Vishnu Sharma’s ‘Panchtantra, both of which date back to 2nd century B.C. However, domestic rabbits are descendents of wild species of Western Europe and North Western Africa where Oryctolagus still exists. Interestingly, it was the Romans who first raised rabbits in leporaria (enclosed warrens) as a game animal. Like Spaniards, Romans also ate fetuses of newborn young ones whom they called laurices. These leporaria ultimately paved the way for development of game parks in the Middle Ages. The monks ate laurices during Lent because they were an aquatic dish.

Breeds of Rabbit There are many breeds of domestic rabbits in the world and all have different qualities. Out of the number of breeds and varieties about 38 breeds and 87 varieties are recognized and well established world wide. For commercial purposes, the most important differences between rabbits are their size, colour breeding ability and suitability to the climate. Examples of several different breeds of rabbits are given below. Some of these might be used for improving local rabbit herds.

Introduction: Most young rabbits will be used for meat and skins; some will be kept for breeding. Whatever they are used for, the rabbit keeper will benefit if they are well cared for. Handling of Rabbits: There will be times in any rabbitry when the animals will have to be picked up, e.g. when a doe is moved to a breeding hutch or when young rabbits are weaned. When it is necessary to pick up a rabbit for any purpose, the aim should be to cause it no discomfort and to prevent it struggling. So it must be handled gently but firmly. There are three ways to hold a rabbit according to its size. 

A suitable site for housing is very important. It is better to select a site which has good drainage, adequate shade like under trees, and with sufficient surrounding space from strong winds. Basically the shelter must protect rabbits from extreme temperatures and predators like snakes, mongoose, dogs and other animals. Rabbits can be raised inside the building also or outside in hutches with a protective roof. A hutch is a small building containing cages for housing a few rabbits (6 to 12) a back-yard scale. They are generally made of wood or stone one and chicken wire mesh. The floor may be made of a stronger ranger mesh or soil floor bedded with straw. Hutches can also be constructed with local building materials such as tree and woven split bamboo, etc.

Definitions Pen Enclosure for housing rabbits that allows for freedom of movement by rabbits and allows for the provision of a variety of environmental enrichment strategies. Cage Fully enclosed container for housing rabbits which, because of its size, restricts freedom of movement by rabbits and limits the provision of environmental enrichment strategies. Cages are usually constructed from metal or plastic, with solid or mesh sides.

Rabbits are produced for meat, wool and research and as pets or for a hobby. Meat production is the most important commercial aspect of rabbitry. The domestic rabbit is primarily herbivorous and will consume most types of grains, oil seed cakes, brans, greens and hay. Diets provided, whether home grown or commercially prepared, consist almost entirely of ingredients from plant sources. Although, the producers / farmers mostly rely on home grown feeds, a good portion of the rabbit feed presently used is commercial pelleted feed. Since the rabbit can utilize a certain amount of forage, it has a place in food production by making use of some non-competitive feeds.

Sanitation in the Rabbitry is the best disease-prevention system. Daily cleaning of cages or hutches, containers and surrounding is the easiest way to ensure sanitary condition and hence control disease. The most common diseases found in rabbits are cocciodosis. Pasteurella type pneumonia and enteritis. There are generally caused by lack of sanitation in the rabbitry. With strict sanitation practices such as cleaning all cages and water containers everyday, removal of manure, soiled bedding. Contaminated feed and collecting roughage from uncontaminated areas can drastically reduces chances of any disease in the rabbitry.

Important by product from Rabbit are meat, wool, fur and skin. It can be made highly profitable if products are properly processed and marketed. Many rabbit products are wasted because people do have not enough knowledge about processing.   Slaughtering: Know when and how. Skinning Familiar with how to remove skin and carcass preparation. How the skin has to be processed and how the products which can be obtained from skin. Manure collection and preservation. Slaughtering : It depends on demand, type of animal where meat is consumed more, it can be achieved in 2 methods.

Food, furs, research, hobbies, pets – these are the major uses of rabbits around the world. It should be noted that rabbit production for meat and wool has become increasingly important in the last few years. Angora wool rabbits are a commercial rabbit which is raised for its fine wool and meat as well, but primarily raised for wool production. Cooler climate is most conducive to raising this breed of rabbit. Angora rabbit does not differ from other breeds of rabbit except for its unusual length of valuable fur(wool). This modifies its raising compared to other rabbits.   The term ‘Angora’ qualifies those mammals which are covered with fur or wool composed of very soft hair of more than normal length – double or more than double the normal length.

Normal Physiology Rectal Temperature    :    38.6 to 40.1ºC (AV: 39.5ºC)

Health care is an important way of making sure that rabbits stay productive. Every rabbit keeper should know how to recognize and, if possible, prevent and cure illnesses which can affect rabbits. It is always better to prevent disease incidence than to let animals get ill and then try to treat them. Allowing rabbits to get sick is expensive for several reasons, sick animals stops growing and reproducing so money is lost with this decrease in production, some disease results in the death of rabbits, replacing the dead rabbits is expensive , treatment for the ill rabbits is usually expensive.

References 1.    Contera, C. 1991. Systèmes modernes non conventionnels d’élevage du lapin en Espagne. Conférence Duquesne-Purina, 28 November 1991, Chartres-de            Bretagne, France.  2.    De Lazzer, M.J. & Finzi, A. 1992. Technical and economical efficiency of an unconventional rabbit breeding. Fifth World Rabbit Congress, Vol. A, p. 615-620. 3.    Finzi, A. 1992. Rabbit production in developing countries. Fifth World Rabbit Congress, Vol. A, p. 86-94. 4.    Finzi, A., Tani, A. & Scappini, A. 1988. The Tunisian non-conventional rabbit breeding systems. Fourth World Rabbit Congress, Vol. 1, p. 345-351. 5.    George S. Templeton. Domestic Rabbit Production. The Interstate, Printers and Publishers, Inc, Illinois.