BUT apparently some Netherlands have an acrobatic streak to them...
This link says genetic defect... but it's got pretty dirty feet and a clean back end... so I am admitting to not being sure about truth here.... BUT apparently some Netherlands have an acrobatic streak to them... I Don't do Long-haired anything, but thought some might find this video useful to you in one way or the other. :) Lots of ways to groom a rabbit, this is one person's methods and thoughts. My grooming tends to consist of once in while wetting down my hands and brushing against the grain and wiping the hair off. During moulting I use a prickly brush which works quickly. With matting I take a sharp pair of scissors and cut as close to the skin as possible, but you need to be careful when you do so. A classic and informative video about raising rabbits for fun, fur or food. Nice footage of rabbit burrows and hutches and baby rabbits. Very informative and relevant for anyone who is interested in rabbits.
If everyone watched this video very few people would own rabbits.
Myths 1. Rabbits are low maintenance. 2. Short Life Span 3. No Vet Care 4. Rabbit should be outdoors 5. Rabbits love to be picked up and cuddled 6. Rabbits okay eating only Pellets 7. Rabbits smell 8. Rabbits good for small apartments 9. Can't leave a rabbit for a week-end Okay so let's address these comments 1. Rabbits are low maintenance. According to the speaker rabbits require more care than a large dog : Space cleaned, exercise, food. Hmm... seems the same as a large dog to me. Seriously. Rabbits... Clean the litter box, feed them, and if you have time, let them out to run around the place. 2. Rabbits have a short life span. As with any animal their life span can vary.. sometimes dependant on the care they receive, sometimes based on genetics. Oldest rabbit I had lived 13 years, youngest one died unexpectedly at 6 months. Go figure. 3. No Vet Care required. Raising rabbits for the past 8 years I've been to the vet twice with my rabbits. This is very dependant on your rabbit AND your care and handling of same. Fed an appropriate diet and purchased from someone who focuses on breeding for health, your rabbit should be fine. MIND with any animal purchased you need to expect and budget for animal care. With rabbits the toughest part is finding a rabbit savvy vet. 4. Rabbits should be outdoors. The speaker implies that a rabbit raises outdoors gets less than great care. Not everyone wants to nor desires to keep their rabbit indoors... doesn't mean the rabbits isn't well cared for. 5. Rabbits like to be picked up and cuddled. Not sure why so many pet/house rabbit society folks think this. Makes me wonder what they are doing wrong. Rabbits can and do enjoy the care and handling from their owners IF they are handled properly and with confidence. Too many people aren't confident and in charge when handling their rabbits. 6. Rabbits eating Pellets only. Yet another person who insists that rabbits MUST HAVE unlimited hay all the time for their teeth. Seriously folks... Rabbits wear down their teeth as they eat ANYTHING. A good pellet with have fibre in it. Hay is NOT a requirement for caring for rabbits. It's honestly just another part of the care of rabbits. BUT if you are allergic to hay then you can still own a rabbit... you can feed grasses, green feed, or a GOOD quality pellet, and your rabbit will do just fine. Mind I believe in feeding rabbits a variety of feeds so that you have a feed arsenal if your rabbit goes off feed. Sometimes rabbits do that.. and if you don't have a feed arsenal to give them how will you get your rabbit back to eating??? 7. Rabbits smell. Umm... it's an animal. Any animal has a odour to it. How you manage it depends on how much odour is released. Daily litter box cleaning helps heaps, adding a touch of apple cider vinegar to the water helps, use of proper bedding materials etc. 8. Rabbits good for small apartments. IF one would believe this video you'd be required to own a mansion to have a rabbit. Rabbits are FINE for whatever house you happen to live in. They will use the space they are alloted. 9. Can't leave a rabbit for a weekend. Where it is true that rabbits need more immediate care if they happen to get sick.. ANY animal can get sick easily and you could have a major problem when you get home. Many a rabbit can be left for a weekend if you provide sufficient food and water... if going away for a weekend that might mean three water bottles, a feeder stuffed with hay, a j-feeder loaded with pellets etc. You can't deprive them of sufficient food to eat. I watched this video this morning and it made me consider the goals people set in their rabbitry.
For some it's a matter of winning on the table. Simply producing a rabbit that physically is all that it can be for winning on the show table. I like doing that with my polish. I have to admit it's fun. :) For others it's producing a rabbit that is temperamentally sound and of a good size for selling to the pet market. Doing that with my holland lops and my guinea pigs gives me a huge feeling of satisfaction. Not that I don't focus on that with my other rabbits as well. :) For others it's reducing the amount of time needed to get your rabbits to make weight for providing food for the table, or food for their animals, or for the animals of other people. I have to admit, I'm not where I want to be with my meat rabbits, but I'm getting closer. :) They are all great goals. It means work and effort. It means choosing animals for your herd that will further your goals. It means deliberation and thought, and not just randomly throwing two rabbits together. This is what makes a breeder. This is what makes for a good rabbitry. That thought and deliberation, followed by good animal care. |
AuthorI have been breeding rabbits for a quite a few years. I thoroughly enjoy them as animals and think they make great pets. I also like to take some of them to rabbit shows to see how they measure up to the standards. For the BEST rabbit forum I've ever found. Go to Rabbittalk.com. Good for the pet rabbit owner as well as the breeder for meat or show.
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