You can often see this kind of joke on the Internet: I bought a "mini little fragrant pig", but I grew up to become a super fat pig.
But the big fat pigs also have the big fat pigs... particularly
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Not only pigs, but also rabbits can grow into something that is difficult for you to hold
What bad intentions can a bunny have?
Video source: YouTube
Rabbits have a cute appearance and a docile personality, and have always been a popular pet in the hearts of many people, so how should you choose a bunny? After buying, how should I raise it?
To raise these "hairballs", there are many things that need to be paid attention to. To this end, we interviewed Professor Qin Yinghe of China Agricultural University to answer the questions that everyone is interested in in the breeding process.
You can often see this kind of joke on the Internet: I bought a "mini little fragrant pig", but I grew up to become a super fat pig. The rabbits sold on the market are generally small young rabbits, but many rabbits can also grow to seven or eight catties or more than ten catties, so how to avoid buying "giant rabbits"? Are there any "mini rabbits" that don't grow up?
There are at least 300 breeds of rabbits in the world, ranging from the Flande giant rabbit, which can grow to about 7 kilograms, to the Dutch pygmy rabbit, which weighs only about 1 kilogram.
Flender Giant Rabbit
Dutch pygmy rabbit
As long as you do your homework before buying and understand the relevant characteristics of your favorite rabbit, you will not be able to step on thunder (you can buy the January 2023 issue of "Naturalist" magazine to learn more). However, it should be noted that some strains, such as Rex rabbits, lop-eared rabbits, etc., will have a variety of body types such as giant, standard, and mini. Be sure to ask before you buy, so as not to become the protagonist of online jokes.
Lop-eared rabbits
When we were children, we all heard the children's rhyme of the little white rabbit "love to eat radishes and love vegetables", but now some people on the Internet often say that this children's rhyme is a lie. So what is the right thing to feed the rabbit?
In its natural state, wild rabbits feed mainly on the leaves, rhizomes and stems of plants. These foods are rich in crude fiber, which can promote intestinal peristalsis in rabbits and ensure that the digestive system works properly. In addition, rabbits' incisors are similar to rats and grow for life, originally to grind high-fiber, harder food.
Rabbits have 6 front teeth (and two smaller ones are hidden behind the incisors) that will grow for life.
Domestic rabbits, which were domesticated from wild burrowing rabbits, have similar feeding habits. However, radish is a fleshy root, and the green vegetable leaves that people eat also contain more water and less fiber than ordinary grass leaves. Rabbits can eat some occasionally, but if they eat these as the staple food, they are prone to malnutrition, tooth hyperplasia, and even digestive tract diseases in severe cases.
Carrots can't be fed too much
Therefore, we usually only need to feed rabbit grass (Timothy grass), alfalfa and other pastures, supplemented by rabbit food as snacks (supplemented with other trace elements), it is enough.
Lop-eared rabbits eat grass
I heard many people who raise rabbits say that rabbits can't drink water, and when they drink water, they will have diarrhea, and they will die when they have diarrhea. And you can't bathe them either, in case the water gets into your mouth, it's bad. Is it really that evil?
It's not so serious, and all kinds of wild rabbits will also go to the water's edge to drink. For domestic rabbits, dry feed often accounts for a high proportion of food, and they should be given plenty of drinking water. According to body weight, a rabbit needs to consume 50~100 ml of water per day for every 1 kg of body weight.
The lop-eared rabbit is eating dry food and drinking water
But be careful to keep the water container clean, and not change the water every few days, which can easily make the rabbit sick. As for bathing, of course, you can. However, it is important to note that the indoor temperature is not too low, and the rabbit should be dried in time after bathing to avoid catching a cold.
However, rabbits usually love to be clean and will groom themselves frequently, so they don't need to bathe them frequently.
I see a lot of people catching rabbits, and they just pick them up with their ears. The rabbit seemed to be very uncomfortable, struggling vigorously, looking very violent and dangerous. Don't know what the correct posture is to grab them?
Rabbit ears have very thin skin and do not have much muscle, and if you pull the ears directly, it is easy to strain the soft tissues at the base of their ears, from "standing ears rabbits" to "lop ears rabbits".
Moreover, rabbits are sensitive and timid by nature, so catching them will also scare them. The correct approach should be: gently grab the rabbit's ears and the fur on the back of the neck with one hand, and hold their buttocks with the other, and slowly pick them up. This will not hurt the rabbit and will give them a sense of security so that they will not scratch their owner while struggling.
Are rabbits temperature sensitive? If the weather is too cold or too hot, what do we need to pay attention to prevent rabbits from getting sick?
In general, juvenile rabbits are afraid of cold, and adult rabbits are afraid of heat. Newborn bunnies, with bare body surfaces, can only rely on the hair on their mother's abdomen and other nest materials to keep them warm. Even if sparse hair grows later, the ability to regulate body temperature is weaker than that of adult rabbits, so the minimum temperature around the litter of young rabbits in winter should not be lower than 5°C to avoid freezing them.
The process of the baby rabbit gradually "growing" from birth to the 15th day
Video source: YouTube
Adult rabbits have thick hair, and in the wild, they will change their winter fur in winter, change their summer fur in summer, and find a grass hole or burrow to escape the heat when it is too hot. For rabbits, give them a shade and not too hot (no higher than 30°C) to prevent the rabbit from heat stroke.
Compared with the "handle-bearing" cats and dogs in the pet world, rabbits have always given the impression that they have a low IQ and poor interaction. Is this really the case?
In fact, as long as the owner often observes and accompanies carefully, he will find that the rabbit's behavior is very rich and the interaction is not bad at all. For example, they can understand the owner's name, they can take the initiative to run to the owner to ask for masturbation, they will also be in a bad mood and ignore you, etc.
Moreover, rabbits are not as stupid as they think, and some individuals can even secretly open the cage door, so the IQ is still online.
Witty as I am
Therefore, we can do some simple training for rabbits, for example, when they are young, train them to defecate at a fixed point, and so on. All in all, the rabbit is also a very qualified companion animal.
Sudden collapse
Can rabbits be kept in cages for long periods of time?
If conditions permit, it is of course good to be able to release it. However, it is okay to keep it in a cage, but pay attention to the space should not be too narrow, so that the rabbit has a certain space to move; And try to keep the bottom of the cage smooth to avoid grinding the rabbit's feet and causing foot dermatitis.
Can I have other pets while having a rabbit?
Try not to. In particular, pets such as dogs that need to be taken outdoors for walking are likely to carry parasites and infect rabbits. Moreover, each pet has a different personality, and it is possible for a mixed breed of cat and dog to attack a rabbit.