FAQ

Approximate sizes: - a medium-breed doe with kits: at least 90×60 cm and 45–60 cm high; - giant breeds such as the Flemish Giant: around 100–120×70 cm; - a buck: his own cage, which can be a little smaller than a doe’s; - nest box: about 50×35×30 cm. Do not overcrowd growing rabbits: in a hot climate keep to no more than 18 rabbits or 34 kg of live weight per square meter, or losses rise.

Bucks start fighting from about 3–3.5 months, so move them into separate cages. Adult does can fight too, especially when a new rabbit is added or before kindling. Bite wounds quickly turn into abscesses, so keep them clean and show the rabbit to a vet if swelling or pus appears. For mating, bring the doe to the buck’s cage, but do not keep them together permanently, or the doe is mated again on the day she kindles and wears out fast.

This is pododermatitis (sore hocks), usually caused by thin or widely spaced floor wire, a wet and dirty cage, or excess weight, and it is common in giant breeds. Put a smooth board or plastic mat in part of the cage as a resting spot and keep the floor dry. An open, bleeding or swollen sore can become infected, so show it to a vet. Crusty sores that look like mange may be mites or fungus, so it matters to find the real cause.

Keeping breeding rabbits in a basement is not recommended: ammonia from urine and damp build up in a closed room and increase respiratory disease, and preventing that takes powerful ventilation running all the time. A roofed shed in the yard with one open side, shade and moving air is much safer. One or two pet dwarf rabbits can live in an apartment, but breeding for meat there is impractical because of smell, space and neighbors. A basement is useful as a store for feed and equipment.

It is possible, but a hard and risky route for a beginner. Free-ranging rabbits pick up coccidiosis and worms from the soil, fall prey to dogs, cats and birds of prey, and you cannot tell who is pregnant, who is sick or who mated with whom, which leads to inbreeding. Pits and burrows are damp, and sick rabbits are hard to isolate or vaccinate there. Cages, or a dry, shaded pen enclosed with mesh, give far more control.