I. Significance of weaning of young rabbits
After the rabbit is born, it mainly obtains the nutrients needed for growth through breastfeeding Therefore, the time of weaning of rabbits is very important, neither too early nor too late. Under normal circumstances, weaning of young rabbits starts at 30 to 35 days of age. Weaning of young rabbits is not only to reduce the burden of female rabbits, but also necessary for the reproductive cycle. Of course, more importantly, as the young rabbits continue to grow, they need more nutrients. Long-term breastfeeding cannot meet their nutritional needs, so Weaning the baby rabbit is very necessary.
Second, the method of weaning rabbits
One-time weaning method and staged weaning method are the two main methods for weaning rabbits . The selection method of weaning is mainly determined according to the physical strength and size of the young rabbits. Generally speaking, if the number of pups is small and the pups develop evenly, the one-time weaning method can be adopted, that is, choosing a reasonable time to raise the whole litter of pups and mother rabbits separately.
Staging weaning method is mainly used when the number of pups is large and the individual development of pups is uneven. This method works by weaning the more robust puppies first, while the weaker puppies continue to breastfeed for a few days, and then wean them when they are stronger.
III. Precautions for weaning
After weaning rabbits, there are many things that the owner needs to pay attention to. Rabbits at this stage of weaning are prone to death due to poor management. The owners need to pay attention to the following:
Don’t let the newly weaned rabbits leave the original rabbit house and the mother rabbit immediately, and leave them in the original rabbit house for a few days, because at this time the baby rabbits They are very timid and have poor adaptability. If they are suddenly moved to a place they are not familiar with, they are prone to stress reactions due to tension and fear, such as decreased activity, loss of appetite, etc., which is harmful to young rabbits. Very large, and can even easily die.
At the same time, during the weaning period of the pups, the owner of the rabbits should pay close attention to the daily life of the pups and observe whether they have abnormal behaviors. For newly weaned young rabbits, the food that the owner feeds must be easy to digest and absorb and rich in nutrients. In addition, a small amount of feeding is required to allow the rabbit to gradually adapt to the feed, and then the feeding amount should be appropriately increased according to the size of the young rabbit.
In addition, the owner needs to appropriately reduce the feeding amount of concentrate and juicy feed to the female rabbit about 3 days before weaning of the pups, and switch to feeding with high-quality green hay to help the female rabbit go smoothly. Stop lactation to prevent the female rabbit from developing mastitis disease.
We will introduce the method of weaning the baby rabbits here, I hope it will help you!
