Rabbits

Rabbits

Male – Buck, Female – Doe

Historical records indicate that the Rabbit was first domesticated in the first century B.C. Between the 6th and 10th Centuries A.D experiments in the domestication of the Rabbit apparently took place in French monasteries. It is also known that the Romans domesticated the Rabbit and kept them in enclosed gardens.

The first records of Rabbits in Britain was in the 13th Century and it is only in recent times that it has been permissible to keep Rabbits as pets in New Zealand. This is due to the fact that Rabbits are a major agricultural pest in Britain, Australia and New Zealand causing destruction and erosion to the landscape.

Rabbits flourish in a wide variety of climates, being able to withstand temperatures of as low as minus 12 degrees C, semi arid desert with low rain fall and sub tropical conditions with high rainfall. They thrive under temperate pastoral conditions.

Rabbits live on average 6 - 7 years and have a gestation period of 28 - 32 days except the Flemish Giant that can be up to 35 days. They are born with their eyes closed, naked and are unable to fend for themselves for 6 - 8 weeks.

Rabbits average litter size is on average 4 - 8 babies and each doe can produce up to 6 - 10 litters annually. Rabbits are herbivorous eating mainly green herbage and other plant material.

There are a number of common breeds of Rabbit including Flemish Giants, Rex Rabbits and Lops.

1. Flemish Giant

It is thought that the Flemish Giant rabbit is the modern descendant of the Patagonian rabbit of Argentina. The Patagonian rabbit was brought to Europe by 16th and 17th century Dutch traders and was raised for meat. The first written records of the Flemish Giant Rabbit date back to about 1860. At that time, English travelers returning from Flanders brought back stories of the enormous rabbits that were being raised there. The Flemish Giant was imported from England to America in the early 1880s. It received no special attention until about 1910 where it started appearing at small livestock shows throughout the country. Today, it is one of the more popular breeds at rabbit because of its enormous size and its many and beautiful colours.

2. Rex Rabbits

The Rex rabbit was born as a mutation in litters of wild grey rabbits in France. A French farmer and a parish priest bred and developed the first Rex rabbit. They called it "Castorex". In 1924, these unique rabbits made their debut at the Great Paris International Rabbit Show and, at that time, were brought into the United States. These original imports were often long eared, flat shouldered, and very long in body type. Despite these obvious faults, the Rex created a sensation wherever it was shown because of its unique fur.

3. Lop Eared Rabbits

The floppy-eared rabbits are among the most darling creatures within the world of lagomorphs. The English lop-eared rabbit is one of the oldest breeds of domestic rabbits. They vary in size, colour, and ear length, but nevertheless remain cute, soft, furry and gentle.

The hallmark of lop rabbits is their long, soft, dropping or 'lop' ears (which in some breeds are enormous in size in relation to body size). In the larger lop breeds; ear lengths easily measure over 50cm. The French Lop is the largest variety, growing as big as 6.8kg. It has a very round, compact body shape. The slightly smaller English Lop is a mean, lean shape, with the largest ears of any rabbit. The German Lop, the Dwarf Lop and the Mini Lop are all smaller versions of the French Lop, the Mini Lop being the smallest at approximately 1.4kg. The Meissner Lop has distinctive silver colouring, similar to the silver rabbit, and the Cashmere Lop is the longhaired version of the Dwarf Lop. All Lops come in a great variety of colours and markings, and make excellent pets.

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Other Animals at
Buttermilk Farm:

Kunekune Pigs

Chickens

Rabbits

Guinea pigs

Cockatoos

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