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The Californian rabbit breed has recently gained wide popularity among farmers who breed rabbits. This breed appeared in the 20s of the XIX century. They brought it out in the United States of America, in the state of California. This is where the name comes from. Breeding of the California rabbit in Russia became widespread in the 70s of the last century and in such a short period of time reached an industrial scale.
Rabbits California: features of the breed and content
Californian rabbits are white in color, with small dark spots on the ears, legs and tail. Small straight ears, the head is also small. The neck is very small, wide hips, well-developed muscles. The wool of rabbits of the California breed is knocked down, thick, shiny. The breed features red eyes and black nails. Rabbits of this breed can reach up to 6 kg of weight. But this weight is not considered good for the animal. The optimal weight is in the range of 3.5-4 kg.
How to distinguish a California bunny from a cross when buying? When choosing a California rabbit, you should pay attention to the color of the eyes and nails, as well as the fit of the ears. If the ears do not stick out and are set far apart, this is a cross. California rabbits have strong short legs. Another distinctive feature is the chin. In the Californian rabbit, it is poorly expressed.
California rabbit
If you are lucky enough to find a rabbit with a pronounced smoky bloom on the fur, you should take it without hesitation. Representatives of this color in the future will become the best individuals of the California breed.
The fur of the red California rabbit is highly valued. The characteristic of these individuals is the color, which is considered a rarity in the breed, but, nevertheless, it exists. Its wool and skins are highly sought after in the market. These animals are considered giants. Their weight can be over 6 kg. Features of the California rabbit breed imply their content in cages, the cage is selected based on the size of the animal.
Californian rabbit care
Caring for a California rabbit is quite simple and does not require much effort. Different temperature conditions The California rabbit tolerates well. The description of the Californian rabbit breed suggests that the only thing that the animal of this breed is negative about is dampness in the room. It is recommended to keep in cages, especially of fertile females. The room in which the rabbits live should be exposed to daylight. When keeping these animals, it is recommended to have a hood that is installed at a distance of at least 80 cm from the floor. The room must be well ventilated.
Caged pallets are lined with straw or cat litter. The flooring is subject to frequent changes so that various pests do not have time to start in it.
The diet of rabbits should be high in protein. They should not refuse to feed. It is only necessary to ensure that the females do not overeat, as this reduces their fertility. In addition to special compound feed for rabbits, in the summer period you can feed them with grass-based feed, add meat and bone fly and wheat rusks to the feed. It is better not to change the feed, since the Californian rabbit breed reacts negatively to a change in diet.The food must be of good quality. Females who feed offspring need to add beets, different types of cabbage, zucchini, pumpkin, carrots to the diet. In order for the rabbit's wool to shine and be soft, barley, oats, various types of legumes, etc. are added to the feed. Drinking water should be clean and warm during the cold season.
Californian rabbit care
Animals are subject to inspection once a week. Examine eyes, ears, hair, skin. The eyes are washed with various herbal infusions, the ears are cleaned with a swab dipped in boric acid. If necessary, nails are cut. These treatments can prevent some serious illnesses.
Californian breeding
In order to create a healthy and fertile family, individuals of rabbits are taken from different families. In no case should there be incest, since from this the breed becomes smaller and dies. The number of purchased rabbits is calculated depending on how many families are created. The family should consist of one male, which has from 5 to 10 females. If you buy a smaller number of females, then with a larger number of pairings, the life of the female is significantly reduced.
Upon reaching the age of 5 months, the females are ready for mating. Males need more time - about six months. Female rabbits of the California breed bring an average of 10 rabbits in the litter. There are no problems with the feeding process. Rabbits have milk in sufficient quantities. If one female has a large number of rabbits in the litter, and the other has a smaller number, the cubs can be shifted. Female Californian bunnies can also feed other breeds of rabbits if the mothers have any problems and difficulties.
Females are not recommended to be fed. With a large set of weight, females give birth more difficult, and then completely stop mating and procreation.
Rabbits at birth weigh about 50 grams. Weight and height gains quickly enough. Already in the second month of life, they reach a weight of 1.5 kg. When rabbits reach puberty, weight gain drops dramatically. The average Californian rabbit weighs approximately 3.5 kg at childbearing age.
Vaccination is recommended to avoid many diseases of Californians. The first vaccination is given at the age of 28 days. Vaccination against myxomatosis is given. The disease is very common among rabbits, and if young animals are not vaccinated, it can destroy all livestock.
The second vaccination is given at 45 days of age. The rabbit is vaccinated against viral hemorrhagic disease. The absence of this vaccine threatens with pneumonia in rabbits. The percentage of deaths ranges from 80 to 100.
Californian breeding
Encephalozoanosis is also a common disease. It is an infectious disease caused by parasites. Most often, the disease leads to torticollis, less often - to death. It is transmitted through food, waste products. The main signs of the disease are:
- Convulsions;
- Constant tilt of the head to one side;
- Hind legs weaken;
- Disorientation in space;
- Comatosis.
The disease is diagnosed with a single blood test. This disease is dangerous because it is discovered quite late. The infection is already causing irreparable harm to the internal organs of the animal.
When breeding rabbits, it is advisable to prevent offspring from close family ties.
Advantages and disadvantages of the breed
Among the advantages are the high fertility of the breed, unpretentiousness, ease of cultivation. The undoubted advantage is the age from which you can cut rabbits.They gain weight quickly enough, so they also bring income to the farmer very quickly. The breed entered the top three for the quality of leather and wool among other breeds of rabbits.
This breed also has disadvantages. There are those with whom the animal can bring offspring, which do not affect the farmer's income in any way, others can ruin the whole breed, then the farmer will spend more money on its maintenance than will profit from it. Disadvantages to put up with:
- The neck and / or head is slightly enlarged;
- Ears set wide;
- The muscles are poorly developed;
- The coat is not silky enough and shiny;
- The coat is yellowish;
- The eyes are light pink, etc.
Defects due to which the crawl should be rejected:
- Weak weight gain;
- Strong weight gain;
- Eye color that does not match the characteristic color of the breed.
Like any other rabbit, the Californian is often sick if not properly cared for.
There is nothing difficult in growing and caring for a California rabbit. These are very affectionate animals that will become favorites of the whole family.
