Rabbit terminology

Rabbit care has its own unique language and terms. They include the following Doe- Female rabbit Buck- Male rabbit KitBaby rabbit Lagomorph- the Order that rabbits and hares belong to. Family Leporidae. Rabbits are not rodents! Binkies- a term for when a bunny is running and jumping around in a very happy fashion! Hole- the rabbit's cage or home. Herd- the name used to describe a group of rabbits. Rabbitry- generally called such for people with any amount of rabbits who raise for exhibition, breeding, pets, meat, etc. Barn- similar to rabbitry. People refer to their rabbit barn as such if they keep their rabbits in their own unique building just for the purpose of housing rabbits. Sexing- term used for the technique of looking at the rabbits genitals to determine if it is male or female. Quick- the pink part of the toenails/claws that contains the blood vessels and nerves. It is to be avoided when trimming a rabbit's nails. Rabbits nails can grow very long and can increase the chance of breaking a nail or toe if it becomes too long. This is not only painful but can get your rabbit disqualified at a show if it has a broken toe. Also, can make getting scratched much more dangerous. You should trim your rabbit's nails regularly. A rabbit can be disqualified from exhibition if it's nails are not trimmed. ARBA- the American Rabbit Breeders Association. Raw diet- term used commonly by those who believe that rabbit meat is the most nutritious meat for their predator pets such as cats, dogs and reptiles and who raise rabbits for pet food. It is growing in popularity and the market for rabbit meat in the pet food industry is growing quickly. Pelt- the skin and fur of a rabbit. Can be tanned to preserve the pelt. Tanned/tanning- the process for treating and preserving the rabbit pelt. Some people learn how to do it themselves at home, and others send out to experts to have this done. Pellets/feed- the pressed grains and plant materials of commercially produced food to feed rabbits with. Should be 16% or more in fiber, and in the 16-18% protein range. Hay- everyone knows what hay is. Rabbits should be fed hay as it gives them lots of chewing which they need to be happy and gives them something to do in their cage. It also provides them with much needed fiber. Rabbits need a very high amount of fiber in their diet or they simply will not be healthy. It should be a "stemmy" variety of hay. The two best types of grass hay and are listed in the preferred order are Timothy and Orchard Grass. Some breeders feed Alfalfa. However, Alfalfa is a legume and is very high in protein and does not contain as much fiber as the other hay. It is also the main ingredient in most commercial rabbit pellet feeds. You can purchase little bags of hay at your local pet store for $3-$6. Or... you can buy a bale of hay for roughly $12-$15 depending where you live. Most bales of hay are 50-80lbs so it is much cheaper to buy it by the bale. It also serves as bedding material and to use in nesting boxes. Cull- term used that means either killing or getting rid of a rabbit. People can cull a rabbit from their herd by selling it to someone else. Examples: It's time to cull some rabbits from the herd

because we have too many. That animal is inferior and should be culled from the breeding program. Today we culled some rabbits to the freezer. Galvanized wire and gauge- important things to know about the type of wire used in your cages. Wire should be galvanized after weld which means it was dipped again and coated which slows down the rust process that will occur in the cage over time. Gauge is the size of wire. The smaller the number of the gauze of wire, the larger it is. 14 gauge wire is a really good choice for rabbits as it is large enough to hold their weight and also prevent them from chewing through it. Colony housing or raising- a style of housing rabbits that is closest to their nature in the wild. It involves housing the rabbits in groups (usually breeding trios/quads) and is done on the ground. There are many ways to colony house rabbits. Some people fence areas and allow the rabbits to dig and burrow in the ground. Others do it indoors with cement floors and lots of hay bales for the rabbits to burrow into. Sore hocks and urine scald- if a rabbit does not have enough thick fur on the back part of it's legs, it can become raw from rubbing against the cage floor. This is a relatively rare condition and considered to be a sign of poor genetics. If a rabbit develops sore hocks it is usually culled from any responsible breeder's program. Large heavy breeds of rabbits are more prone to sore hocks on exclusively wire cage floors so should have a firm surface to sit on when they want to. Scald can occur if the rabbit gets areas of its skin burned from frequent contact with it's urine. Teeth- everyone knows what teeth are, but you should understand that rabbits teeth continually grow during their life. They will need something to chew on like wood or lots of hay. The teeth should line up nice and straight with the upper teeth overlapping the bottom teeth just slightly. Otherwise, they can develop several issues of irregular growth that can impact their ability to eat properly. Chipped teeth will grow out and is ok. Most responsible breeders will not breed a rabbit with bad teeth and will cull due to this flaw. Weaned/weaning- since rabbits are mammals, the babies nurse from the mother (drink milk). They are usually ready to say goodbye to their mom around the age of 6-8 weeks. Stating that your rabbit has been weaned means it is no longer with the mother and that it is on it's own eating and drinking. Nursing- process of allowing the kits to suckle milk from the mother's teats. A doe's milk is one of the densest, riches milks of any animal. She will usually only nurse the kits once a day. Fostering- process of placing rabbit kits from one litter in with another doe's litter. Should be done with kits of the same age/size. This is usually only done for the sake of giving the kits a better chance of survival if their litter is too large to support all of them, or if a mother rejected her litter. Litter- group of rabbit kits. Trio/Quad- a group of rabbits that refers to breeding groups. It is usually a non-related buck and two or three does that are sisters (but does not necessarily have to be). This is usually the bare minimum of rabbits that people start out with for their breeding program. Breed/breeder/breeding- a breed is a type of rabbit. A breeder is a person who owns and mates their rabbits to produce more rabbits. Breeding is the process of placing the doe in the buck's cage to allow them to mate. Gestation- gestation is the time it takes from when the doe is impregnated to when she gives birth. It is usually 31 days. Nesting box- a shoe box shaped and sized container (can be larger or smaller depending on breed of rabbit) that is placed in a cage with a doe on the 27th day of gestation. It should be

filled with soft hay or wood shavings. The doe will usually begin building her nest and carrying hay around in her mouth. Usually right before the doe gives birth she will pull fur from her belly and use it to line and insulate the nesting box for the arrival of the newborn kits. The nesting box will hold the kits in it and keep them protected. Fryer- term used for when a rabbit reaches butchering age/weight. This is usually around 8 weeks and 5 lbs for commercial breeds of rabbits. Roaster- a rabbit older and larger than a fryer. Should be baked with lots of liquid to make it moister and easier to eat. Stewer- old and large rabbit. Considered to be tough and dry and requiring long boiling to make it easier to chew. Commercial breed- a commercial breed of rabbit is one that was developed for meat production. Examples are: New Zeland, Californian, American, American Chinchilla. Fiber- term used by people who like to spin and knit with various animal's hair/fur. Rabbits hair is a fur technically, but also commonly called fiber or even wool. Familiar breeds of rabbits that are used for fiber related crafts are Angoras. Enteritis or diarrhea- a dangerous condition that has many causes. Rabbit's poop pellets should be firm and dry looking and slightly smaller than marbles. Diarrhea is a real problem to any rabbitry so be sure to inspect your rabbits pellets as a part of your daily health checks. A commonly thought cause (other than contageous diseases) is tainted commercial pellet feed. Do not feed anything that smells moldy or that is wet. Cecotropes- a special stool that rabbits will eat. It is thought to be a way for them to get additional nutrition and beneficial bacteria. It is not the rabbit's regular droppings. It looks more like a little bunch of shiny dark brown or even dark green grapes. It is usually covered in a layer of mucous and the rabbit will eat it directly from their anus as it comes out. Hutch- a special type of outdoor cage used to house rabbits. It is usually made out of wood on the sides and has a slanted roof. It is an all-in-one type of cage that functions as it's own outdoor building. Care should be taken to select or build a hutch that has at least half of the floor made out of wire. Otherwise the hutch will quickly become soiled and germ-riddled with urine and feces. A hutch should be inspected and cleaned daily as any section of flooring that is wood will get moist and covered in waste quickly and your rabbit will become dirty in a hurry!