what are rabbits?

     They are a member of small mammals, which is in the family of Leporidae in order of Lagomorpha (along with the hare and the pika). Oryctolagus cuniculus includes the European rabbit species and its descendants, the number of breeds are 305 of domestic rabbit. Sylvilagusincludes 13 wild rabbit species, among them the 7 types of cottontail. The European rabbit, which has been introduced on every continent except Antarctica, is familiar throughout the world as a wild prey animal and as a domesticated form of livestock and pet. With its widespread effect on ecologic and cultures, the rabbit is, in many areas of the world and one of it is here at the Philippines, a part of daily life they serve as food, clothing, a companion, and as a source of artistic inspiration and business.

Safe to Eat

     The USDA regulates rabbit meat with a grading system similar to that applied to poultry processing. The Food Safety and Inspection Service inspects and approves the rabbit meat. After the meat is approved, a grade is applied to it based on its texture and quality. The grades for rabbit meat, in descending order of quality, are grade A, grade B and grade C.

      Rabbits are one of the smallest yet steady meat sources you can have on a homestead. They also are a very healthy meat source as they are all white meat. Rabbit meat is well known for its high protein content. A 3-oz. serving of rabbit meat contains 28 g of protein, more than beef or chicken. Rabbit is also a concentrated source of iron. A serving contains more than 4 mg. Additionally, the meat provides a wide range of minerals. The highest levels include 204 mg of phosphorous and 292 mg of potassium. The calories in rabbit meat are low. A serving contains only 147 calories.

Terminologies and gender 

     Male rabbits are called bucks; while females are called does. An older term for an adult rabbit is coney, while rabbit once referred only to the young animals. Another term for a young rabbit is bunny, though this term is often applied informally (especially by children) to rabbits generally, especially domestic ones. More recently, the term kit or kitten has been used to refer to a young rabbit.

      A group of rabbits is known as a colony or nest (or, occasionally, a warren, though this more commonly refers to where the rabbits live). A group of baby rabbits produced from a single mating is referred to as a litter, and a group of domestic rabbits living together is sometimes called a herd. 

Digestion

     Rabbits are herbivores that feed by grazing on grass, forbs, and leafy weeds. In consequence, their diet contains large amounts of cellulose, which is hard to digest. Rabbits solve this problem via a form of hindgut fermentation. They pass two distinct types of feces: hard droppings and soft black viscous pellets, the latter of which are known as caecotrophs or "night droppings" and are immediately eaten (a behaviour known as coprophagy). Rabbits reingest their own droppings (rather than chewing the cud as do cows and numerous other herbivores) to digest their food further and extract sufficient nutrients.

     Rabbits graze heavily and rapidly for roughly the first half-hour of a grazing period (usually in the late afternoon), followed by about half an hour of more selective feeding.[citation needed] In this time, the rabbit will also excrete many hard fecal pellets, being waste pellets that will not be reingested.[citation needed] If the environment is relatively non-threatening, the rabbit will remain outdoors for many hours, grazing at intervals.[citation needed] While out of the burrow, the rabbit will occasionally reingest its soft, partially digested pellets; this is rarely observed, since the pellets are reingested as they are produced.

Sleep

     Rabbits may appear to be crepuscular, but their natural inclination is toward nocturnal activity. In 2011, the average sleep time of a rabbit in captivity was calculated at 8.4 hours per day. As with other prey animals, rabbits often sleep with their eyes open, so that sudden movements will awaken the rabbit to respond to potential danger.

Habitat and range

     Rabbit habitats include meadows, woods, forests, grasslands, deserts, and wetlands.Rabbits live in groups, and the best known species, the European rabbit, lives in underground burrows, or rabbit holes. A group of burrows is called a warren.

More than half the world's rabbit population resides in North America. They are also native to southwestern Europe, Southeast Asia, Sumatra, some islands of Japan, and in parts of Africa and South America. They are not naturally found in most of Eurasia, where a number of species of hares are present. Rabbits first entered South America relatively recently, as part of the Great American Interchange. Much of the continent has just one species of rabbit, the tapeti, while most of South America's southern cone is without rabbits.

 Common Rabbit Diseases, Ailments, & Illnesses

 (How to Treat Them)

     As we experienced in raising and breeding of rabbits, we noticed that they have also some common ailments and illnesses which not harmful and not transferable to a human so don't be a worry with that. So here are the common diseases, ailments, & illnesses of a rabbit:

1. Snuffles

     This is a very common disease of rabbits and can be found in up to 10 percent of rabbits which appear normal. If your rabbit is suffering from the snuffles, you may notice him develop watery eyes, a runny nose, and sneezing often. This is typically caused by an infection of his tear ducts or nasal sinuses.  Due to the symptoms being generalized, it may be somewhat difficult to identify what your rabbit’s concern is. His symptoms may mimic other conditions rabbits can suffer from such as respiratory diseases, dental concerns or a poorly ventilated hutch.  If this infection is left untreated it can result in abscesses, blindness, and can travel to your rabbit’s ears, eyes, reproductive organs and other organs. It is important to be vigilant about getting him to the veterinarian quickly if you suspect snuffles. The snuffles are caused by the bacterium pasteurellosis, which your rabbit may have in his own body or encounters. It presents as a runny nose, watery eyes and sneezing.

So here's the treatment for snuffles, Treatment will begin with antibiotics to treat the bacterial infection. These medications can be administered for up to a few days to fully treat the infection, based on our experienced rabbits are cured for 3-5 days continuously injecting anti-bacterial at least once a day, take noted that time frame of treating for these symptoms in a cold temperature, here in the Philippines we usually treating 10 P.M. or before sunrises, because this anti-bacterial is warm for the rabbit in order to condition them. 

Certain antibiotics can be dangerous for rabbits, so it will be necessary to find a veterinarian that is well versed in the antibiotics that are safe for rabbits.  To treat clogged tear ducts, your veterinarian may flush his tear ducts in the office and teach you how to do it at home.

2. Heat Stroke

     The Summer season you should always check the water system of your rabbits, because this season they are weak and also us being a human we feel the very warm season of it, that is why most of us are going to beaches, resorts, or other places that will comfort and relax your mind and body.

     Your rabbits need to be kept in the shade with lots of water as heat can quickly get to them. So if
your rabbit is lethargic and it is warmer outside, then you’ll need to act quickly.
Be sure to quickly decrease their body temperature by spraying them gently with cool water. Then you will need to take them to a vet so they can be treated with IV fluids.
     But your best bet is to try to avoid heatstroke all together. You can do this by giving your rabbits frozen water bottles or put some ice on their water. They can lay next to these bottles and absorb some of the cool.
     Also, you can put blower or fan on your rabbits indirectly so cool air can circulate around them. Don’t put blower or fan directly on them as this can cause other problems for your rabbit, or make sure that their cages are air-ventilated or open to breathe them well.


3. Bloat

     When your rabbit’s stomach has an imbalance of bacteria in it. This causes their bellies to look like a balloon and begin to swell.

     This disease happens when your rabbit eats too much green food, wet grass clippings, moldy food, not enough fiber in their diet, if they are fed irregularly, or if they eat food that is spoiled.
So keep this in mind when feeding your rabbits.

      We feed our rabbit's protein feeds/pellets, but they eat mainly a diet of hay. During the warmer months, we use fresh wheat (Trigo) grass & asola as a treat, but they do not get them regularly for this very reason. We also feed our rabbits fodder. They love it, but they don’t get an excessive amount of it either.

     It is important to pay attention to what you feed your rabbits. Also, you should pay attention to their poops, it should be dry and when gets a wet alert with that because they are infected with bad bacteria or they have eaten something bad for them. Make sure that they are still going regularly and that everything looks as good. You will recognize them if they have ailments, or illnesses to there hair if it's not arranged usually.

So here are some remedies to cure your bloated rabbit;

1. Probiotic milk, like YAKULT, maybe you're doubting if it's good for them, it's a big YES you can use it even in animals, for additional information, probiotics are very beneficial to overall health, but they are especially good for the digestive system, it may help replenish the good bacteria in the gut after taking medication such as antibiotics, and they may also help lower the number of bad bacteria, which can cause infections.

Now, what if my rabbit can't eat well? we suggested to use a syringe but remove the pin and then swallowed it (the syringe with probiotic vitamin) from the mouth of your rabbit and press it carefully. do it at least twice a day, morning and afternoon.