Silver rabbits are especially popular, but also cause a lot of controversy. Their character is very gentle and friendly, they instantly get used to people and adapt to any environmental conditions. This article provides a description of silver rabbits.
History of the breed
In the 50s of the XNUMXth century, the silver breed was bred on the territory of Ukraine at the Poltava fur farm. Fur is of great value in this breed. To breed this species, silvery French rodents were crossed with meat breeds. Their color had to match the color of French rabbits.
Soviet species are famous for their good immunity and large offspring, unlike European rabbits of this type, which significantly increases the profitability of their content. In 1953, the animals were registered as a breed.
Currently, this type is not as popular as it used to be. Now on farms, in order to get meat, they breed early-ripening rabbits – crosses. They are hybrids of Soviet types of rodents.
European silver is grown for fur. This type is quickly gaining commercial turnover. This category is considered the most attractive and comprehensive.
Rabbits have a good-natured character – they are very smart and quickly become attached to a person. They can be kept as a pet. Their down is blue in color, and the hairs are black with a white base.
Rabbits are gaining weight quickly, which, of course, pleases farmers, because they receive income from raising them.
Characterization
At exhibitions, silver rabbits are conspicuous for the reason that they have a very interesting appearance. The length of the body can reach 60 cm. They have a strong, muscular body structure, the addition of which corresponds to the proportions. Weight can reach 7 kg.
The breed has a wide, straight back and chest, which in girth can be 36 cm. The paws are medium in size, they are quite strong and strong. The wear rate is 60%.
The head is medium in size and elongated. The forehead has a rounded shape. Rodents have small ears, the length of which is 13 cm. They have a darker shade, like paws and tail. Due to the fact that they do not have a white base of hairs, the hair around the eyes has a darker color.
In small rabbits, a silver tint is not visible. By 3 months they are mature and have a thick coat. Then the rabbits change their color – the silver tint becomes clearly visible.
Rabbit skins are usually large. For this reason, they are revered and popular in the production of fur, which is used in its natural form, since it cannot be changed or dyed. Things for which skins from the breed are used stand out from the rest in that they have elegance and sophistication.
Currently, other varieties of rodents are being added to this species. The skins take on a darker hue. Things from them are brighter.
Due to the fact that this category is unusually affectionate, they began to be brought home as decorative ones. At the same time, the breed is distinguished by high mental abilities. In relation to their owner, they do not show irritability and aggressiveness. They do not let strangers near themselves and can, if necessary, fight back.
For this reason, touching them unnecessarily is undesirable.
Animals love to participate in games with children. This is especially true at a younger age. At the same time, they like to lie on their owner’s lap for a long time, enjoying being stroked and scratched on their muzzle (they especially like scratching between the eyes and near the neck).
They can adapt to any living conditions. The most favorable temperature for the breed is 24 degrees Celsius. In very hot weather, rabbits stay in the shade.
This species is best kept in portable cages without a bottom. Also, the cage should have a canopy so that the animals can hide from the sun.
You can additionally make houses for respite and peace of animals.
Rabbits live on a mesh floor. Bedding for them can be made from straw.
Drafts are detrimental to the breed. In winter, they do not need to move to a warm room, because their thick and warm coat perfectly protects from frost.
For the winter, Soviet rabbits are best moved to a greenhouse with a glass or polycarbonate coating. You can make them windows so that you can ventilate the room. If it is very cold outside, then it is appropriate to make them special heating. Especially severe frosts occur in Siberia.
In our strip and in the south, eared ones spend the winter without heating, without worsening their well-being. This will only increase the value of the commodity if they are grown for skins.
Varieties
Poltava silver
Owners treat such rabbits less strictly than other species. They cannot be confused with other brothers – they only give dietary marbled meat. It has few fibers, which makes it tender, soft and very tasty. Such a breed quickly gains weight – from a rabbit that is only 4 months old, you can get 62% pure meat.
They have very beautiful, unique fur of a silvery smoky color. They tolerate the cold season well, due to the lack of fatigue and good survivability.
At the moment, these rabbits are losing their prevalence. Only a small number of farmers in agriculture have such a category of animals.
If you look at their fur in detail, you can see a good and clean shade. This connection and arrangement of villi of several shades: bluish-smoky, black and light. On the head and legs, the color is slightly darker than on the body.
The main distinguishing feature of the eared is fur, which belongs to the rollback class. It is much thicker than soft-furred rabbit fur. Because of this, a fur coat from it looks neat and elegant.
Poltava rabbits are a fairly large breed. For this reason, they are not kept as pets. Their body, paws and head correspond to each other. The body in length can reach 58 cm. The weight is about 6 kg.
The fur of the Poltava rabbit is not cheap on the market: it is much more expensive than other types of skins. Particularly attracts attention and is valued for their high birth rate.
Rabbits of this type are resistant to cold and do well in outdoor cages. They are unpretentious to food.
You can feed them with all available and inexpensive food.
European silver
Rabbits of this species are not very well known in Russia, so they are less popular than other species. Their homeland is France.
European silver rabbits look rather plump. They have nice thick fur. They grow rapidly and reproduce well. If they are properly looked after, then any cold animals will endure calmly.
This species is suitable for personal use and breeding, as well as for farms. They quickly grow and gain weight, and also quickly breed. Some owners grow them solely for their fur, which is famous for its density, fluffiness and softness. Their fur is colored silver with dark and light tones.
Rabbits weigh an average of 5 kg. They have a strong and powerful physique. The body reaches a length of 59 cm. The head is of medium size, the ears are straight.
Females of this type give birth to large offspring. Newborn rabbits are born black with a weight of 76 g. By 4 months, the weight of rabbits reaches 4 kg.
Their meat is soft and tender due to adipose tissue.
Veil silver rabbits
Previously, this species was bred in the USSR. They tolerate temperature changes well.
They have a silver coat with a shiny black veil down the sides and back. The belly is dark grey. The ends of their hairs are predominantly black. Their weight is 5 kg.
The veil-silver rabbits are lodged in cages one by one. Cages rise above the ground by at least 70 cm. They must be spacious so that the rabbit can move around normally.
This species tolerates cold well. He is picky about food and prone to illness.
Advantages and disadvantages
Below are the advantages of breed rabbits silver:
- unpretentiousness to food;
- have high resistance to cold temperatures;
- adapt well to the climate in the Middle lane;
- have a high birth rate;
- eat all feed;
- their maintenance is cheap;
- they give tasty meat without fat;
- their skins are of great value and are popular;
- they quickly go through puberty.
There are no flaws in this breed.
Tips for choosing
To find a good rabbit category silver, you need to spend a lot of time. It is advisable to buy them in nurseries or in the household. Be sure to make sure that the entire package of documents is attached to the rabbit.
You should not buy animals that are not vaccinated and not treated for parasites and worms.
You should refrain from buying animals with the following problems:
- if there are bald spots or bald spots on the skin;
- black claws;
- fur with a brown tint;
- if there are injuries or any injuries on the body;
- with nasal, ear, eye discharge;
- with inflammation of the genital organs;
- with increased malice and hostility;
- with weakness and inactivity of the eared.
If you buy an eared as a family member, then you should focus on his state of health and characteristics.
Diet
Silver rabbits mainly eat feed mixtures. In the summer, they prefer to eat greens, because they contain many nutrients that a rabbit needs. They need to be fed 2 times a day with a duration of 12 hours.
In winter, it is better to eat dry hay. For light-colored rabbits, branches of needles and leaves, as well as branches of fruit trees, are mixed. In a small amount, salt and chalk should be present in their diet.
Among saturated foods, rabbits like to eat boiled vegetables, such as potatoes, grains, carrots, and beans. Be sure to give them daily silage and bran.
It is also worth giving them specialized compound feed for good grinding of teeth.
Care
Rabbits are very active animals. For this reason, a leash with a collar is put on for a walk.
Below are some tips for caring for this type of rabbit:
- be sure to trim the nails with wire cutters (they are cut once a month);
- vaccinations should be carried out starting from 1,5 months of life;
- the fur of the animal must be carefully looked after – so that the wool does not roll, it must be combed with a comb;
- rabbits need to be bathed when they are very dirty (if there is a slight pollution, you can wipe this place with a damp cloth);
- grinding teeth with hard vegetables, animal feed, tree branches, toys;
- castration allows you to keep males in one cage, increases life expectancy, and sterilization contributes to the calm behavior of eared.
Breeding and reproduction
It is profitable and effective business to breed rabbits for the household for the reason that this breed is precocious. They have pleasant meat, and the skins are very rich and expensive. About 10 out of 100 breeds are suitable for breeding at home. The most famous is the silver rabbit breed. She is famous for having a high fertility rate.
The female can be placed with the male for mating from the age of 4 months. The rabbit begins estrus every 9 days, which lasts for 5 days. An adult can give birth to 5 offspring per year.
The rabbit should be chosen not too fat and not too thin. The male is taken from other similar species and kept one for 8 rabbits. The rabbit walks pregnant for 1 month.
After giving birth on the 3rd day, the female starts estrus again, and she is again ready for mating.
See the story of the silver rabbit below.
