Rabbits, Llamas, and Alpacas

What are the four main species of rabbit in this area? What do they look like?

1. Domestic Rabbit: short legs, fluffy bodies
2. Cottontail: white tail, skinny
3. Hares and Jackrabbits: big ears, long legs
4. Pikas: small circle ears, hamster looking

What are the main uses of rabbits? (9)

1. Meat
2. Hair / hides
3. Teaching
4. 4H and FFA projects
5. Lab species to test on
6. Feed for reptiles
7. Military training
8. Greyhound racing
9. Petting zoos

Why are rabbits a good lab breed?

Good repeatability, docile and non-aggressive, large enough, many strains available, easy to control reproduction

What is a female rabbit called?

Doe

What is a intact male rabbit called?

Buck

What are baby rabbits called?

Kits

What is birth/partinutrtion called in rabbits?

Kindling

What is a fryer rabbit?

Rabbit weighing approx. 5 lbs and no older than 12 weeks of age

Rabbit breeds are classified by _____ and _______

Fur and weight

What are the four main hair/fur classifications for rabbits? What are characteristics of each group?

1. Normal: standard rabbit fur like Himalayan rabbit
2. Rex: Velvety textured fur
3. Satin: short, silky fur with satin sheen
4. Wool: long fibers, they are plucked or shorn

What are the most popular two breeds for meat rabbits?

New Zealand White and Californian

What is different about heat in rabbits that other livestock?

They do not show any outward signs of heat

How long is a rabbit estrous cycle?

16-18 days

Rabbits are a _____________ ovulater

Induced

What is the gestation length for rabbits?

31-32 days

How many kits does a doe give birth to on average?

8-10

What is the normal weaning age for rabbits?

6-8 weeks

What does rabbit nutrition look like?

They are:
- Monogastric
- Herbivores
- Hind gut ferminentators

Rabbits practice cecotrophy which is

Ingest their own feces

What are the six members of the Camelidea family? What are their differences?

1. One humped camels, old world
2. Two humped camels, old world
Lamloids:
3. Llama, new world
4. Alpaca, new world
5. Guanaco, new world, wild species
6. Vicuna, new world, wild species

Where did lamoids originate?

Andes Mountains of South America

What are some states that have the most lamoids?

Oregon, Washington, California, Texas, Colorado, and Ohio

How many chromosomes do the lamoids have? What does this mean for breeding?

- They all have 37 chromosomes
- Can be interbred between species

Which breed of lamoids produces the finest wool of any animal?

Vicuna

What are the uses of llamas? (6)

1. Can carry 1/3 to 1/2 their own body weight
2. Kept as a pack animal
3. Sources of food, wool, hides, tallow for candles, dried dung for fuel
4. Used primarily for predator control
5. Therapy animals
6. FFA and 4H

What are the main uses of alpacas? (2)

1. Bred for fiber and meat

What are the main differences in llamas and alpacas?

Llamas: larger, pack animal, aggressive, don't like living in flocks, course fur, tall long ears
Alpacas: smaller, less aggressive, are gregarious (like living in flocks), finer and more colored fur, short pointy ears

What are the traits of lamloids? (5)

1. Long necks
2. Small heads
3. No horns or antlers
4. Prehensile lip, labial cleft
5. Tongue does not come out of from mouth

What is different about the feet of lamloids? How do they walk?

- They don't have hooves but two toes on their feet
- Both legs on same side move at the same time

What are some traits of lamloid digestion

- They are herbivores
- Modified ruminants: their digestion works better than most ruminants
- More efficient at food utilization than other ruminants

Lamloids are ___________ ovulators like rabbits.

Induced

What is unique about lamloids heat cycle?

They don't have one, can mate at any time

What is the mating behaviors and positions of lamloids?

- Female on sitting down with stomach on the groun
- Called sternal recumbancy
- They check surroundings before mating, female runs from male and male chases

What are the gestation lengths of llamas and alpacas?

Llamas: 350
Alpacas: 355

What is a baby llama or alpaca called

Cria

Lamoids parturition

1. Standing up
2. Between 9am and 3pm
3. Does not lick baby to bond but hums to it
4. Rarely has birth issues

Llamas and alpacas are susceptible to ______ stress.

Heat