Rabbits 2

When do rabbits reach sexual maturity?

4-8 months

(4-5mo in small breeds, 5-8mo in large breeds)

What is the name of a group of rabbits?

A fluffle (aw)

Reproductive Facts

Rabbits are ____

Gestation length is ___

Young are born ___

Reproductive capacity of __

induced ovulators (ovulation occurs around 10-13hrs after coitus)
30-33 days
altricial

60 kits per year —> can rebreed immediately after giving birth

Describe kit care

Kits feed only once or twice daily for 3-5mins at a time

Rabbit milk has higher fat, protein & calorie content than other mammalian milk

Lactating has increased water requirement —> up to tenfold

Maternal immunity is placenta

Hand-reared kits prone to mortality due to lack of milk oil —> kits have higher gut pH, milk oil is antimicrobial substance

Kits start to take solid food around day 18-21

Name given to a male and female rabbit

Male = buck

Female = doe

How to sex a rabbit?

Male rabbit = no nipples
Testes not in scrotal sac (hairless) until 12 weeks
Best to sex as late as possible (and check again) —> 5-8 weeks

Males have hairless scrotal sac at maturity

Name these rabbit scent glands

Inguinal Scent Glands

open inguinal canal - testes can be retracted into abdomen

What is unique about rabbit's testes and scrotal sac?

Scrotal sac is cranial to penis

When can male rabbits be castrated from? Why do we castrate male rabbits?

3 Months

make sure both testes present in scrotum —> should descend into scrotal sacs around 10-14 weeks of age

- Aggressive behaviours

- Prevent unwanted litters

- Easier to litter train

- Allows safe pair bonding with other rabbits of either sex

What type of uterus is a doe's uterus?

Duplex

two separate uterine horns

large saccular vagina

2 cervices

long convoluted oviducts

What does the mesometrium store?

Fat —> increases with age

What causes pseudopregnancy in rabbits?

Infertile mating

Presence of male

Secretion of progesterone from CL

(Regresses naturally but can reoccur multiple times)

When should a doe be spayed?

Can be from 10-12 weeks

Better to wait until 16-20 weeks as uterus is bigger

Does can commonly have ____
Why do we spay does?

Pseudopregnancies
- Reduce pyometra and carcinomas
- Reduce mammary tumours
- Reduces aggression
- Reduces pseudopregnancies

- Population control

Anisocytosis and polychromasia are common with rabbit RBC's, what does this mean?

Anisocytosis - vary in size

Polychromasia - vary in colour

What is the most common WBC in a rabbit? What are neutrophils called in a rabbit?

Lymphocyte

Heterophils

Why might the lifestyle of a domestic rabbit make them prone to fractures and osteoporosis?

very light & flexible skeleton —> accounts for only 6-8% body weight

- Very active and jump a lot
- Indoor rabbits get less Vitamin D —> reduced exposure to sunlight
- Lack of exercise

- Low calcium diets

What is the vertebral formula of a rabbit?

C7, T12, L7, S4, Cd 16

Is a rabbit's tibia and fibula fused or 2 separate bones?

Partially fused

How many digits does a rabbit have on its forelimbs and hindlimbs?

FL = 5
HL = 4

no footpads —> furry feet

What name is given to fat that accumulates under the chin?

Dewlap

Describe rabbit integument:

Thickness of skin:

3 hair types:

Very thin skin & very elastic

Long guard hairs, short guard hairs, undercoat

Furry all over except nose, scrotum & inguinal area

Have twice yearly molt during spring/autumn —> starts at head, travels down body

Rabbit's feet have no footpads, just fur. What issue can this cause?

Ulcerative pododermatitis

Made worse by overweight animals, those on hard surfaces, unhygenic conditions & those with thin coat —> make sure have soft substrate in enclosure

Where on the rabbit are the 3 scent glands found?

1) Inguinal (beside genitals)
2) Anal (beside anus)
3) Submental (under chin)

Rabbit kidneys are __

Unipapillate —> single medullary pyramid (renal papilla & calyx)

How does rabbit Ca absorption differ from that of most other mammals?

Rabbits absorb all Ca through their gut then excrete it via the kidneys

What urinary condition can develop if dietary Ca is too high?

Urolithiasis

Rabbits with high levels of calcium in diet produce thick creamy urine

What happens if Ca levels get too high?

- Action of PTH, calcitonin and Vit D3
- excess Ca excreted by kidney
- CaCO3 crystals made in urine - reabsorptive capacity of kidney is reached

What is a rabbits normal urine pH?

8-9 (alkaline)

What is the normal pH of a rabbit's stomach?

1-2 (acidic)