Laboratory or Rabbit or Pet Animal productions

Laboratory animal is any non- human member of the animal kingdom which is kept in captivity for experimental or
observational purposes. It covers a wide diversity and range from domesticated species such as mice to wild species
such as bats and snakes. In normal sense, animals like mouse, rat, hamster, guinea-pig and rabbit are known as small
laboratory animals and dog, cat and monkey are considered as large laboratory animals.

Importance of Laboratory Animals

 Used mainly in fundamental biological research, applied medical research and diagnosis.

 Laboratory animals are commonly used in different important disciplines like-

 Physiology, pharmacology, toxicology, experimental surgery and pathology

 Bio-assay of vaccine

 Drugs and infusion of fluids

 Preparation of immune sera

 Diagnosis of disease

 Teaching

 Laboratory animals are smaller in size so they required minimum space and small amount of feed. Therefore the
cost of production and maintenance is low.

 Rat and mouse are omnivores in habbit, prolific breeding, shorter generation interval and easy to tame as well
as living in harmony with human environment.

 Guinea pigs are very sensitive to a number of human pathogens, hence used more frequently in biomedical
research.

 Rabbits are prolific breeders and relatively having a large body size compared to rat, mice and guinea pigs. They
are mainly used in therapeutic trials, raising hyper immune sera and to identify pyrogens in infusion fluids.

Selection of laboratory animals

 Foundation stock should be healthy, free from any disease, active, vigorous and of good quality. They should
have good production record with respect to litter size at birth and at weaning, litter weight at birth and at
weaning.

 Breeding stock should be purchased from a government or recognized breeders.

 The primary objective of a good breeding programme is to produce the maximum number of quality animals at
lower cost. Selecting a breeding stock is important for consistent production of healthy and fertile animals. The
criteria for the selection of breeding stock may include the following.

 The animal should be in good health and no any deformities.

 2.The female parent should have a good breeding record and not prone to cannibalism.
  3.If possible animal should not be selected from the first or second litters as they are usually small and do not
reflect the size and standard weight of future litters.

 4.The animal should be selected from litter showing an average litter size and weight for the strain/breed and
equal sex ratio within the litter.

5.The parent stock should not be aggressive when handled

Mouse (Mus musculus )

• The mouse is most commonly used experimental animal. It may be due its small size, fecundity (fertility potential) and
genomic similarity.

• There are many inbred and outbred strains in a variety of coat colours. For Examples- leukaemic, spontaneous tumour
bearing, obese, blind, tailless and athymic nude.

• It is rodent and exhibits typical dentition- (I-1/1, C-0/0, Pm- 0/0, M-3/3)×2

• Only the female has nipples (5 pairs) which help in sexing of very young animal.

Handling and Identification:

• The mouse should be picked up by scruff of the neck using thumb and forefinger, or by holding the base of the tail with
one hand and gripping the scruff with the other

• Using fabric or histological dyes as a code on the coat. Some dyes causes hair loss and picric acid is unsuitable as it is
believed to be carcinogenic. Turmeric is most commonly used without any side effect.

•Tattoo at the base of tail

• Punching a code of holes in the ears

Reproduction
Oestrous cycle: 4-5 days and oestrus for 10-15 hours

After mating copulation plug may be seen in the vagina or on the dropping tray of wire floor cage

The youngs are born blind, deaf and naked. Fur is seen at 5 days of age, the eyes opens at 14-15 days and the ears open
at 14 days.

The mouse come back into breeding condition immediately after giving birth to their young and if kept with a male
mating is likely to occur at the post partum oestrus.

It is then essential to wean the first litter before the second is born or the new born litter may be smothered or
cannibalism may occur.

Nutrition:·
Food and water should be available at all time. Feed intake=3-4 gram per mouse/day, water intake=3-7ml/8 week of age.

A diet containing Protein 18-20% for breeders and 15-16% for stock in a pellet about 25×10 mm diameter.
 Environment:
The room temperature should be about 22-25⁰c with a relative humidity of about 50-60%.

There should be a definite lighting regime for breeding animals (12:12 hours). Permanent light gives rise to anoestrous
and the females will not allow mating. Natural light through windows may cause seasonal variation in breeding
performance

Pheromones and the social environment also affect the estrous cycle- Whitten effect, Bruce effect etc

Caging and bedding:

 Breeding pairs or trios are usually housed in cages with dimension of 25×13×13 cm, harems (1 male: 5 females)
or stock mice (15-20) in cages 50×25×15 cm , constructed of polypropylene or other heat stable plastics with a
wire mesh top designed to hold food and water bottle.

 Soft wood shavings or sawdust or rice husk or corn cob may be used as bedding material and shredded paper for
nesting if necessary.

Common diseases
 Bacterial: Salmonellosis- Salmonella enteritidis, Salmonella typhimurium; Tyzzer’s

 disease- Bacillus piliformis

 Viral: Mouse pox, Mouse hepatitis virus (MHV)

 Endoparasitic Nematode: Round worms- Aspicularis tetrapetra & Syphacia obvelata

 Ectoparasitic mite: Body, neck & head mange- Myocoptes musculinus, Myobia musculi

Rat (Rattus norvagicus)

 Rat is most commonly used vertebrate after mouse. It is an intelligent animal easily tamed by handling. The
Laboratory rat has descendent from the Norway or Brown rat (Rattus norvagicus). The first rat strains for
biomedical research were developed at the “Wistar Institute of Philadelpia”.

 The rat is a rodent with typical dentition- (I-1/1, C-0/0, Pm-0/0, M-3/3)×2

 Similar to mouse only the female has nipples (6 pairs) which guide in sexing of very young animals.

 The gall bladder is absent in rat, whereas the bile produced in liver passes directly to the duodenum via the bile
duct.

 Within the eye socket lays harderian glands which produce a brown secretion containing porphyrins. These
secretions are removed by grooming.
 Handling
 The rat should be picked up by placing one hand over its back and grasping it firmly round the neck so that it
cannot turn its head to bite.When animals become tamed they can be picked up by holding them around the
shoulders

Reproduction
 Oestrus lasts for 10-20 hours of the 4-5 days oestrous cycle

 A straw coloured copulation plug may be seen in the vagina and detected up to 12-14 hours.

 The young are born blind and naked.

 Rat may be kept in monogamous pairs, all their breeding lives thereby taking advantage of the post-partum
estrus, or in harems with one male to 5 females, removing the females to separate cage when they are
obviously pregnant and returning them to the harem after the young are weaned.

Nutrition
 Food and water should always be available. Breeding animals require a diet containing 18-20% protein and stock
15-16% given in pellet form approximately 25×10mm in size.

 Commercially available rat diets are suitable for breeding and maintenance

Environment
 Room temperature should be 22-25 ⁰c and relative humidity is about 50-60%

 Low humidity is thought to cause ‘Ringtail’, a condition where the rat’s tail become ringed or constricted and in
extreme cases can slough off. In a very dry atmosphere the humidity may be increased by leaving floors wet
after washing or placing open pans of water in the room.

Caging and breeding

 Breeding pairs can be housed in boxes with a minimum height of 14 cm and an area of 800 sq cm, with a wire
mesh top to hold food and water bottle. Harems and stock (e.g. 6 adults) should be housed in larger boxes,
harems and animals over 100 gm needs 250 cm2 per animal and stock up to 100 gm 150 cm2 per animal.

 Solid floors or wire grids with a tray for faeces below are both suitable, the latter allowing greater air flow
through the cage thereby decreasing the immediate humidity.

 Soft wood shaving or sawdust or corn cob can be used for bedding material and shredded paper for nesting

Common diseases
 Bacterial: Labyrinthiti (middle ear disease)- Streptobacillus moniliformis;

 Paratyphoid- Salmonella entritidis, Salmonella typhimurium

 Viral: Chronic respiratory disease (CRD)

 Endoparasitic nematodes: round worm-Syphacia obvelota

 Ectoparasitic mite: Mange- Myobia ratti, Myobia musculi

 Physiological: Ring tail- Low humidity

Hamster
 The Syrian hamster, Mesocricetus auratus (also known as golden hamster). The Syrian hamster as its name
implies reached this country from Syria.

 Syrian hamsters are mainly used for reproduction and teratogenicity studies & tumour and blood circulation
research.

 The Chinese hamster, Cricetulus griseus. Chinese hamster is used for karyotyping research & as model for
diabetes mellitus.

 These animals are usually resistant to common spontaneous infections but rather sensitivity experimentally
induced infectious diseases such as leptospirosis, influenza, canine distemper.

 The Syrian hamster hibernates when environmental temperature fall below 5-6 ⁰c and the light period is less
than 8 hours.

Anatomy
 Hamsters possess cheek pouches in which they gather food for later storage in their nests. On both flanks of the
animal there are dark coloured areas of the skin with coarse hair, containing sebaceous glands. These glands are
prone to abscess formation, if managed improperly.

 The Syrian hamster should not be confused with the large European hamsters or the Chinese hamster which is
smaller, grey in colour with a dark stripe running down its back and has a short but almost prehensile tail.

 The dentition is- (I-1/1, C-0/0, Pm-0/0, M-3/3)×2

Reproduction
 The hamster is a seasonal breeder and comes into oestrus from February to October. In a windowless room with
controlled lighting giving at least 12 hours light it is possible to reduce seasonal variation. Hamsters are most
active in dark and because of this the lighting cycle can be reversed to provide darkness during the working day
to facilitate the special mating system.

 The female is placed with male and the pair is observed to check if mating takes place. Mating will take place
immediately if the female is in oestrus, but if the female does not readily accept the male she is not in oestrus
and should be removed before fighting occurs.

 When a female in oestrus is placed into a cage with male, she will respond to the sniffing of the male by lordosis.
After mating has taken the female should be removed from the cage to avoid fighting by the male.
 This method of mating can be time consuming and harem or monogamous pairs may be used in preference. If
hamsters are grouped at weaning fighting rarely occurs.

 The females should be removed to a littering cage a few days before parturition and returned to the harem after
the litter is weaned.

 Young hamsters are approximately the same size as young mice but they have a short tail.

 At about 12-14 days the eyes open and the young become active and grow steadily towards independence and
weaning at 21 days same as mice and rat.

Seasonality of breeding
 Reduction in number of successful mating was noticed in winter, if the hamsters are reared under natural
lighting.

 In artificially controlled illumination hamster do not show any seasonal breeding behaviour.

 Hamsters are polyoestrus and the length of oestrus cycle is 4 days.

 Ovulation occurs spontaneously between 8-10 hours after beginning of oestrus.

Oestrus signs
 Female exhibit lordosis just before and during oestrus. This can be induced either by attentions of the male or by
stroking the animal’s rump.

 Other method of detect oestrus is, every day morning the animal should be examined for initial viscous
discharge which normally occur post ovulatory.

 If observed, then next oestrus can be calculated by counting four subsequent nights.

Management during mating

 After observing lordosis, males and females should be paired in dark night. Mating usually occurs at night and
females are most receptive to the males about 5 hours after lights are extinguished.

 It is advisable to adjust the time clock in such a way that the darkness appears during working days and
hamsters required at least 3 months to adjust the change.

 The animals should be observed by using infrared light and if the female is receptive and exhibit lordosis they
can be left together overnight. If fighting occurs, they should be separated and pairing should be attempted on
subsequent ‘night’ until the female respond appropriately. This procedure is called ‘timed mating’.

 If timed mating is not required, they can be maintained as monogamous pair. Monogamous pair should be
formed soon after weaning and should not be separated subsequently. Though post partum oestrus occurs in
hamsters, normally mating will not occur in monogamous pair, because nursing female will not allow the male
to mate.

 Harem should also be established soon after weaning, with up to 5 females to each male. If females are mated
they should be separated from the harem before parturition and allow to raise the litter separately.
 While reintroducing the female again in the harem care should be taken to avoid fighting. If fighting continues
for longer period, the female should be separated and kept in a separate small cage within the harem (retaining
cage) and can be released back when the other member accept the female again.

 Hamster produce viscous, creamy white discharge with pungent odour which is normally occur post ovulation. It
becomes small yellowish plug in dioestrus. Mating can be confirmed by the presence of copulatory plug in the
vagina or by examination of vaginal smear for spermatozoa.

Care and management of new born

 Gestation period ranges between 15-17 days.

 Pregnant female should be separated from the male and rest of the harem and reared separately. Sufficient
bedding materials should be provided.

 Cannibalism is a common problem which can be avoided by minimizing the handling of newborn.

 Fostering should not be attempted in hamster. Because female hamsters are very aggressive and intolerant of
fostering and they may kill their own litter if offspring from another litter is added.

 At the time of birth the young ones are naked and eyes closed. Normally the hair growth occurs in 7 days and
the eyes will be opened by 14th day.

 Weaning normally done between 21-25 days of age and the average litter size is 6.

Nutrition
 Laboratory hamsters are usually fed on compounded diets made into pellets; a typical diet suitable for mice and
rat.

 Water should always be available from bottles or automatic drinkers in preference to open dishes which easily
become soiled.

Handling
 A frightened hamster often appears aggressive which it demonstrates by rolling on its back or by standing on its
hind limbs and screaming at the handler.

 The animal may be lifted in cupped hands if it is used to being handled or by firmly grasping the loose skin at the
back of neck.

 Ear punching may be considered a useful method of identification but the mark can be obscured by fighting.

Caging and bedding

 Rat and mice cages are equally suitable for hamsters.

 The addition of an activity wheel will provide hours of exercise and helps to prevent the animals become bored
and destructive.
 Absorbent materials such as sawdust or wood shavings or corn cob should be used on solid floor cages and may
serve as both bedding and nesting material.

 Pregnant females will spend a considerable amount of time in building nest with shredded paper.

Common diseases
 Bacterial: Salmonellosis- Salmonella enteritidis & Salmonella typhimurium

 Wet tail- Escherichia coli & Proteus vulgaris

 Ectoparasitic mite: Body mange- Demodex criceti

 They do not readily develop anaphylactic shock however; they are more sensitive to corticosteroid.

 Antibiotics such as penicillin, erythromycin and tetracycline are indirectly toxic to hamster.

Guinea pig (Cavia porcellus)

 It has been originated from south America

 Guineapigs have been extensively bred by pet fanciers and there are three main varieties-

 1.English (Smooth hair)

 2. Abyssinian (rosette hair)

 3. Peruvian (very long hair)

 There are many colour variations. Guinea pigs are used for production of sera, vaccines & other biological
products and their further testing. It can be easily sensitized, so there are suitable for acute anaphylactic or
chronic hypersensitivity reaction studies. Due to high susceptibility of infectious diseases the animals are
extensively used for study of TB, diphtheria, leptospirosis & brucellosis.

 Due to inability of synthesis vitamin ‘c’ these animals are suitable for nutritional studies related to vitamin ‘c’,
folic acid, thiamine, arginin & calcium.

 Strictly herbivours but coprophagia is common.

 Dentition- (I-1/1, C-0/0, Pm-1/1, M-3/3)×2

 Guinea pig have large caecum for cellulose digestion

 Both sexes have nipple (1 pair) situated in groin region.

 The tail is absent in guinea pig and have 4 toe in front foot and 3 on the hind foot.

 The skin around anus is naked & invaginated and have many sebaceous gland.

 There are many mononuclear leucocytes carrying an oval inclusion body in the blood of Guinea pig known as
Kurloffs bodies.
 Reproduction
 Guinea pigs are commonly bred in harem system (1 male: 6 females)

 Oestrus can be observed by the degree of vaginal opening and copulatory plugs, usually found on the floor of
the cage, will indicate mating has taken place. By recording these sign mating can be timed. When the guinea pig
is not in oestrus the vagina is normally sealed by a membrane. However it is possible to rupture this and it is not
a full proof indication of the stage of oestrus. Guinea pig exhibits a postpartum oestrus and if the harem is left
intact further mating will occur.

 The young are well developed at birth and will suck any lactating female in the harem. Accurate breeding
records are difficult to keep with this system.

 Non seasonal breeding is noticed under laboratory condition but females kept in outdoor condition show
anoestrus in winter.

 Guinea pigs are poly oestrus. Oestrus lasts for about 6-11 hours and ovulation is spontaneous..

 Most of the time a thin membrane will cover the vagina, when the female is not in oestrus and it will be
ruptured at the time of oestrus. Sometimes this membrane may be intact and has to be ruptured while
copulation. ‘Lordosis response’ by the female is more reliable than membrane. Female which shows lordosis
(provoked by stroking the posterior part of the dorsal surface) will mate within the following 24 hours.

 The male should be kept along with female throughout the oestrus cycle.he rupture of vaginal membrane
should be examined daily.

 In addition to this a copulatory plugs can be noticed in some cases. Presence of copulatory plug on the floor of
the cage also an indicator of occurance of mating.

 The mated females can either be left in the breeding cage to rear their young, or they can be removed to single
or colony cages of females.

 Leaving the female along with male have an advantage, since guinea pigs have a postpartum oestrus and this
can be utilized if females are left with males.

Sex differentiation and weaning

 There is no difference in the ano-genital distance of male and female. In neonates, sex can be determined by the
shape of genital opening. It is round in male and longitudinal slit in females. Gentle pressure anterior to the
genital opening of the male will extrude the penis and it is also possible to palpate the undescended testes.

 Young guinea pigs should be weaned at between 3 and 4 week of age.

Care and management of newborn

Guinea pigs are born at a well advanced stage of development, with a full coat and eyes open. They are active and start
moving in the first day itself and try to take food on the same day. Litter size ranged between 1-6 with an average 3 or 4.

In communal breeding cages, all females with litter cooperate in the nursing to young one.
 Nutrition
 The most important feature of guinea pig nutrition is that like primates it is one of the few species unable to
synthesize its own vitamin ‘C’. It is due to non functional/ absence of L-GULONOLACTONE OXIDASE enzyme in
guinea pigs. Therefore, Vitamin C or ascorbic acid must be provided in the diet or drinking water (50 mg Vit.
C/100 gm diet). Vitamin C is destroyed by contact with metal and therefore only glass drinking spouts should be
used. Fresh green food can be used to provide vitamin C but may often be contaminated with pathogens. 50 gm
of cabbage will provide a guinea pigs daily need.

 Guinea pigs eat about 25-50 gm of pelleted diet per day. They drink approximately 85 ml of water per day.

 During drinking from nipple the guinea pig usually blow mouth fluid and food back into the bottle and therefore
water becomes more polluted, hence it is necessary to change the drinking bottle regularly.

Handling
 Guinea pigs are often mishandled because they so rarely bite.When they are disturbed they will race around the
cage.

 It should be caught by placing one hand in front of the animal and one behind. It can be lifted by grasping under
the trunk with one hand while supporting the rear quarter ·with other hand. Two hand supports is important
particularly with adult and pregnant animals.

 The grasping hand should be beneath the thorax and abdomen and the supporting hand under the rear feet or
hind quarters.

Environment
 G. Pigs require a room temperature of about 20-25 ⁰c

 Breeding performance may be affected by high summer temperature.

 indowless rooms with time controlled artificial lighting are advisable to prevent seasonal effects on breeding.

Caging and breeding

 The most common system is the wire floored cage with manual or automatic cleaning and/or flushing
underneath. If solid floors are used soft wood shavings and hay are suitable bedding and nesting materials.

 Automatic drinkers are widely used, these should be tamper proof and strong (preferably stainless steel) as
guinea pigs will constantly chew and play with them.

Disease
 Most antibiotics are reported to be toxic to guinea pigs (especially penicillin, erythromycin, streptomycin, and
terramycin) and should not normally be used for treatment of this species.

Common diseases
 Bacterial: Salmonellosis- Salmonella typhimurium, Pseudotuberculosis, streptococcal pneumonia
 Endoparasitic protozoal: Coccidiosis- Eimeria caviae

 Ectoparasitic lice

 Physiological metabolism imbalance: Intrauterine haemorrhage

 Dietary: Lack of vitamin ‘c’

General consideration on feeding of laboratory animals

 Availability of nutritionally adequate diet is necessary for healthy growth of animals, their reproduction and
longevity.

 The obvious choice for feeding laboratory animals might be seems to be a diet closely resembling that found in
nature.

 When the nutritional requirement of laboratory animals are finalized, a ration can be formulated from available
local raw materials to provide a standardized product which will minimise variability in productivity and also
experimental results.

 Crumbs or pellets are more acceptable to the animals. In many ways pellets offer the most satisfactory form of
diet. They are generally more acceptable to the animals, less easily wasted, simple to handle and have a good
storage life.

 The optimal size and hardness of the pellet is important and differ between species. Rats, which gnaw their food,
prefer a large pellet than those usually supplied to guinea pigs and rabbits.

 Soft pellets encourage waste, as they easily crumble in the storage bags or the hoppers. Very hard pellets are
unacceptable, particularly for young animals, which may find them too difficult to chew.

 Diet intended for gnotobiotic and SPF animals must be sterilized. The commonly employed methods for diet
sterilization are heat, ionizing radiation and fumigation and in all instances care must be taken to minimize
drastic impairment in nutritional value.

 Autoclaving (121 ⁰c for 15 minutes) render the diet sterile without much loss of nutrients.

 Ionising radiation is a very effective method of sterilization of laboratory animal diet. The source of radiation is
usually 60Co.

 Chemical sterilization by fumigation with ethylene oxide has been applied to diet with varying success.

 Many of the smaller or common laboratory animals are fed diet ad libitum.

 The controlled feeding may be in two ways- first by physically controlling food intake and second by designing
diets with a lower nutrient density so that, although it eats to satiation, the animal ingests less nutrients than it
would on a more concentrated diet.

 Large quantities of uneaten food left in cage may create health hazards by decaying or becoming contaminated
with faeces.

 This danger can be overcome by feeding a measured quantity of food once or twice a day.
Special diet and practices
 The laboratory animal requires some specific diets to meet their nutritional requirements.

 Purified diet: The feed in which purified components as carbohydrates, purified protein source, refined oils,
synthetic vitamins and refined mineral supplements are used as ingredients. Such diets some times refered as
semisynthetic diets but the widely used term is purified diet.

 II.Chemically defined diets: For certain experimental purposes even the degree of refinement achieved by
purified diets is inadequate so that ‘chemically defined diets’ may be required. These are made up of basic
nutrients i.e. glucose, triglycerides, essential fatty acids, individual amino acids, vitamins and minerals which can
be obtained in a chemically pure form.

 Germ free diets: The gut microflora has a significant influence on the synthesis of vitamins (Vit. B & K). The germ
free and other types of gnotobiotic animals cannot benefited from this source of nutrients. Because diet for
gnotobiotic animals must be sterilized they will required supplementation with those vitamins supplied by the
flora in addition to the nutrients which may have been destroyed by the sterilization process.

General consideration on breeding of laboratory animals

 The breeding practices for laboratory animals may be accomplished fulfilling the experimental requirements.
The animals which are not available commercially may be bred and propagated. The breeding pairs should be
procured from the organised animal resources. The breeding characteristics of individual animal strain must be
accounted while selecting the animals for setting the breeding system.

 In general, laboratory animal breeding system may be divided into two main groups-

 1.Permanently mated group:

 Monogamy: single male and female housed together

 Polygamy: one or more male are housed with several females.

 2Temporarily mated group: in which the females are separated from the groups before parturition.

 Harem system: male and females are run together but separated prior to parturition.

 Hand mating system: the male and female are left together only for sufficient time for mating to occur.

Production of specific laboratory animals for research purpose

 1.Gnotobiotic animals:

 It is an animal in which only certain known strains of bacteria and other microorganisms are present. The
gnotobiotic animals are removed from the mother by caesarean section and are born in aseptic condition.

 2.Specific Pathogen Free (SPF) Animal

 SPF animals may be defined as animals that are free of specific microorganisms and parasites, but not
necessarily free of those unspecified. SPF animals ensure that specified diseases do not interfere with an
 experiment at any stage of experimentation. For example- Absence of Influenza virus is desirable when
investigating a drug’s effect on lung function.

 3.Germ Free (GF) Animals

 An animal which is not having any demonstrable microorganism is called as germ free animals. This can be
achieved by removing the foetus by hysterectomy (surgical removal of uterus or part of uterus) without any
anaesthetic and open in an isolator to get the young ones and mother should be killed by cervical dislocation.

Scope of rabbit farming in India

 Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) farming in india is an age-old practice and rearing started long back as pet animal.
Farming of Rabbit is known as Cuniculture. It is an agriculture practice of breeding and raising domestic rabbits
for their meat, fur or wool and can provide a very valuable source of income in the rural India.

 Advantages of Rabbit Farming

 1.The rabbit can attain sexual maturity within 4-6 months and breeds eight times in a year. It produces 5-8
young ones in a litter.

 2.Rabbits have ability to reproduce fast and able to remate with 24 hours after kindling

 3.Rabbit meat consumption has no religious taboos

 4.It achieve slaughter weight of 2 kg within 12-15 weeks

 5.They consume large amount of forages from diverse origins, therefore it can be reared on very small amounts
of costly concentrates.

 6.Rabbits have high feed conversion ratio and convert feed / fodder into meat very efficiently only next to
poultry

 7.Rabbits can be reared in the backyard of farmer’s house.

 8.Initial investment is less as compared to other livestock practices and thus affordable for the poorest section
of the society

 9.Rabbit produces-

 white meat (high protein; low in fat, cholesterol, sodium and potassium contents)

 Fur/ wool (warmest, finest and lightest) and

 Organic manure (high in nitrogen, phosphorous and potash).

 Good laboratory animal model for bio-medical research

 10. Compared with the meat of other species rabbit meat is richer in protein (21%) and vitamin but has less fat
(10%).

 11. Rabbits are frequently used in toxicity tests, production of anti-sera, evaluation of biologically active
products, eye and skin irritation tests & studies on athrosclerosis.
 Limitations of rabbit animal production
 1.The major limitations are the shortage of germplasm.

 2.Lack of technical know-how

 3.Non-availability of a well organised market for rabbit meat

 4.There is no organised slaughter house for regular slaughtering of rabbit

 5.Most of meat consumer consider the rabbit as a pet/fancy animal, so prevent them from slaughter and
consume.

 6.Low consumer demand, unsteady supply, unreasonable price and poorly developed market channels.

Terminologies related to rabbit husbandry

 1.Doe: adult breedable female

 2.Buck: adult breedable male

 3.Litter: total young ones delivered at a time.

 4.Kit: young rabbit whose eyes are not yet opened

 5.Bunny: young rabbit below 20 weeks of age

 6.Broiler: rabbit fattened to finish for meat at 10-12 week of age

 7.Fryer: 10-12 week old rabbit ready for market.

 8.Rooster: culled rabbit

 9.Kindling: act of parturition

Breeds of rabbits
 Many breeds exist in the country and several of them are used for experimental work.

 Classification of Breeds on the basis of their body size-

 I.Small breeds: Polish (1-1.5 kg), Soviet chinchilla, Dutch, Himalayan etc

 II. Medium breeds: New Zealand White, Californian (Synthetic American), New Zealand Red etc.

 II. Large breeds: White Giant, Grey Giant and Flemish Giant.

 Classification of breeds on the basis of utility

 •Generally two types of rabbits are available in India

 Angora Rabbit: for wool production

 2.Broiler/ Meat Rabbit: for meat as well as fur production

 Angora Rabbit:

 1.German Angora: Largest angora breed, highly prolific and finest quality wool producers, Annual wool yield:
800 - 900 g.

 2.British Angora: Annual wool yield: 500 – 550 g

 3.Russian Angora: Annual wool yield: 400-500 g

 4.Cross-bred of Angora-

 a.BRA= British x Russian

 b.GRA= German x Russian

 c.GBA= German x British

 Broiler/ Meat Rabbit:

 1.New Zealand White

 2.Soviet Chinchilla

 3.Grey Giant: Adult body weight is 4.5-5 kg

 4.White Giant

 5.Black Brown

 6.Flemish Giant: Popularly known as giant breed, Weight of adult rabbit is 5.0-6.5 kg

 7.Dutch

Identification of rabbit
 Rabbits can be identified by ear tattoo, ear tag and leg bands.

 It also identified temporarily by colour marking on their body.

 The most satisfactory method is tattooing, there are problems with some dark breeds.

Selection of breeding stock for commercial purpose

 The future breeding stock can be selected when the rabbit attain 4-5 months of age.

 The following point must be considered during selection for breeding-

 1.The rabbit should be selected from the largest litter

 2.Select heaviest animal but take account of any difference in age

 3.The animal should be healthy which are selected for breeding purpose. The healthy rabbit groom their body
regularly and the fur will be smooth and shinny.
  4.There is presence of two testicles in its scrotum. The testicle descends from the body cavity into the scrotum
at around 12 weeks.

 5.Litter size at birth- the optimum value is 8. Some of the born dead that should also be considered.

 6.Average birth weight- if number of kits in the litter is less then the birth weight will be more and vice- versa.
There should be at least 40 g body weight at the time of birth for survivability.

 7.Litter size at weaning- at least 5-6 bunnies should be available from each litter at the time of weaning.

 8.Growth rate- the rabbit that attain 2 kg body weight at lower age are assumed to be better converter of feed
and are selected as breeding animal.

Breeding management for optimal production of rabbit

 Rabbit does not have any estrous cycle with regular heat period like other animals. They are induced ovulators.
A female rabbit considered to be in heat when she accepts service and in diestrus when she refuses. Rabbits in
heat shoes following signs -

 1.Reddening and swelling of the vulva.

 2.Rubbing of chin on side of hutch.

 3.Restlessness

 4 Sudden decrease in feed consumption.

 5.Lordosis

 Body weight is an ideal criterion of mating (80% of their adult body weight). At the time of mating the female
should be shifted to male’s cage and service is done in that male’s cage. Mating should be done in the coolest
part of the day i.e. early morning and late evening. After successful mating the male usually produce a typical cry
and fall down on one side of the doe. Soon after mating the doe should be removed to her cage (should take not
more than 5 minutes).The buck should not be used more than 3-4 days in a week and not more than 2-3 times in
a day. The ratio of buck to doe is 1:10.

Care and management of doe during pregnancy and kindling

 The kindling should be done in kindling box and doe should be transferred to kindling box at 27-28th day of
pregnancy. There should be provision of nesting material in the nest box. A good mother will provide a layer of
fur bedding by plucking her abdominal fur and this nesting/ bedding preparation is an indication of nearing
kindling. The duration of kindling depends on litter size and last may be in 15-30 minutes. The rabbits are born
without any fur and with their eyes closed. Their eyes open at around 10-11 days and fur start to develop at the
same time. Normally the rabbit nurse their young’s once in 24 hours mainly in early morning. Losses of newborn
usually increase when the litter size is larger than the number of teats (4 pairs). Fostering can be practiced if the
litter size is more or the doe is dead and should be take place within 5 days of kindling.

Feeding management of rabbit

Rabbits are mainly monogastric herbivorous animals. They consume pulses, grains, leguminous green grasses, hay,
kitchen wastes etc. Normally rabbit feed and drink water throughout the day but feeding nocturnally is the common
phenomena. Feeding of pelleted concentrate is the most common practice and the diameter of pellet should be 3-4 mm
with 10-15 mm length. The dry matter consumed by the rabbit is 6-8% of their body weight out of which roughage can
contribute up to 60%. The dietary crude protein content for dry non-lactating does should be 12-15% and for grower
and lactating does should be 16-20%. Fibre (its particle size & digestibility) have much importance in the rabbit’s diet.
The rabbit needs large indigestible fibre particle containing lignocelluloses to drive the gastrointestinal system and to
maintain healthy peristalsis. Gastric stasis and the subsequent accumulation of a felt of ingesta is rarely seen in rabbits
on high fibre diets. High fibre and low energy diets will results in complete caecotrophy and avoid the development of
‘sticky bottom syndrome’. The “sticky bottom” syndrome occurs when the fur around the rabbit’s bottom becomes
caked with soft dropping (caecotrophs) that the rabbit would usually take direct from its bottom & eat. It is therefore
generally caused by an incorrect diet. The fibre should make up to 18-20% of the diet and of this at least 10% should be
crude indigestible fibre. Fibre in the diet is important for maintenance of healthy digestive system. High fibrous diet
keeps the correct balance of bacterial flora in the caecum. If the fibre content of the diet falls, the caecal pH alters and
the populations of clostridia and Escherichia coli rise. Rabbits on high fibre diets rarely suffer from mucoid enteritis or
enterotoxaemia. High fibre diets will also protect against enterotoxaemia when antibiotics are given. Grass is an
excellent source of fibre and has more abrasive action on the teeth. The rabbit should not feel stress in feeding so the
routine should be followed properly. The concentrate should be fed in morning and roughage in the evening. An adult
rabbit requires about only litter of water in a day. The water intake in temperate climate is 1.5-2.5 and in warm climate
is 4.0 times of dry matter consumed. In lactating and pregnant does the water should be provided round the clock.

Coprophagy
Coprophagy is also known as caecotrophy. When caecum content enters to colon and the colon will secrete a mucous
which envelops the pellet to form soft pellet or night pellet or caecotrophes and the rabbit directly eat the soft pellet
from the anus. This soft pellet contain high value protein and soluble vitamins mainly vitamin B-complex. The second
expulsion of pellet is hard. This action is called coprophagy or caecotrophy. The feed should contain adequate quantity
of roughage to encourage caecotrophy.

Housing management of rabbit

Housing is an important factor which protects the animals from climatic stress that influences the reproduction and
growth of rabbit. A good housing facility with adequate arrangement of ventilation is the most important factor in rabbit
house. Good house denotes proper cages or hutches and arrangement for feeding, watering, cleaning. Rabbits can be
reared in deep litter system, cage system and hutches. This depends on financial involvement and the climate of the
place. In backyard rabbit locally available materials are used. The commonly used materials include tin cans, bamboos,
old boxes, wood, bricks, asbestos sheets etc. Ideal Environment for Rabbit Rearing

(a) Temperature

Rabbits can tolerate a wide variation of temperature ranging from 5°C to 33°C. But, the ideal comfortable temperature
required by the rabbits ranges from 10°C to 26°C. The winter temperatures in Indian climate in most of the places
excepting hilly regions are conducive to rabbit’s health. Rabbits in general, can tolerate the cold wave rather than the
hot wave. Temperature in summer time may cause heat stress in rabbits. Therefore, adequate measures should be
taken to reduce heat stress through cooling and good ventilation. Adult rabbit can minimize hot through stretching of
their bodies. Similarly to conserve heat they curl in lowered environmental temperature.

(b) Humidity
From systemic point of view rabbits cannot tolerate too much moist condition. Humidity in rabbit house should remain
within 50-60% level. All devices should be applied during rainy season to minimize humidity level. High temperature
along with high humidity may adversely affect the health of rabbits.

(c) Lighting

Light has got paramount importance concerning reproductive efficiency. Natural or artificial light is required to be
provided. If a buck is not provided with light exposure at least for 8 to 12 hours, its spermatogenesis will be hampered.
On the other hand, a breeding doe will require at least 6 hours light exposure for its sexual performance and fertility.

(d) Ventilation

A clean, dirt and smoke free environment are the essential attributes for smooth breathing of rabbits. There should be
proper arrangement for free movements of air. The requirement of comfortable fresh air is most needed during the hot
days in the summer. Strong draught should be avoided as far as possible. Some shady trees may be planted near and
around the rabbitry to allow cool air during summer.

Deep litter system/pen system In this system the floor must be of concrete which will make it easy for cleaning
and prevent making hole by rabbits as their normal habit. The floor is to be covered with paddy straw, saw dust, rice
husk etc as 4-6 inch thickness. The manure on the floor must be cleaned regularly. On e pen should not have more than
30 young together. The young rabbits kept in pen once attain puberty should be housed singly specially adult male
because if kept together they will fight and get injured.

Cage system

Cages of does should be of 90 cm length, 70 cm breadth and 50 cm height. Those of bucks should be of 60 cm length, 60
cm breadth and 45 cm height for bucks. Cages are made out of wood, bamboo, or welded mesh. The size of wire mesh
should be 1cm x 1cm for the bottom and 2.5 cm x 2.5 cm for the sides. From the ground to bottom of the cage should be
75 cm to 90 cm high. The legs of the cages should be in such a manner that rats and snakes could not cause nuisance
and it is advised to fix metal guards to the legs. Cages should be placed in a shed that is constructed in cooler
surroundings.

Hutches:
Outdoor hutches should be in a sheltered location, raised off from the ground with slopping, waterproof roofing and
well protected from predators. Hutch is made out of (i) wood (ii) asbestos (iii) welded wire mesh.

Nest box:
Nest boxes vary in size and design but in general the size is 50 cm long, 30 cm broad and 15 cm high. Nest boxes are
made out of wood and should have provision for adequate drainage and ventilation. It is advisable to have a wire mesh
bottom.

Advantages of nest box

 1.Nest box allow the doe to kindle and nurse her young in comfort.

 2.It provides clean and healthy environment to the young

 3. Keeps the young from leaving the nest too early.

Feeders and waters:

Feeders are generally made out of Aluminium or galvanized iron sheets. Feeders may be designed in such a way that
they can be attached to the front panel of the cage and can be filled from outside without opening the doors of the
hutch or cage. Automatic pipeline or bottles watering system are used widely in commercial rabbit farms.

Hygiene of rabbit house

 Health care is an important aspect of rabbit farming. Only healthy stock can contribute their full potential in
terms of growth, reproduction and production. To maintain hygiene and cleanliness in the rabbit’s shed there
should be performed many practices like-

 I.Kept the house free from urine, faeces, spiders’ web and any undesirable holes

 II.Sprinkle slaked lime in the shed once in a week

 III.Wire cages must be cleaned by wire brush every day and burning once in every fortnight

 IV.If more rodent are developed in house then rodenticides used

 V.Daily cleaning of feeders and waterers

 VI.Waterers should be disinfected with Potassium Permanganate solution after every 10 days

Disposal & utilization of rabbit waste

 The amount of manure produced in any rabbit farm will depends on a number of factors such as breed, ration
fed, amount of bedding used etc.

 Bulky ration will produce more manure than concentrated ration

 Large breed doe with young produces 150-200 kg manure throughout the year.

 Manure contains approximately 2.7% nitrogen, 1.5% phosphorus and 1% potash on dry matter basis.

 Biogas, compost and warmicompost are being used.