home Landscape design Rabbits breeding and keeping in pits. Breeding rabbits in a pit: useful tips for rabbit breeders. Average rate of weight gain

Rabbits breeding and keeping in pits. Breeding rabbits in a pit: useful tips for rabbit breeders. Average rate of weight gain

Rabbit breeding is not very common in Russia. It was only in the 2000s that farmers began breeding rabbits on an industrial scale again. They get sick more because they move less. It is advisable to build a separate cage for each colic. To prevent rabbits from chewing wooden cages or fences, they need to be regularly given raspberry or acacia branches. In addition, it is difficult to maintain a comfortable temperature in the cells.

It is cool in the pit in the summer, and when the rabbits dig deep holes, the temperature will be comfortable for them in the winter. Rabbits begin to dig holes 14-16 days after they move into the hole.

Arrangement of the pit

Rabbits have very weak immunity, so it is very important to cover the pit with sheets of slate to protect against rain. Also, the perimeter of the pit is covered with a mosquito net to prevent mosquitoes, flies and other insects from flying into it. To protect the rabbit hole from cats, dogs and other animals, it can be dug in a poultry enclosure that is fenced with chain-link mesh.

The depth of the hole should be from 75 cm to 3.5 m. The deeper you dig the hole, the warmer it will be. When rabbits are too hot, they drink more and eat less food, which means they grow more slowly.

Rabbits require hay bedding. The pit should also have a feeder and drinker. Rabbits eat 8 times a day, so the capacity of a feeder for five rabbits should be at least 6 kg. As rabbits age, they eat more, so it is necessary to increase the portion of food as they grow. For a day, 5 rabbits need 3 liters of water. It is better to install an automatic feeder and set it to 8 servings of food per day.

Rabbits dig holes well in sandy or sandy loam soil. You can dig a hole in an area with light loam or marshy soil, but then the rabbits will dig the soil more slowly. In order for them to feel comfortable and get used to their new place of residence faster, you need to dig a small hole 40 cm long with a shovel. You cannot dig a horizontal hole, as the rabbits will start digging upward and can escape from the hole. To avoid this and force rabbits to dig downwards, dig the first hole at an angle of 30° -45°.

The first principle of rabbit breeding when keeping rabbits in a pit or a common cage is vaccination of the offspring against VHD (viral hemorrhagic disease) and myxomatosis. When kept in a pit, it is impossible to avoid inbreeding, so the rabbit pit is made small, for 4 females and one male, and the rabbits are slaughtered when they reach 4 months of age before puberty.

Rabbit breeding is a very profitable business, and most importantly, the exciting and interesting process of breeding rabbits also does not require large financial costs. Breeding rabbits in pit conditions is a very profitable process that can be done by both a novice amateur and a professional in this business for a good profit. Keeping rodents in such conditions will not be particularly difficult. And for the rabbits themselves, being in pits and basements will be much more convenient and closer to the natural environment than in cramped and uncomfortable cages, and at the same time their muscles will not atrophy.

Some features

You need to consider: if you have rabbits in a cage for a long time, and after that you decide to dig a hole for them for further breeding, be very careful. It is necessary to allow rodents to adapt to their new habitat; it will be especially difficult for large animals to get used to it. It is best recommended to house young ones who are not yet accustomed to life in a cage. In areas that are susceptible heavy precipitation or floods, it is better not to place holes, as water can fill the holes and cause the death of animals.

Pros of breeding

Disadvantages of breeding

How to make your own rabbit hole

How to arrange a home for pets

Animal boarding

Young rabbits are introduced first, because they have a lot of strength for digging holes and are very active, so for them this will not seem like a difficult task. After the young individuals have set up their home, adult animals are moved in with them. If you do the opposite - first introduce inactive rabbits, which will interfere, and then the young ones, then they may develop aggression towards each other.

Sometimes conflicts and fights between rodents will arise over the division of holes, but there is no need to worry too much.

In most cases, females dig holes, as their maternal instinct awakens to provide shelter for their offspring. The burrows are up to 18-20 meters long. To prevent rodents from escaping, burrows must be periodically monitored and redirected. It is recommended to surround the pit with a fence so that a rabbit that accidentally gets out into the wild cannot escape.

It is forbidden to leave rabbits unsupervised during the breeding season, young animals should not be allowed to mate with each other. This can lead to a number of different diseases, mutations, extinction and inbreeding. It is necessary to realize the mother and father of the offspring first, as soon as the offspring reach their sexual age. After some time, animals can become wild and small. In order to protect uncontrolled matings, partners should be changed periodically. It is also worth weeding out females with external defects; you should not use females with very low productivity.

While in the pit, the rabbits think that they are in the wild, and there should be no problems with reproduction. But if you notice the female then If she has lost significant weight before giving birth and begins to rush around, pick out fluff and drag grass, then in such cases there is a possibility that she will be able to eat her newborn cubs. Then it’s worth taking the newborns away from her and letting another rabbit raise them. When transferring babies, be very careful so as not to accidentally harm the newborn.

Possible diseases

Breeding rabbits in pits - a very effective and convenient way that will bring you a lot of income. Rabbit meat is highly valued, rabbits breed very well and produce healthy offspring, and their fur can also be sold to manufacturers of various fur products.

Today you learned everything about breeding, keeping and building pits for rabbits. Many people still keep their pets in cages, but if we take into account all the factors of keeping rabbits in pits, we can confidently say that this method is much more convenient, simple and effective.

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The method of freely keeping rabbits is described in many works by famous livestock breeders in the country, but has not become widespread, although its effectiveness is quite high. One of the basic rules of animal breeding says that the productivity of the animal directly depends on physical activity. It is curious, but most rabbit breeders neglect this postulate and keep animals in small cages. This lifestyle has an adverse effect on the rabbit’s body, especially the heart and digestive tract.

It is a well-known fact that free rabbits and those that live in cages are very different in how appearance, and in character. Behind bars, the animal quickly becomes lethargic and sickly, while rabbits living in enclosures are active and good health.

Back in the early 20th century, many livestock breeders argued in their works that it was worth paying special attention to breeding these pets in enclosures. For example, V.V. Sabinetsky noted that outside the cages, rabbits behave much more actively, their appetite improves (“Rabbit”, 1906). Interesting story gives as a striking example another livestock scientist named K.I. Gadzyatsky. He talks about the miraculous recovery of forty hopelessly ill rabbits who were released into the wild to die. In 1954, the famous scientist I. Mishin described an interesting case on Lake Ale in the Leningrad Region, when several rabbits of a local livestock breeder were left homeless. After five months, it turned out that the “free” animals looked much healthier than their relatives, who had been locked up all this time.

Why has such an effective method of breeding rabbits not been developed? The fact is that initially the enclosures were installed in places completely unsuitable for this purpose. As a result of the illiteracy of past livestock farmers, rabbits died from lack of food, weather conditions or predators. Another reason was the fact that in 1936 the People's Commissariat of Agriculture issued instructions that prohibited the free breeding of rabbits on farms.

Modern livestock breeders have a unique opportunity to draw conclusions based on the mistakes of the past and successfully breed rabbits in pits. You will find detailed information with photos and videos in this article.

Advantages and disadvantages of the method

U this method There are both advantages and disadvantages to raising animals. Despite the fact that there are much fewer disadvantages, they should not be underestimated. First, it’s worth considering the positive aspects of this method:

financial costs are several times less than with cage breeding of rabbits;
about 200 rabbits can live in a 2x2 pit;
female rabbits do not require assistance during pregnancy and childbirth, since the pits are close to the natural habitat of these animals;
saving time and effort (to feed rabbits in a pit, you will have to go to them only once, whereas with cage breeding the livestock breeder has to check each cage);
The health of rabbits is much better, since in summer there is no overheating due to being in an iron box, and in cold seasons there is no draft.
animals have the opportunity to obtain useful minerals directly from the soil;
rabbits are more developed (you can move freely in holes and dig holes);
saving space (with a number of rabbits of 200, many cages will be required, which will occupy an area larger than 2x2);
animals living in pits are not afraid of rats, while rats in cages often maim rabbits;
reproduce well (after a few months you can get more than a hundred rabbits);
less feed consumption;
high-quality feeding of baby rabbits with milk (when the babies come out of their holes, they can get food from any milk rabbit).

There are disadvantages to this method of breeding rabbits and require separate consideration. It is worth understanding that the work does not end at the pit construction stage. Breeding rabbits is a complex process and requires full dedication from a specialist. Among the negative aspects of this method it is worth mentioning:

inbreeding - keeping the same rabbits in a pit leads to gradual shrinkage and even degeneration of the offspring;
difficulty in controlling cases;
the animals in the hole gradually run wild and begin to fear humans, so if you need to catch a certain rabbit, you will have to work hard to close the valve in the hole;
most male skins cannot be tanned, since rabbits are quite aggressive in free conditions and often fight;
if one rabbit gets sick, it is difficult to identify and isolate it from the pit (this is fraught with the spread of infection);
When breeding rabbits in pits, the diet for all animals is the same, regardless of age, sex and condition.

In order to minimize animal losses, a specialist must understand what to do correctly in the event of a particular problem.

The holes that rabbits dig in pits often cause concern among livestock farmers. The length of such tunnels in some cases can reach 20 meters, so catching a rabbit hiding in a hole is quite difficult. For the convenience of catching animals, it is worth making a valve for each hole that would block the gap for the rabbits. There is no need to worry that animals can get to the surface by digging a tunnel in the right direction. The fact is that rabbit holes always have a straight or horizontal slope. The depth of the hole must be at least one meter, otherwise there is a possibility that the rabbits can escape to freedom.
Quite often, livestock farmers are faced with the problem of unpleasant odor in pits. The reason for this is poor drainage. In order to avoid such a problem, even at the construction stage, you need to cover the bottom with a net or slats, and then cover it with straw, which will have to be changed periodically.
With a number of rabbits of 200 heads, it is difficult to determine whether each individual is fed well. Best options To ensure accessibility and comfort of food intake for animals, there are feeders, nurseries and drinking bowls installed along one of the walls and having a size designed for children.
The roof and fence will guarantee the safety of animals from predators.
After constructing the pit, young rabbits aged 4-5 months should be placed there in order to dig holes, since more “mature” animals may already lose this ability.
There is no need to worry about males fighting, but overly aggressive ones should be dealt with first.
As has already been mentioned several times, raising rabbits is a painstaking task that requires special attention from the breeder. This is especially true for breeding issues. In order for the offspring to be healthy, it is necessary to exclude, if possible, family ties. The easiest way to do this is in the following way: the father of the family is excluded from the pit when his children reach puberty. Unproductive rabbits should also be disposed of.
Particular attention must be paid to the cleanliness of the pit and the availability of food and water for rabbits.

The most successful solutions

Each livestock breeder independently chooses the future “project” of a pit for breeding rabbits. Depending on the financial condition, the number of heads and personal preferences, the specialist creates a pit that is unique in its kind.

Original arrangement

The owner of a site in the Kursk region approached this issue in a rather unconventional way. While the dimensions of his pit were traditional (2 x 2 m with a depth of 1.5 m), he lined the internal walls, first digging a hole that was as wide as the handle of a shovel, so that several rabbits could get in at the same time and not crush the young animals. He sprinkled the bottom of the pit with a 20 cm layer of sand and covered it with a net on top. The uniqueness of this solution is that it becomes much easier to keep the pit clean, because the sand perfectly absorbs animal urine, and it is easy to remove manure and other debris from the mesh. The entrance to the hole is located 10 cm higher than the floor level. This was done to prevent manure from blocking the hole. The hole is closed with a latch, as this is convenient when catching rabbits or cleaning the hole.

Tame rabbits

It is known that rabbits living in pits quickly run wild and begin to fear people. A livestock breeder from the Moscow region shared the secret of how to tame rabbits. To do this, he fed them every evening at the same time, while calling the rabbits by ringing a bell. The livestock breeder not only refreshed the water and poured food for the rabbits, but also treated them to carrots and apples directly from his hands.

Rats control

Another specialist offers a unique method of fighting rats. These rather harmful and always hungry rodents will definitely try to get into the holes where the young are located. In order to permanently discourage rats from hunting in this pit, you need to take 5 unnecessary light bulbs and break them. In a metal container, the fragments are thoroughly crushed. Meanwhile, two finely chopped onions are fried in a frying pan in vegetable oil. As soon as the onion acquires a golden hue, you need to beat 4-5 eggs directly into the frying pan and add the fragments. Then you should put the resulting mass on paper, wrap it in a bag, tie it with a rope and place it in places frequently visited by rats. This is a simple and effective method that quickly kills the rodent. The fact is that the rat's stomach cannot process the fragments, and it soon dies.

If the rabbits found their way to freedom

Professional rabbit breeders constantly warn hobbyists that rabbits can get free by breaking a hole in the right direction. Worth monitoring and preventing possible ways escape. The entrance to holes that are dug upward should be boarded up in the hole, and for rabbits a new hole should be made with a downward slope.

Today, rabbit breeding is considered quite profitable business, since the meat of this animal is always in demand, and numerous offspring appear regularly. Both professionals and amateurs can breed rabbits in pits. There is nothing complicated here, you just have to be responsible this species activities. There is no doubt that rabbits feel much better in a pit than in a cage. Why not give animals the opportunity to live in conditions as close as possible to their natural habitat?

Video about breeding rabbits in pits

For a better understanding of the issue of breeding rabbits in pits, we bring to your attention video materials from actual farms in Russia and Ukraine.

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In search of a cheap and least labor-intensive way to keep rabbits, rabbit breeders are trying various options for raising rabbits, including in pits. In addition, it is believed that such content is closest to the natural habitat. In this article we will tell you about breeding rabbits in a pit and give recommendations on feeding and treating diseases.

Breeding rabbits in a pit, why is it better and is it really better?

Breeding in a hole differs from other housing options in that the rabbit can independently dig the holes it needs in the ground. The lifestyle in the pit contributes to this physical activity animal.

The burrow of a wild European rabbit, which essentially lives in colonies and digs burrows 40 meters or more in length. Burrows can have up to 8 exits to the surface.

Comparison of the pros and cons of three types of content:

Options	Nora	Aviary	Cell
Physical activity	Eat	Eat	No
Individual diet	No	No	Eat
Skin quality	Not suitable for use	Not suitable for use	good
Weight gain	Better than cellular	Better than cellular	Standard
Loss of young animals	Unknown	Average percentage	Average percentage
Possibility of examining an individual animal	Virtually absent	No difficulty	No difficulty
Breeding	Inability to control; inbreeding	It is easier to catch unwanted rabbits, but the likelihood of inbreeding and uncontrolled reproduction remains	Full control

The theory states that rabbits will not escape from the hole, since they only dig horizontally or downwards. For some reason, theorists stubbornly ignore the fact that the main hole of a rabbit colony, where the dominant male and female live, has from 6 to 8 exits to the outside and goes 2 m deep. It is also not mentioned that practitioners who breed rabbits in pits The holes leading to the surface are periodically filled with concrete.

The theory about rabbits digging holes exclusively downwards or horizontally has failed somewhere, since the main hole of a rabbit colony has 6 - 8 exits to the top. It is unlikely that rabbits have such precise senses to start digging the next entrance from above and accurately get to the tunnel of the hole.

The burrows where young individuals live are shallow and have up to 3 exits to the outside. It also cannot be said that keeping in pits fully corresponds to the natural life of a rabbit. In nature, female rabbits, except for the dominant individual, do not crawl in the main hole. They dig separate burrows not far from the family burrow.

Female rabbits dig shallow holes for giving birth separately from the general colony, covering the entrance to the hole with earth. Such burrows have only one entrance and space for droppings.

What soils are suitable for building a pit?

The soil is divided into:

clay;
loam;
sandy loam;
sand;
lime;
marshy;
black soil;
red soil;
rocky (separate qualification for rabbits).

Each of these types has certain disadvantages and advantages. The rabbits themselves will prefer soil in which it is easy to dig a hole. But it’s easy to dig a hole in the sand, but it crumbles easily, which is not suitable for rabbit breeders. Comparative characteristics different types of soil:

Priming	pros	Minuses
Clay	The pit and holes will not collapse	It's hard to dig; does not allow water to pass through*
Loam	The pit and holes will not collapse; water goes into the ground; easy to dig	During high water, spring waters will pass into rabbit holes
Sandy loam	Water easily goes into the ground; easy to dig	Prone to collapse; in the spring, water will easily penetrate into the holes
Sand	Digging is very easy; water quickly goes into the ground	It crumbles already in the process of digging a hole; easily passes water from top to bottom and bottom to top during spring floods
Chernozem	Easy to dig, holds the burrow arches well; passes water well	Typically this layer is no more than 50 cm thick; there may be clay or sand underneath
Krasnozem	Partly analogous to chernozem with a large amount of iron	Just like black soil, this layer is thin
Marshy	Easy to dig; holds vaults well due to the abundance of plant debris	As a rule, it is located in lowlands, flooded with rain and floods.
Lime	Digging is easier than clay, but more difficult than loam; holds the arch well	The disadvantages are almost the same as those of clay with the only difference: water can wash away the calcareous soil
Rocky	From a rabbit's point of view, there are no advantages if the piles of stones do not lie on the surface; in this case, the rabbit does not dig holes, but hides in the stones	From a human point of view, there are also some disadvantages: usually the stones are mixed with clay and the soil does not allow water to pass through well; if it is a solid rock mass, then flooding of the pit is inevitable during rains

*The property of clay not to allow water to pass through has a twofold characteristic. If the clay does not allow water to enter the hole, this is a plus. If water gets into the hole and because of the clay it cannot go into the ground, this is a minus, since the rabbits will die.

Tip #1. Before you start building a pit, wait until spring and find out how high the groundwater will rise during a flood.

How to build a rabbit breeding pit

To construct a pit you will need:

shovels, hoe, possibly other tools that can be used to loosen or grab soil;
slate or other roofing material;
metal grid;
wooden slats for drainage on the floor;
again slate or bricks for lining the walls of the pit.

Diagram of a pit structure protected from rain and predators. The earthen wall for the hole is left on one side only.

Choosing a location and building a pit with step-by-step instructions

Having the building materials and tools available, you can begin building the pit itself:

We choose a place on a hill that is not flooded during spring floods. It is advisable that groundwater does not rise above 1.5 m from the surface of the earth;
We mark a 2x2 m square and dig a hole 1 m deep;
We line the dug hole with brick or slate from the inside to prevent the walls from collapsing. We leave one wall unclad;
We begin to dig a hole for rabbits in the unlined wall. We dig it out the entire length of a shovel or hoe. Later the rabbits will dig up. The slope of the workpiece should be down to prevent animals from digging out of the pit;
After designing the future hole, we put a damper at the entrance. If the rabbits later dig more holes, they should also be equipped with shutters*;
We fence the top of the pit with a net to prevent the penetration of predators (it will not help against rats);
We make a canopy of roofing material over the pit to protect the pit from rain;
At the bottom of the pit we make a grating for urine drainage;
We place a sufficient number of feeders. Feeders should be installed taking into account rabbits of different ages, that is, at different heights and different sizes. Read also the article: → "".
We install drinking bowls;
Let's release the rabbits.

*The dampers are needed so that you don’t have to smoke the rabbits out of the hole with smoke bombs.

Another diagram of the pit structure, “outside view”. In this case, the pit is completely lined with slate. A hole was left in one of the walls for digging a hole. In such a hole it is easier to control the entrance to the hole (one shutter is enough).

Tip #2. If in the spring it turns out that the groundwater is too close to the surface, then there is no point in building a hole. The essence of a hole is that it is buried in the ground, and when draining it is necessary to either raise the ground level or lay drainage ditches. Both are too expensive for amateur rabbit breeding. In this case, it is better to build an enclosure for the rabbits.

What breeds of rabbits are suitable for keeping in a pit?

When choosing a rabbit breed, not only their cold resistance is taken into account, but also the region in which the rabbits are supposed to be bred. Rabbits can winter in pits in climatic zones up to the central regions of Russia. To the north, you will have to catch rabbits and place them in cages indoors for the winter.

The choice will have to be made from the breeds that are most popular among amateurs, but not all of them are suitable for living in pits. Large breeds are not very suitable for pits due to their weight, and some medium-sized ones are too thermophilic. Comparative characteristics of rabbits when choosing a breed for pit breeding:

Breed	Average weight, kg	Thermophilia	Adaptability to pit conditions
Gray giant	More than 5	Capable of living in the middle zone, but not further north	Large sizes are not suitable for pit conditions
Californian	4,5	Heat-loving; does not withstand winter cold well	Can be kept in a pit during the warm season
Burgundian	4,5	Average adaptability to cold; does not tolerate heat well	In summer, the pit is ideal for maintenance; in winter, depending on the climate in a particular area
Rex	4	Cold-loving, optimal temperature for keeping - +15°C	Year-round living in a pit
Soviet chinchilla	More than 5	Relatively thermophilic	Due to its large size, it is not suitable for a pit
New Zealand	4,5	Heat-loving	In summer it will take root well in a hole; for the winter you need to move it to a warm room

A Rex rabbit will overwinter well in a pit and will also thank you, since these rabbits tolerate frosts down to -20 and very well tolerate temperatures above +25 degrees.

Mistakes when keeping rabbits in a pit

Using smoke bombs to catch extra individuals. Toxic substances have not yet had a positive effect on any organism.
Convincing cage-free advocates that vaccinations are not necessary. The position is no different from the position of parents who refuse to vaccinate their children. The infection does not care whether the rabbit lives in a cage, in an enclosure or in a pit. As long as the livestock lives in isolation, one may think that infections are not terrible. But as soon as an infected animal enters the herd, the spread of infection will be facilitated by free contacts between rabbits.
Belief in the myth that rats in pits are not dangerous for rabbits. Even if rabbits are really capable of driving away rats (and the number of newborn rabbits eaten by rats in the pit cannot be determined), it is not the attacks on rabbits that rats are dangerous for. You can not be afraid of rats as much as you like and can easily become infected with leptospirosis, myxomatosis and rabies from rats.

Questions that arise when keeping rabbits in a pit

Question No. 1. We have rats in our rabbit pit, how can we get them out?

If you managed to see such a cautious nocturnal animal as a rat, it means that the population of rats in your pit significantly exceeds the population of rabbits. Or the rat you noticed was sick. In any case, to kill rats you will have to:

Catch all the rabbits from the pit and place them in cages;
Scatter poison with a delayed effect in the pit, since with fast-acting poison, rats quickly figure out what’s going on and stop eating the bait;
A week later, remove the found rat corpses and spread the poison again;
Repeat step 3 until the bait remains untouched and the smell of carrion stops coming out of the holes;
Thoroughly clean the hole from any remaining poison and hope that the rats did not drag anything into the holes;
Throw the rabbits back into the hole.

Question No. 2. How can you disinfect a pit?

Almost nothing using conventional means. You can catch the entire population of rabbits living in the hole, and then throw sulfur smoke bombs into the holes. What gets disinfected gets disinfected. If the smoke doesn't reach somewhere, you're out of luck.

Question No. 3. How and with what to treat rabbits in a pit if they get sick?

Nothing and nothing. Before treatment, a sick rabbit must be caught. And the treatment should be carried out separately from the rest of the livestock, placing it in a cage, according to the scheme prescribed by the veterinarian. The only thing that can be done en masse in a pit is deworming of animals. The anthelmintic in powder form is added to the feed and mixed.

It’s also not very reliable in the sense that someone will receive an insufficient dose, and someone will receive an overdose, but it’s better than nothing. Question No. 4.

With a recommended pit area of 4 m², nothing else will fit in it except a couple of cages. Therefore, cages in the pit are not needed. For female rabbits at the lower levels of the hierarchy, queen cells can be placed, since the dominant individual can drive them out of the hole.

Question No. 5. How to feed pregnant rabbits in a pit?

Just like everyone else. In a pit it is impossible to establish individual diets for single female rabbits, males and pregnant females.

Pit breeding of rabbits is a highly profitable business. This method of making a profit is suitable for both amateurs and professionals. There are practically no difficulties in keeping rodents. And the rabbits themselves are much more comfortable and relaxed in special pits than in cramped cages.

The main reason for breeding animals using the pit method is This saves effort and money. Breeding animals can take place in a small area. For this, 2-6 square meters is enough. m. Thanks to pit breeding, you can open your own business. Unlike cage-raised rabbits, the animals do not experience muscle atrophy. Therefore, young animals have high reproductive rates.

Breeding using the pit method is best started with young animals. Young individuals adapt well to new conditions. Large breeds adapt the worst. Rabbits of this subspecies have a poor pregnancy.

Site selection basics

For a business to be highly profitable and bring good profits, the chosen location must be correctly selected. The first thing you should pay attention to is the climate of the selected area. Breeding rabbits in regions that are too cold and rainy is not recommended. If frequent floods occur, such a place is not suitable for the pit method. Sandy soils should not be used. They may experience frequent shedding. This can lead to the death of animals. The use of clay soil is prohibited. Clay can get stuck in rabbits' nails.

It is prohibited to breed rabbits in pits if the selected area is spring period is flooded.

Advantages

Pit breeding of rodents is suitable for a small area. Saving space is the main advantage of this method. Raising animals in cages requires a large area.
There can be many more animals in the pit than if they were in close quarters.
This method is economical and does not require large expenses.
Such breeding can be used as a highly profitable business.
While in the pit, pets are protected from frost and heat. Rodents can live in enclosures all year round. They behave wonderfully in any weather and time of year.
females can pass without the intervention of the livestock breeder. Rabbits believe that they are in the wild. Thanks to this, their natural instinct opens.
Female rabbits are excellent at feeding their young. Therefore, the offspring grow up strong and healthy.
Ushastiki can independently search for minerals from the soil.
Thanks to the large space within the dug hole, rodents can run, jump and dig ditches.
Rabbits can protect their offspring and themselves from wild rodents - rats, moles, pests. When threatened, they can attack them. In peacetime, get used to your neighbors, gradually ceasing to be afraid of them.
Keeping animals in pits greatly affects their numbers. With this method, the population is several times larger than reproduction at home.
Animals find healthy vitamins and minerals in the soil. Therefore, costs and feed costs are minimal.

Flaws

Raising rabbits involves purchasing new animals. If the pit method is used to keep constant animals, this may come down to inbreeding.
It will be very difficult to control and intervene in matings.
Since rodents are kept in favorable conditions, close to natural ones, they practically do not communicate with humans. Therefore, after a certain period, they begin to fear people and become too wild.
The skins of males cannot be used for dressing and sewing fur products. Keeping rodents in pits leads to aggression and protection of their offspring. Males prove their aggressiveness by daily fights.
When a disease occurs in one individual, there is a possibility that the disease will spread to other animals.
It is not possible to differentiate the diet between pregnant females, young and old individuals. Breeding using this method involves eating the same diet.
Rabbits that previously lived at home may respond negatively to the change in environment. They will dream that they were placed in the most deplorable living conditions. This can lead to illness or death. Therefore, such rabbits must be accustomed to the enclosure gradually.

How to make a hole

Keeping rabbits can take place in a small area. In 4th quarter m. bred up to 200 individuals. You cannot dig holes less than one meter deep. From such a height, animals can easily jump to freedom.
Wooden posts may be driven into the hole. To make them stand stronger, the base is reinforced with cement or concrete. Such a frame can serve as the walls and roof of a building. It is most profitable to make a retractable roof.
It is best to use the stairs as an entrance. The walls of the pit are lined with slate, boards, and cement. This will prevent the soil from crumbling. Brickwork is also recommended.
The structure must be strong. Because of natural instinct, animals sense danger. If you minimize the possibility of collapse, rabbits will feel at ease and will not dig holes in all possible directions.
It is recommended not to cover one of the walls. It is in this direction that rabbits will dig holes. Thanks to this method, keeping animals will be simple and convenient.
You can dig holes yourself or leave it to the animals themselves. Use a shovel or pitchfork to mark the future entrance of the hole. It should be 10-15 cm above the floor. The width of the hole should be at least half a meter. It is important that 2-3 ears fit in it.
The hole must have a downward slope. Optimal slope should be within 20-30°. A rounded log with a diameter of 18-20 cm should be left in the hole. The free space should be compacted with dense soil and cement. Before the solution hardens, the log is carefully removed. The result should be a conical hole with a slight expansion.
Rabbits can move into a ready-made home or begin to expand it on their own. The more holes are made, the higher the offspring.

To have a rough idea of what a rabbit pit looks like, watch the video.

Home improvement

It is very difficult to understand whether the eared animals have enough vitamins, food and water. Therefore, feeders and drinkers must be installed near one of the walls of the pit. This way it will be clear whether the food has been eaten and whether it is worth adding new food. Thanks to this arrangement, small rabbits can also feed on water and food. There should always be in drinking bowls pure water. It is best to use spring or mineral water. Due to sediment contamination, the use of rainwater is not recommended.
Before placing rabbits in a hole, it is necessary to ensure drainage. Dried straw, grass and fine mesh work well. The litter must be replaced with a new one in a timely manner. If there is a large accumulation of manure, there will be an unpleasant odor. Under unfavorable living conditions, rabbits will stop reproducing. This fact will have a bad impact on business. Therefore, it is recommended to use dry grass or sand as bedding.
To maintain heat, you can use special bedding, dry grass, straw, and mulch. To prevent heat from escaping into winter period– a canopy is required. It is better to use a canopy that allows sunlight and warm rays to pass through. In complete darkness, rabbits may begin to go blind. Therefore, the home can be equipped with additional incandescent lamps. But in hot weather, animals need shading.
As protection from other animals, you can use current traps, ultrasound, and poisoned food. It is important that bait intended for wild animals does not reach the rabbits themselves.
Also, rabbits living in a pit need ventilation. To do this, a pipe is installed on the roof. One end is attached to the ceiling, the other goes outside. Without ventilation, animals can suffocate.

Settling rabbits

Young rabbits should take root first in the pit. The young animals have a lot of strength, they are active and healthy. Therefore, digging holes will not seem difficult to young individuals.
After the young animals have settled into their home, adult animals are moved in with them. If you put the less nimble individuals into the pit first, and then the young ones, then the adult rabbits will be a hindrance. This can lead to excessive aggression and fights.
Experienced females who previously lived in cages have lost their natural skills. They drive young animals out of dug holes, taking their place. Therefore, it is best to launch young animals that have experience in arranging homes. Such rabbits will easily train and adapt their fellow tribesmen. In this case, breeding animals will require less effort.
From time to time, rabbits will have conflicts over the division of dug holes. This phenomenon is considered normal and does not require special attention.

Digging holes

Ushastiki can dig ditches in one direction and climb out. In most cases, females do the digging. At the genetic level, they have a natural instinct for home improvement. Burrows can be up to 18-20 m in length. They can be horizontal, going down or up. To avoid unwanted animal escapes, several methods can be used:

Carefully monitor the height of the holes dug. In a timely manner, the slope of the holes must be redirected downwards.
To prevent the rabbits from getting out - the fence can be concreted. When digging deep holes, rabbits will run into a solid wall and will not be able to get out into the wild.
Breeding rodents in pits involves fencing. You can surround the pen with a solid fence. When the rabbit gets out of the pen, it will find itself in a fenced area. It can be easily seen and returned back to the home. But do not forget that animals can also end up behind the fence. Therefore, timely inspections of burrows are still necessary.
Minks can be limited with special valves.

Sometimes animals refuse to dig holes. This phenomenon can ruin a business. Therefore, it is necessary to encourage the rabbits to do this work themselves. It is also not recommended to breed animals older than one year. Adults may lack such skills. In most cases, they are already lost at the genetic level.

How to catch

If rabbits live in pits for a long time, it may going wild. Catching wild rabbits very difficult. They are not given to you. At the first danger, they can hide in narrow holes. Therefore, it is necessary to use special traps that are installed at the entrance to the hole. Can be used valves and close them before fishing. If the eared ones are not given to the hands, they are caught net.

You shouldn’t get hung up on the fights of the big-eared animals. If one of the rabbits is too pugnacious, it is sold first.

Tribe and selection

It is strictly forbidden to leave the breeding of eared beetles in pits without supervision. Young animals should not be allowed to interfere with each other. This can lead to various diseases, mutation, extinction and inbreeding. Therefore, the mother and father of the offspring must be sold first, as soon as the babies reach puberty. After some time, individuals may become smaller and wilder. To minimize uncontrolled inbreeding, livestock breeders are recommended to change males as often as possible. It is also necessary to cull females with defects in appearance. The use of females with low productivity is not recommended.

Reproduction in the pit

Living in pits, rabbits think they are in the wild. Therefore, there are no problems with reproduction. Entrenchments occur frequently and easily. No human intervention required. In most cases, the offspring grows up strong and healthy. But if a female who is preparing for childbirth has lost a lot of weight and begins to drag grass and pick out fluff, then in this case there is a possibility eating their young. Therefore, immediately after the trench, the babies must be taken away from their mother. It is best for another rabbit to accept them and come out.

Pit with access to the enclosure

To keep rabbits healthy - they outdoor walks required. To do this, you can make a hole that will go out onto a fenced area. There should be a lawn growing on the territory. A special door with a latch is made at the hole. At night, the door is closed so that the rabbits can sleep in their holes.

Diseases

With a lack of light, rabbits may begin to go blind.. To avoid disease, the roof of the building must allow Sun rays. In winter, the building is illuminated with incandescent lamps.
Infectious diseases can occur due to poor nutrition. Therefore, raising animals requires some effort. Rabbits should always have clean drinking water and good food.
Due to frequent fights, scratches, bruises and abrasions may appear on the skin..
Infectious diseases may be caused by bites from wild animals. Therefore, houses are surrounded with slate, and wild animals are driven away whenever possible.