Riesen rabbits attract the attention of breeders with their large size. This giant has delicious dietary meat and high-quality fur of various colors. Rabbits are popular for breeding on farmland, become the main source of income and simply delight the eye with decorative features.
White Riesen. Male 1.5 months.
Rizen rabbit breed origin story
The first rabbits appeared in the 16th century in Flanders. They were short-haired animals with dense fur of saturated gray color. Even then the eared were distinguished by large size, massive physique, powerful paws. Animals weighed from 6 kg or more. The first name of Riesen is the Belgian giant.
In the 19th century, rabbits came to Germany, where they began their mass breeding, selection. The Germans focused on weight gain, meatiness of the breed. In 1937, these pets were officially patented as the "German Riesen" or "German Giant." Since then, actively grown not only in Germany, distributed throughout Europe.
Not all breeders recognize the thoroughbredness of the breed, considering the Riesenov only a branching of the Flanders rabbits. Disputes over a given topic do not stop.
Description and characteristics of the breed
Rabbit Riesen is a representative of the meat breed, which is distinguished by large dimensions, massive physique. These pets are awkward and clumsy, so it's best to keep them in spacious cages.
The rabbits have a kind, flexible character. They do not conflict with relatives, get along well with other animals in the farmyard, do not fight for territory. Riesens without fear go into contact with a person, are trained, remember their nickname and simple commands of the breeder.
Appearance
The rabbits are well muscled. The body is proportional to the head, a massive body, a broad back and a powerful chest. In males, the muzzle is round with pouting cheeks, in females - gracefully elongated. In rabbits, brown eyes and erect ears 13-20 cm long resemble pins in appearance.
Most of the rabbit's muscles are located in the lower part of the body, but the front legs are also massive to maintain balance. The length of the body is 65-80 cm, the weight of adults is 10 kg, but there are cases when the rizena grew to 15 kg or more.
Stiff short hair up to 5 cm long. Representatives of the breed are found with different fur colors - from blue to dark gray, red shades are not excluded. There are no standards for coat color; judging thoroughbred on this basis is inappropriate.
Risen agouti colors. Male, age 5 months.
Productive qualities
When breeding Riesen rabbits, the emphasis is on the meatiness of the breed. Animals have a gentle, dietary meat with a pleasant taste, which the breeders are allowed to sell. More often rabbits are bred only because of the delicious meat products.
Valuable animal fur also deserves attention. Unlike small rabbits, Risen skins are large, with an even distribution of fur, and are highly valued in the light industry for sewing clothes, insulation.
Advantages and disadvantages
Before breeding Riesen rabbits, learn the benefits of this breed:
- flexible character;
- high fecundity;
- tasty, dietary meat;
- valuable skin;
- maternal instinct of females.
These pets have their drawbacks, which make breeders think several times about the right choice:
- slow growth;
- clumsiness;
- aesthetics of the breed;
- high feed costs;
- risk of obesity;
- the need for large cells, aviaries;
- whimsical conditions;
- the risk of morbidity (weak immunity).
Choosing a Good One
To choose healthy and purebred animals, look at breed standards. Otherwise, the value of pets and their products (meat, fur) is significantly reduced. Breeding rabbits are not cheap, and this point is also important to consider when buying.
Risen Blue. In the Netherlands they call the Flemish giant.
Fundamental rules
Get Risen in the breeding farm, where the breeder has certificates, and there is no doubt about the thoroughbredness of the breed. Buying a rabbit on the market promises disappointment, because the animal may not be a purebred, but a half-breed.
Other recommendations when choosing Risenov:
- Buy rabbits 3-4 months old.
- Choose animals of spring birding.
- Do not purchase adult rabbits for breeding.
- Choose healthy individuals: well-fed, with a straight back and even coat.
- Make sure that the animals have the correct bite, healthy teeth.
- Inspect the ears: they are erect, without mucus and flaking inside.
When choosing, do not lift the animal by its hind legs or ears. In the first case, tendon rupture may occur, in the second - severe fright up to cardiac arrest.
Signs of Purebredness
Breeding rabbits are much more expensive. In order not to buy a Risen with a marriage or a half-breed, pay attention to such breed standards:
- clean paws;
- sinewy muzzle;
- smooth hair without bald patches;
- erect ears 13-20 cm long;
- adult weight from 8 kg;
- clean auricles;
- correct bite;
- lack of caries on the teeth;
- good appetite.
If you deviate by 1-3 signs, it is better to refrain from an expensive purchase. Perhaps the rabbit is purebred, only healthy offspring are unlikely to reproduce.
Ginger Riesen. Male. In the photo he is a little more than 3 months old.
Signs of rejection
Among professional breeders, there are certain parameters by which pets are rejected. Among those:
- short, lowered ears;
- narrow pelvis in females;
- weight less than 8 kg;
- bald patches on the wool;
- weak, deformed paws;
- flattened muzzle;
- malocclusion;
- carious teeth.
Maintenance and care
Animals need quality care. This is not only the choice of a large and spacious cage, but also keeping the rabbits clean, proper feeding, preventive vaccination, timely reaction to the first symptoms of the disease. Otherwise, rabbits die in whole nests.
Content Principles
Riesen rabbits are difficult to adapt to the climate of Russia, do not tolerate severe frosts. The main task of domestic breeders is to create the necessary conditions for raising and breeding pets.
Do not forget that in a damp and dirty room, the Risenov’s immunity weakens, rabbits will soon die. Another danger for pets of all ages is the destructive effect of drafts, scorching sunlight.
Features of the arrangement of cells
The rabbits are large, they need spacious cages. It is important that the Riesens do not push each other, do not become aggressive. The optimal dimensions of the cells are 100 × 110 × 75 cm, for the rabbit after the okroli - 170 × 110 × 50 cm.
Other recommendations for housing rabbits:
- Maintain the temperature regime in the stable: at least 5 degrees in the winter and no more than 40 degrees in the summer.
- Observe the permissible humidity limit - 60-75%, otherwise the animals get sick.
- Place a layer of straw or a rug of hay at the bottom of the cage so that the ears do not damage the paws on the metal grate.
- Arrange the windows on the south side, provide a diffused stream of light.
- For lighting, additionally use lamps.
- In each cage place a capacious feeding trough and a drinking bowl. Clean dishes as they become dirty.
- Take care of high-quality ventilation, regularly ventilate the room.
Care and hygiene
So that the animals do not get sick, remain active and prolific, it is important to properly care for them. Dry and clean cells are the key to the health of Riesen rabbits. The list of valuable recommendations does not end there:
- Make sure that there are no gaps in the crib where rodents and other pests can enter.
- According to the plan, 2 times a year thoroughly disinfect the crib.
- Daily clean the cells and update the feed, add clean water to the drinkers.
- Regularly change the litter in the cells, thereby avoiding dampness.
- Avoid direct sunlight, otherwise the rabbit dies in the heat.
- Equip the aviary, make sure that there is no poisonous grass, foreign objects.
- Keep the enclosure clean and tidy.
- Regularly inspect the fur and ears of animals for bald patches, parasites.
- Use a hard-bristled brush to comb out.
How to feed Risen rabbits?
Animals need a clean drinker with an updated portion of water. Feed rabbits 3 times a day, at regular intervals, avoid obesity in adults. The basis of the daily diet of Risenov:
- green feed;
- roots;
- tree branches;
- vegetables;
- compound feed;
- vitamin and mineral supplements;
- river sand, meat and bone meal.
The rabbit receives vitamins and nutrients from fresh meadow grass. Let this ingredient dry, otherwise the digestion is disturbed in the animal. appetite worsens.
For the winter, stock up on hay and compound feeds, remember the benefits of brooms from branches, wet mash. Risen love fresh fruits, in addition to vitamins, they get water from them. In the summer, no feeding is complete without fresh fruit.
The dangers of obesity
A rabbit needs a fortified and balanced diet. The animal can not be overfed, otherwise it negatively affects its fertility, health. Obesity develops, in which:
- Males are not able to fertilize the female; they become less active. The Rizen fertility rate is decreasing.
- Rabbits with excess weight give birth to fewer cubs, and pathologies during labor are difficult to avoid.
Diet
Riesen's menu depends on age, gender, breeding goals. Approximate rabbit feeding schedule:
- breakfast: half a daily portion of concentrates;
- lunch: hay or dried grass, depending on the season;
- dinner: the remaining concentrates in combination with root crops.
Pay special attention to wet mixers. Add in them vitamin and mineral supplements, meat and bone meal, river sand. Such a food ingredient is especially important during vitamin deficiency (in autumn and winter), and is useful for pregnant rabbits.
The rabbit needs a varied diet, and 2 types of feed are offered to the attention of the breeder:
- dry: compound feed, vitamin and mineral supplements;
- combined: liquid and thick mixtures of roughage and green feed, food waste.
Feeding in different seasons
Features of the daily menu of the Risen rabbit also depend on the season and climatic conditions. The taste preferences of the pet are also important. The daily diet is:
- Summer It includes fresh grass, root crops, vegetables, mixed feeds and mineral fertilizing.
- Winter. It includes compound feeds, crops, tree branches, silage, wet mixers, mineral fertilizing.
Breeding
Rabbits become sexually mature by 3-4 months, but mate in only 8 months. From different sockets, the best manufacturers are selected. When choosing a male, the following evaluation criteria are taken into account:
- increased activity;
- good appetite;
- physical endurance;
- lack of signs of the disease;
- weight within normal limits (by age).
Up to 5 females per 1 male. For mating, you need a separate cage, in which rabbits remain for 20 minutes. Pre-clean the feeder, drinkers, foreign objects that only distract animals, violate the fertilization process.
There are 2 ways to check whether a female is pregnant or not. For example, carefully probe her stomach so as not to provoke a miscarriage. During pregnancy, the belly is dense, elastic, the rabbit is nervous with such touches. The second option: after a couple of weeks, re-transplant the male to the female and observe her reaction. The pregnant rabbit will definitely not let him in.
The rabbits in the position should eat intensely. In addition to compound feeds and green grass with wet mixes, the daily ration requires chalk, meat and bone meal, feed phosphates, tricalcium phosphates.
Watch a video in which an experienced Riesen rabbit breeder will tell you when and how to mate this breed:
Arrangement of a mother queen for a rabbit
A separate dwelling is provided for a pregnant female. It should be a spacious cage with clean litter, fresh food and water. If the drinker is empty, after the bunny the rabbit becomes aggressive. There are cases when she ate her cubs.
Mandatory presence of a removable mother liquor. This is a rectangular wooden box with a round hole for the manhole. To properly equip it, first of all, protect the mother liquor from direct sunlight. The correct distribution of light contributes to activity, the gradual maturation of rabbits.
The mother child should not become a continuation of the cage, otherwise the rabbit will begin to defecate, eat, sleep in it. Buy such a device in a special store or make it yourself. In fact, the mother liquor is an appendage of the cell, which, as it were, has a separate entrance.
Shortly before giving birth, a rabbit arranges a nest. She collects in a pile everything that falls under her paws, she can even pull her own fur from her chest. This process, which arouses the maternal instinct, cannot be disturbed. The breeder needs to understand that okrol will happen soon.
Climatic conditions and temperature conditions for breeding
For breeding rabbits, it is important to exclude drafts and direct sunlight. In heat, animals are not comfortable, they may even die. Drafts negatively affect immunity, all offspring can suffer.
When keeping Risenov, cool the pens in hot weather and heat in the winter. A shadow tent, under which a rabbit on a pasture will hide from strong heat, will not be out of place. In summer, check that the cups are always full.
Okrol
Pregnancy of rabbits lasts 30-40 days. When the birth approaches, the rabbit's behavior changes. She becomes aggressive and fussy, or, conversely, too calm, sleeps a lot. Increased appetite and thirst, the desire to equip the nest become fanatical. These are characteristic signs of an approaching birth.
The female gives birth at night or in the early morning. In a roundabout - up to 8-12 rabbits, for which the mother-heroine carefully looks after. The presence of always clean water in the drinker significantly reduces the risk of cannibalism. The next offspring of the rabbit may appear after 8-10 months.
Care and Feeding
Immediately after birth, babies are breast-fed. In rabbits, maternal instinct is well developed, and lactation is established. The first week young animals feed only on mother’s milk, after which chopped potatoes with steamed bran are added to its diet. After a month, the animals eat like adults.
Initially, rabbits need 4 meals a day, but as they grow older they are switched to 3 times (as adults). Necessarily the presence of clean water in the drinking bowls and enhanced feeding of the rabbit after okroli.
Sometimes it happens that a rabbit doesn’t have milk or refuses rabbits - then you have to feed the babies yourself, and our article “How and how to feed newborns rabbits without a rabbit” will help you.
Lactation ceases after 2 months. By this time, young animals should be transferred to a full-fledged diet of adults, otherwise weight gain will slow down. To quickly train animals for new food, include wet mixers in your daily diet.
Diseases
Keep your stock healthy. With the disease of one rabbit, the entire nest can die.Dangerous diagnoses:
- Myxomatosis. The digestive tract is affected, resulting in a rash on the body, large ulcers.
- Coccidiosis. This is a parasitic disease that, when corroded by the mucosa of the digestive tract, can lead to the death of the rabbit.
- Pasteurellosis. Infectious disease, especially dangerous for rabbits. All offspring may die.
- Infectious stomatitis. It affects the oral mucosa. The animal first refuses food, then dies of exhaustion.
- Rhinitis. This is a consequence of drafts and temperature violations when keeping Riesen rabbits.
Myxomatosis in rabbits
Coccidiosis in rabbits
Pasteurellosis in a rabbit
Rabbit with infectious stomatitis
The nose of a rabbit with rhinitis
Vaccination
Riesen rabbits, like other breeds, are prone to disease. To avoid the death of the entire population, take timely preventive vaccination. The following vaccination schedule is provided:
- The first vaccination against HBVC is carried out in 1.5 months, while the veterinarian must make sure that the animal is healthy.
- The second vaccination - from myxomatosis, is performed to the rabbit 2 weeks after the previous one.
- Revaccination from HBV is carried out after another 2-3 weeks, depending on the condition of the animal.
- After the same time interval from the previous, revaccination from myxomatosis is done.
Reviews
Margarita, 45 years old, farmer, Minsk. I have Risen live for several years. From the positive aspects: a large carcass of meat and valuable fur. That's all. There are more disadvantages, starting with a certain compound feed, which is expensive and ending with the eternal soreness of these animals. I keep them out of habit, although the plans include a more prolific and less troublesome breed of rabbit to care for.
Maxim, 48 years old, farmer, Elektrostal. For breeding in our climatic conditions, these rabbits are unsuitable. The slightest draft, they get sick and die. Yes, large and weighty, but the cost of their maintenance is not worth it. Animals are very picky about food. They’ll almost eat it, they’ll poison it right away. We have to constantly change the feeder and add fresh water. This is very troublesome.
Ilona, 52 years old, agriculture, Sochi. Rabbits need warmth and space. When I started the nest, I put it in a cage, so they were so aggressive. For a long time I did not understand what was happening. Then she read and found out that animals needed space. Husband had to arrange new cells for them. But the problem was immediately resolved, the animals ceased to be nervous, they multiplied well.
Svetlana, 47 years old, the city of Trekhgorny, Chelyabinsk region. We liked these rabbits. They are really giants! We bought on the site https://eurokrol.ru two-month-old rabbits, their weight was up to 3 kg. By the year reached 10 kilograms!
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Riesen rabbits are attracted by their size and well-groomed fur. Before breeding such an animal, provide it with spacious cages, a clean and dry aviary. Next, take care of good nutrition and preventive vaccinations for age. With a competent approach to the issue, breeding Risenov is a troublesome, but profitable occupation.