Reading about the breeds of different animals, often by name you can guess where they came from. But in the case of the New Zealand red rabbits - it is not. New Zealand rabbits, which will be discussed later, come from California, USA. You will learn more about the New Zealand rabbit and the description of the breed by reading this article.
Description and standard
New Zealand breed can be considered the most popular breed in the world. And it's not just the meat that you get. Thanks to a beautiful fur coat, they can often be found at various exhibitions and competitions.
Exterior features and photos
Seeing this animal, a luxurious brown or bronze fur coat immediately catches the eye. The small head and short neck smoothly turn into a muscular oval body.
The ears are erect, their length should not exceed 12 cm. Further - in more detail about the New Zealand red rabbits and the characteristics of this breed.
Breed characteristics
The following characteristics can be distinguished for this breed of animals:
- Muzzle: short and wide, nose with a small crook;
- Body: muscular, with broad shoulders, the front part is well developed, the tail fits tightly to the body;
- Limbs: massive, straight;
- Eyes: brown;
- Wool: short (hair length up to 3.5 cm), thick and silky, golden brown or golden red in color, while the lower part of the body has a lighter color;
- Weight: between 4700-5300 g is considered the norm, but some fluctuations are permissible. Females are approximately 5% larger than males;
- Torso length: 45-50 cm.
Breed history
This breed has eared animals for 100 years. In 1916, Californian breeders bred a curious breed of red rabbits. This result was obtained after crossing two breeds: Champagne and Flandre.
This breed quickly gained recognition among farmers. Breeders decided to continue crossing and bring pets with white wool. And they succeeded, after several generations, when they crossed with albinos, beautiful animals with a snow-white fur coat were born.
Did you know? The most rare and the youngest breed of New Zealand rabbits is the New Zealand black. She was bred by Dutch breeders in 1981.
What to look for when buying
If, having read the description of the breed, you have decided that you want to be engaged in breeding New Zealanders, then there remains a small matter: to acquire them. To choose the right individual, follow the recommendations of experienced farmers:
- the optimal age for acquisition is 2-3 months;
- Take the rabbit in your arms - it should be well-fed and active;
- from the nose and eyes should not be discharge;
- the pelt is shiny, soft and without bald spots;
- be sure to check your genitals - the skin should be no rash.
Maintenance and care
The New Zealand red rabbit breed does not require any special care requirements - this is another plus for breeding these animals. In the summer, it is advisable to take the cells to fresh air.
Do not think that a dense layer of hay and grass should be laid on the bottom of the cage so that the animal does not hurt the paws. Dense fur on the paws of these animals allows them to move comfortably along the bars of the cage.
Learn how to make hay for rabbits.You can even use the cages without a bottom - in this case, rabbits will enjoy fresh grass with pleasure. This delicacy is especially to your liking will be little rabbits.
The main thing is to move the cage in time from place to place, thereby ensuring the animals always a large amount of fresh grass. In winter, animals are kept in cages.With a large number of them, experienced farmers advise using multi-tiered cells - they take up little space. The temperature in the room should not exceed +23 ° C.
The room that contains the rabbits should be well ventilated, but without drafts. For convenience, it is customary to use nipple drinkers and bunker feeders in cages.
Wool New Zealanders in need of regular care, but the difficulties you will not have. It is important to comb a fur coat with a comb and in time unravel the mats if they appear. On sale there are special conditioners and shampoos for rabbit wool, which provide additional care.
Important! When caring for the New Zealand rabbit, be aware that their nervous system is sensitive to loud sounds and bright light. All this causes them to be depressed and may even cause illness.
What to feed rabbits
The condition of wool and skin depends on what you feed the animals. The diet should be varied - daily rabbits are fed with green fodder, hay, root crops, mixed fodder, and they are also allowed to gnaw fresh twigs.
Feed eared animals should be only high-quality feed. The drinking bowl in the cage should be constantly - most importantly, do not forget to regularly change the water and monitor its presence. Deciding to give grass - make sure that poisonous herbs do not fall into the trough.
Did you know? If you want to pamper your pet with green fodder, put the following herbs in the feeder - alfalfa, dandelion or clover. Rabbits love them very much. From vegetables, the animal is not averse to crunch apples, potatoes and carrots.
Features of reproduction and breeding
The main feature that must be considered if you decide to engage in the breeding of these animals is the imminent onset of the ability to breed. Females are ready to reproduce offspring as early as 5 months, males - at 6.
The process of mating these animals is no different from other breeds. For mating choose rabbits szk, whose description meets the standards of the breed. 
Experienced breeders are not advised to allow individuals with such traits to mate:
- ears hang or their length exceeds 13 cm;
- weight exceeds 5.5 kg;
- dewlap stands out.
Before mating, rabbits must be healthy, not lethargic. If the health condition of one of the rabbits causes concern, it is better to transfer the mating to another day.
The weight of a newborn New Zealand red rabbit is 45 g, however, do not be alarmed - the kids gain weight at a very fast pace and after a couple of months the bunnies fully comply with the characteristics of the breed. TIt is also worth remembering that it is undesirable to mate related individuals.
Important! The rabbit remains fertile even after the birth of pups. In order to exclude re-pregnancy during the feeding of offspring, the male is better not to let her.
Health Monitoring (Vaccinations)
New Zealanders have good immunity and are not prone to diseases. But experienced breeders vaccinate their animals against myxomatosis and hemorrhagic disease.
Mosquitoes are carriers of the first disease, so vaccination for myxomatosis is done at the very beginning of spring. A hemorrhagic disease vaccination is given two weeks later. Repeated vaccinations are carried out at 3 and 9 months.
Rabbits should begin to vaccinate after they reach 28 days. As in the case of others with other animals - before this procedure, it is desirable to conduct a veterinary examination of your pets.
You will certainly be interested to read about the cultivation of such breeds of rabbits as the white giant, Californian, black and brown, Risen, Butterfly, Gray giant, Baran, Rex.In recent years, modern veterinarians recommend combined inoculations. This means that in one vaccine there will be antibodies from several diseases, for example, from myxomatosis and hemorrhagic disease.
This vaccine is the most popular because these diseases are most common in eared pets. Remember that sick individuals, as well as pregnant and lactating bunnies are not allowed to be vaccinated.Unfortunately, even a vaccinated animal can get sick. Sluggish condition, loss of hair, runny nose and lack of appetite are the reason for calling a veterinarian.
For the treatment of various diseases of rabbits use such drugs: "Baytril", "E-selenium", "Lozeval".The expression: “Rabbits are not only valuable fur, but also 3-4 kg of dietary meat” can be applied to New Zealand red rabbits. This breed is not only one of the most meat - due to the unusual coloring and thick fur, these animals are also ideal for the role of a pet.
