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Breeding Rabbits Definitions A female rabbit is called a doe. A male rabbit is called a buck. When referring to the parents of a rabbit, the mother is called the dam, and the father is called the sire. When you mate two rabbits together, this is called breeding. When you check to see if the doe is pregnant or when you breed her again before she is due to give birth, this is called testing. When you put a box in the hutch that is lined with hay, this is called nesting. When the doe gives birth, this is called kindling. The period of time between breeding and kindling is called the gestation period. She gives birth to a bunch of bunnies called kits. This bunch of bunnies is called a litter. When you take the young rabbits away from the mother, this is called weaning. Breeding Plan - Discuss This With Your Parents! Before we begin to discuss breeding rabbits, it is important to understand that there are several reasons NOT to breed your rabbits. Some of these are very good reasons. If you are a beginning rabbit owner, or have rabbits as pets only, there are a lot more justifications for NOT breeding your rabbit than to go ahead with it! One major consideration when deciding to breed any animals is the overpopulation of pets in general. Some others include the extra expense, health considerations of your animals, and having to find homes for young rabbits you cannot keep. However, if you are an experienced rabbit raiser (or you are a beginner with help), have sound knowledge of rabbit care and health, and want to produce rabbits for showing, meat, or fiber, then it could be an excellent decision to start a breeding program, or at least try it out! Determine the best time to start your breeding program! Be sure your rabbits are healthy. Choose the rabbits you wish to breed. Another wise thing to do when just starting out is to contact a breeder that raises your chosen breed, and offer to purchase a pregnant doe from him or her. Ask to have her bred to one of the breeder's best bucks, although with an increase in quality comes an increase in price. It can be a great investment though, and get you started with young rabbits you know were bred well. When To Breed There is a reason for the expression, "breeds like a rabbit!" Rabbits are notoriously fertile from a young age, and easy to breed. Their young grow quickly, and the mothers and young do not require a lot of human intervention, for the most part. However, in order to ensure the health of your animals, it is prudent to wait until they reach full body and reproductive maturity before breeding. There are four main weight classes of rabbits: small, medium, large, and giant breeds. The age at which the rabbit is ready to reproduce depends highly on the maximum weight they are expected to achieve as an adult. Smaller breeds tend to sexually mature faster than the larger breeds. The general rule for the proper age to begin breeding at is as follows: Small breeds (under 6 pounds max) – 4 ½ months Medium to Large Breeds (6-11 pounds max) – 6 months Giant Breeds (Over 11 pounds max) – 9 months Also in general, bucks tend to be about a month behind does in maturing. So, if you want to mate a purebred Polish buck and doe, she might be ready at 4 ½ months of age to reproduce, but it would be advisable to wait until he is closer to 6 months of age. Waiting is worth it – your animals will be much more productive, or perhaps "reproductive," if you are patient and wait until they're really ready! Health Check And Signs That A Doe Is Ready For Breeding It is important to check each rabbit before breeding to be sure that the rabbit is healthy and in good physical condition. The weight should be appropriate for the sex and breed of your rabbit. Never breed your rabbit if it shows signs of a sickness or illness. If a doe is ready to breed, they will begin to rub their chin on their food dish to mark their territory. Before breeding, check the bottom of the cage of both the doe and buck for evidence of diarrhea or loose stools. Do not breed the rabbit having this condition until it has been adequately treated. Also check the genitals of both rabbits for any signs of disease or infection (for example, extreme redness, discharge, sores or scabbiness). A good reference is the ARBA Official Guidebook section on diseases. Selecting Breed Pairs You should know as much as possible about the rabbit you are choosing to breed. It is more likely to pass on good traits with two healthy and qualified rabbits. Check the pedigree background for the rabbit's strong points; such as strong shoulder, good body, and excellent type. It's usually a good idea to select rabbits to breed whose ancestry has evidence of good productivity and good genetics. That is where productivity records and pedigrees listing show winnings come in handy. Keep productivity and show records of your herd just for this purpose. Only mate rabbits of the same breed. Exceptions to this include breeding for meat, pets or genetic experimentation. You cannot sell a pedigree rabbit that has mixed blood in its background going back 4 generations. It is advisable to breed only purebred, pedigreed rabbits. The main reason for this is because pedigreed rabbits have documented bloodlines, characteristics, and a general history you can look back on that will help you better predict the outcome of the breeding you have planned. When breeding two rabbits of unknown heritage, there is a much bigger potential for birthing problems and genetic defects. It is also easier to find homes and interested buyers for well-bred stock. Be advised though, that even having two purebred, pedigreed rabbits does not ensure a good cross – the goal should always be for the animals to out-produce themselves. The hope is that the offspring will be of better quality and meet the ideal of the breed standard more closely than their parents. Therefore, you must carefully evaluate your pairing to make sure the rabbits complement one another in confirmation (body type) and if it matters to the breed, color and markings as well. Choose the rabbits based on their strengths and weaknesses. A buck with strong shoulders would be matched with a doe with weak shoulders but good size. Try to offset any weaknesses with strengths. Try not to put two weak features together since that will only fix the weak feature in the blood line. Who Can Be Bred To Whom? Never breed brothers to sisters. Other combinations are fine: father-to-daughter, mother-to-son, cousins, etc. Until you gain some knowledge as to how genetics works with inbreeding, I would recommend your not breeding closely related pairs. As mentioned before, mate the same breeds together unless you are trying to get meat rabbits with certain characteristics or you are doing genetic experiments or you don't care about the fate of the offspring. You cannot sell the offspring as pedigree if their ancestry is not of the same breed going back four generations. You may mate rabbits of the same breed having different colors. Keep in mind, though, that there are many combinations of possibilities when mixing colors. Some of the offspring may have colors that are not recognized by ARBA. It is usually best to mate rabbits having the same color to start off with until you know more about how the colors interact. You can also, join the national specialty group for the breed you are interested in raising. They usually have literature on how to develop the best color, size, and shape of your rabbit. Avoid breeding rabbits that have genetic defects such as tooth malocclusion (wolf teeth) or moon eye (cloudy cornea), or produces offspring whose skull does not come together (except in dwarfs, where approximately 25% are born too small with deformed head or legs - the offspring are called peanuts). Determine whether the sire or dam is responsible for passing the genetic defect and eliminate it for breeding purposes. Strive to meet the perfect standard for the breed you are mating. You can order the ARBA Standard of Perfection Booklet to know exactly what is expected of the breed. Gauging Interest Rabbits have a reputation for being ready to breed all the time. This is not necessarily the case! Bucks are typically a bit more consistently ready. You can tell that your buck is interested in mating when he starts vigorously sniffing around a table you've just placed a doe on moments ago, or if through cages, the buck begins acting more excited and slightly aggressive when he smells a neighboring doe. He may also begin acting amorous toward other objects when he is out and about! Does, however, are not quite as obvious about expressing their desires. A doe rabbit is atypical from most mammals, as she is polyestrous, meaning she has no regular heat cycles. The eggs of a female rabbit are not shed at regular intervals – instead, ovulation is stimulated by mating. This offers the breeder a lot of flexibility in terms of what time of year and how frequently they will breed members of their herd. Some signs that a doe may be more willing to breed are restlessness, and "chinning," which is the act of her rubbing her chin on the cage or piece of equipment inside the cage. Mating Process Because does are not as willing to breed and they are very territorial, you always bring the doe to the male's cage. If the doe does not show interest in mating after ten minutes, you should take her out of the cage and try again in a couple days. When ready to breed the doe, take it to the buck's cage. Never bring the buck to the doe's cage. The reason for this is that the buck has less tendency to breed in the doe's cage. He's too busy sniffing around the cage. Most often, rabbit mating is a quick and painless process, requiring little to no assistance on the part of their human handlers. When you are ready to have the doe bred, the most important thing to remember is to bring the doe to the buck's cage – NOT the other way around. Sexually mature does are incredibly territorial, and can do severe damage to a buck that suddenly enters her territory. It only helps to have good equipment. A wire cage, that open from the front and are all wire allow for easy access and easy monitoring. Most often, once the doe is placed in the cage housing the buck, he will circle her briefly, and then mount her. If she is receptive, she will lift her tail for him. Keep a close eye on both rabbits, to ensure that the doe remains on good behavior. Be ready to remove her immediately if she starts growling or even attacking the buck. Try to breed at least two does on the same day, hopefully from different breeds or colors. This way you can move babies from litters around if we need to foster any kits. Having different breeds or different colors in the nest box makes it easier to see who came from which litter. If the doe runs around in a circle, this is not so bad. I'll let her run a few laps then I'll put my hand in the cage and stop her for the buck to breed her. Most of the time the doe will accept the buck. If the doe sits down or tries to climb the sides of the cage, I'll wait for 5 minutes . If she won't stand still and accept the buck, I'll take the doe out and try her again in a few hours or the next day. And the next day if necessary. If she doesn't accept the buck, I will wait for the next week to try her again. A really good sign is when the buck gives a grunt when he's done doing his thing, and falls off of the doe onto his side. Once this has occurred, it is wise to get the doe out of there. Although some bucks are more aggressive than others, they will rarely hurt the doe. If you do not see the ritual just described take place within a minute or so of placing them together, and it looks like they are getting along, you can leave the doe in there for a few minutes to see what will happen. If you're not sure if the mating was successful, it is a good idea to try again anywhere from 6 to 10 hours later, and simply repeat what you did the first time. If you are unsure about whether or not a successful breeding took place, you can carefully introduce the doe to the buck again in about 7-10 days. If she is uninterested in him, or acts grouchy, she is probably pregnant. The buck will breed with the doe, usually immediately. After a few sniffs which apprise him of the situation, the buck promptly circles around to the hind end of the doe, mounts the doe, accomplishes the rabbit mating, and then falls off the doe with a grunt. Signs of success: the grunt and fall-off. The buck might also get all macho, and thump the cage floor a couple times. A second rabbit mating before removing the doe seems to increase the success rate and litter size. Just leave the doe in the cage. The buck will catch his breath, lose interest in thumping the floor, and regain interest in the doe. He'll remount her, she'll lift her hind end, and a second mating will occur. Some breeders like to see a third breeding. And frequently a third breeding might take place during the half-hour we leave the buck and doe together. But we are usually satisfied with two matings. Remove the doe to her cage. Toss hay into her cage, and a little bit of black oil sunflower seeds (BOSS) or whole oats into the feeder as a reward. There's another reason too: to keep her mind off the condition of her bladder. She'll go straight to the feeder or to the hay, instead of heading to the back of her cage where her toilet area is. It's just one more trick to give the doe the best chance at a big litter. Some leave the doe with the buck overnight. Others put the doe in, watch it, and when they have mated, remove the doe. If you do the latter, put the doe back in with the buck 1 to 12 hours after the initial breeding. This will increase the likelihood of pregnancy and may increase the number of offspring. Although in most temperate climates, most rabbits will willingly mate year-round, cold weather does tend to put a damper on their libido. Some rabbits aren't affected, but females especially seem to be less receptive to the males during the winter months. Providing a heat lamp on the doe a day or two before mating, extending the daylight hours in your rabbitry with artificial light, or keeping her cage located next to a window with lots of light can help with this. Keep in mind also, that the better overall condition your animals are in, the better breeders they will be. Try to avoid mating bucks and does that are molting their coats, or are experiencing weak or thin flesh condition. Rabbit Mating: What do you do when the doe doesn't cooperate with the buck? In my area, late autumn is when does want to just hunker into the corner of the buck's cage, and no amount of sweet-talking or complaining on the buck's part can coax cooperation out of the doe. Here are a few tricks that might help convince the doe: Retry the rabbit mating in a day or two. The doe may be ready then. Check the weather forecast. If the doe spurned an attempt at rabbit mating, you could plan to re-try the breeding when the barometer is rising or the temperature is warming. This works some of the time. You could try swapping cages. Put the buck in the doe's cage, and the doe in the buck's cage for an overnight stay. In the morning, or when you return to the animals, put the doe back into her own cage where the buck is waiting. She may be willing this time, since she is now familiar with the buck's scent. If the doe's tail begins to twitch, or if the doe begins circling to mount the buck, the doe is 'in the mood,' even if she circles the buck's cage at first. After Mating The doe may become very cranky over the next few days. This is okay! Do give her space. Leave her in her cage. Leave her alone, if this is what she wants. Always be sure to put the doe back to her cage where she is going to kindle. After 14 days into the pregnancy, you can use a stethoscope to listen for the heartbeats. If your doe is pregnant, you can expect the babies to be born in 28 to 32 days. Palpating can be done 10 days after mating in her cage to make it less stressful. At 3 weeks or more you may see an increase in the size of your doe's belly. You may keep a ratio of one buck to 10 does if you wish. The buck may be bred up to 7 times a week effectively. Sometimes, you can use the buck twice in one day. The most I use a buck is twice a week. Palpating It can be frustrating to find that you waited nearly an entire month, and your female rabbit was never pregnant! You can avoid some of this wait time by palpating your doe 10-14 days after mating to see if you can feel any babies. Learning to palpate takes a little practice. Older does are easier to practice on than first litter does, as their muscles are a bit more relaxed, and they are generally more patient. Take the doe out of her cage and place her on a carpeted table. With one hand, grasp the doe over the shoulders and take the other hand with the thumb and fingers opposing each other push up into the abdomen just in front of the pelvis. This can feel awkward at first, and most people don't want to push hard enough to actually feel anything. Enough pressure can be used to raise the doe's hindquarters nearly off the table. People who fail at palpation usually do so out of fear of hurting the doe her babies. The chances of that happening are very slim. Each embryo is cushioned in its own amniotic sac, so what you are actually feeling is the fluid filled amnion-not the embryo itself. Once you are secure in your position, move your hand back and forth along each side of the abdomen and slightly towards the middle. At 10 days, the embryo feels like a firm blueberry. At 12 days, they feel more like marbles, and at 14 days, they should feel more like large grapes or olives. Once you feel an embryo or two, it is wise to stop and pet the doe, and let her go back to her home. The entire procedure takes only seconds to perform once you know how. A common palpation mistake occurs when people confuse the round fecal pellets for embryos. Confusion can be avoided by remembering that the fecal pellets are small, very hard, and are found closer to the backbone, while embryos are found about midway into the abdominal cavity. If you squeeze these pellets instead of embryos, they will feel very hard, almost like rocks. Developing babies have more of a firm-fruit feel. Care Of Pregnant Doe Make sure the doe has plenty of fresh water and food in a clean house. Do not over feed your doe during the early stages of pregnancy. Keep a calendar and accurate records of the day you breed the doe. You should test her for pregnancy between the 10th and 14th day after the initial breeding. There are two ways to do this. The overall preferred method is to palpate the lower abdomen of the doe with your thumb and forefinger checking for nodules about the size of a marble. The other method is not only more risky but also more inaccurate, and not recommended. This method is to mate the doe with the buck again. This can cause problems because the doe has two uterine horns, each of which can carry babies. It is possible for one horn to be fertilized on the first mating and the second to be fertilized on the second mating. This will create a hormonal imbalance and cause the babies in both uteri to not form right, causing her to pass blobs instead of babies at the date of kindling. There is also a chance these "mummified" blobs could cause complications leading to the death of the doe. Nest Box Nest boxes can be made in a variety of sizes and types. Nest boxes can be made of wood, wire, or metal. Suggested sizes of the nest boxes are: Small breeds – 14" long, 8" wide, 7" high Med. breeds – 18" long, 10" wide, 8"high Lg. breeds – 20" long, 12" wide, 10" high Hay and straw is most often used for the nesting in the nest box. You can use less bedding in the summer. You need to use more hay and shavings during the cold winter months. Gestation in rabbits is typically 28-34 days. However, many breeders will tell you that their rabbits nearly always kindle (give birth) on the 31st day! Around day 26, you should place a nest box in the doe's cage so that she can begin to prepare a nest. Pre Kindling Behavior Before kindling, the doe will prepare a nest. Some does will carry a mouthful of hay around to prepare for her new litter. She may also pull fur form her chest and belly for nesting materials and to prepare for nursing. You should place a nest box in her cage on the 29th day after breeding. I have placed it even earlier if the Doe is showing any signs of kindling. Thirty-one days after breeding, she should kindle her litter. Every rabbit is different in the way she prepares to kindle her kits. You can provide a wooden nest box, or a metal one that is easy to clean and sanitize. They come in a variety of sizes, and it is important to get the right size for the breed of rabbit you have. The rule of thumb is that it only needs to be large enough for the doe to comfortably turn her body around in. The idea is that it is a cozy den for the babies to stay warm and dry. If the nest box is too large, it may also lead the female to start using it as a toilet, which is not healthy for her litter. The nest box should be filled with wood shavings, and plenty of fresh grass hay. The doe will instinctively begin to pull fur from her chest and back to line the nest she is preparing for her babies. Some does pull hair a bit gradually, and some wait until right before they kindle. It is important, during these last few days, that the doe have ample access to fresh hay and water, along with her regular pellet feed. It is also important to keep her environment free from unusual or sudden loud noises, as this can spook the doe, and cause her to stomp on or even eat her kits (babies) at birth. Checking The New Litter It is important to check the young when they are born. It's important to keep the area where the kits are quiet. A nervous doe may protect her young by jumping in the nest box. Kits are born without fur and with their eyes closed. Eyes should open within 10-14 days. At least once a day, look carefully at the nest box. There is no need to disturb it, or pull it out to look at it. You are looking for movement. Most rabbits kindle late at night, or in the early hours of the morning. You will know that the babies have arrived, when you see the fluff in the nest box moving, seemingly on its own! There are varying opinions around when the nest box should be pulled out and looked at. Ideally, this should be done in the first 24 hours, to check on the health and well being of the newborns. Any dead kits, or remaining placenta should be removed immediately and disposed of. A sign of a successful, healthy delivery is little to no trace of blood, and kits that appear to be clean, dry, and have big round bellies. The young are very vulnerable, as they are born naked, blind, and deaf. It is okay to handle each kit gently, as the mother rabbit is likely used to your scent. Also, rabbits only nurse their young twice a day, for 5-10 minutes at a time, so don't interrupt if you see that happening! Fostering Kits When you have larger litters some of the kits are unable to get the amount of food they need. To prepare for this, breeders breed more than one doe to kindle at the same time. If a doe has an unusually large litter, they can move some kits to the smaller litter, and this is called fostering. Fostering should be done in the morning. Newborn Care And Checking The Litter Most doe's only feed once every 24 hours. You will want to continue to check your newborn's daily. Be sure that all kits stay with the warmth of the other kits. As the kits begin to grow, you need to check to be sure that their belly's are round. Baby rabbits begin to grow their fur within a few days, and by 2 weeks they are completely furred. Hand Feeding A Rabbit Sometimes a doe dies after her kits are born. If this happens you may wish to try to feed and care for the babies until they can care for themselves. There are mixes available at many pet stores. The formula for hand fed babies is: 1 pint skim milk 2 egg yolks 2 tablespoons Karo syrup 1 tablespoon bonemeal (available in garden supply centers)

Use an eyedropper to feed the kits twice a day. You must also be sure that the kits urinate regularly. To do this, gently rub their genitals with a cotton ball after they're fed. Continue this procedure until they're 14 days old.

Eye Problems Rabbits eyes open between 10 and 14 days Sometimes help is needed to open a rabbits eyes To do this, take your fingers and gently separate the eyelids, and then wash away any crusty materials. Handling Kits At three weeks of age, kits begin to come out of the nest box. No need to worry! They can now maneuver in and out of the box. Kits begin to eats pellets and drink water at three weeks of age, even though they are still nursing from their mother. More food and water should now be available to the kits. This is an excellent time to begin to handle the young. They may be jumpy at first, but the more you hold them the calmer they will be. Sexing The Litter Kits need to be separated by sex around 6-8 weeks. Making this distinction is called sexing and may call for an experienced 4H member or a breeder's assistance Sexing the litter Procedure: 1.) One hand restrains the rabbits head. 2.) Place your finger and second fingers of the other hand around the base of the tail. Use your thumb to press down gently in front of the sexual organ. 3.) If a rabbit is a doe, you will see a slit like opening. This opening will begin near your thumb and slope down towards the rabbit's tail. 4.) If the rabbit is a buck, the opening will look rounded and protrude slightly. Good Bye Nest Box When rabbits are self sufficient, eating pellets, and drinking water, it is time to remove the nest box. Leaving it in longer will allow them to use it as a litter box. Weaning Bucks And Does Weaning is changing the way a kit is nourished form nursing to eating other food. Young are separated from their mother, and no longer nurse from her. This is done in 6 to 8 weeks from birth. A doe's body needs to rest because producing milk is work for a rabbit's body. The doe needs a break before she can raise another litter. Littermates will mature as they approach 8 weeks of age. Rabbits have mature instincts about their territory and breeding. Rabbits can mate and produce litters before they are full grown. (This would be very stressful on a doe if she is young.) Do not keep more than one rabbit in each cage when the rabbit is 3 months or older. Rabbits mature faster when alone, do not fight, and do not breed, thus eliminating unexpected results. Tattooing Tattooing is done at weaning. It is done for identification purposes, and purebreds should be tattooed. Pedigrees All purebred rabbits should have pedigree papers showing that they are pure bred. Try to complete your pedigrees as part of the overall weaning process. Evaluating A Rabbit's Reproductive Life After the doe has kindled, some breeders normally re-breed her at 6 weeks and wean the litter at 5-7 weeks. This cycle continues until she is about 4 years old or until her production is unsatisfactory. Review the herd records every quarter to determine which rabbits are not producing up to par and eliminate them. In October through December, some rabbits go into what is called moulting. At this period, many do not conceive. If you have lights on all the time in your rabbitry, this will help. Rabbits are like chickens that lay eggs only if there is enough light. Raising most of my rabbits outside, I would take this problem into consideration when evaluating them. Also, if it gets too hot in the summer, especially for those who live in the Southern U.S., the buck produces less viable sperm and the conception rate goes down. Some people keep their bucks air conditioned to keep the conception rate high. Some breederd standards for a doe is that she produce at least the following number of rabbits per year all the way to weaning: Dwarfs: 8 Small Breeds: 14 Medium Breeds: 16 Meat Type: 20 Giants: 16 Good luck in your endeavors to produce fine rabbits! http://sussex4h.org/Clubs/sc4h_allstar_rabbits_breeding.html http://www.debmark.com/rabbits/breeding.htm https://qualitycage.com/blogs/quality-rabbit-care/the-basics-of-breeding-rabbits-part-one https://www.raising-rabbits.com/rabbit-mating.html http://www.rabbitgeek.com/breedingtips.html https://thehomesteadinghippy.com/breed-rabbits/

Sexually Transmitted Bacterial Infections in Rabbit

Treponematosis in Rabbits

Treponematosis is a sexually transmitted infection in rabbits that is caused by a bacterial organism called Treponema paraluis cuniculi. This bacterium is spread by sexual contact between rabbits, from direct contact with lesions from another animal, and from mother to newborn during development or birth. This bacterial organism is closely related in form and character to the human species Treponema pallidum (syphilis), but is confined to rabbits; it is not transmissible between species. If this infection is caught early, before systemic damage can occur, it can usually be treated successfully with antibiotics.

Symptoms and Types

The signs and symptoms of treponematosis are varied and may include the following:

History of swelling and redness around the vulva or anus, lips and nose History of possible abortion or loss of pregnancy, long and difficult deliveries, or appearance of stress during pregnancy Swelling early on of the area near and around the genital regions, the eyes, and around the grooming regions Lesions are often on the face only Raised bumps and crusting on the skin surface

Causes

Treponematosis comes from the bacterial species Treponema cuniculi and is spread through direct contact with the organism. It is possible for the disease to be in a latent stage, and for the infected rabbit to pass the disease on to other rabbits, even though the infected rabbit is not showing any apparent symptoms. Therefore, it is not always possible to determine with a normal inspection whether a potential breeding partner is infected before allowing sexual contact between the two rabbits. If you have recently bred your rabbit, or your rabbit has been paired with a different sexual partner, there is a possibility that your rabbit has come into contact with an infected partner.

Conversely, infection can also be seen in younger animals that may not have had sexual contact and thus may have caught the infection congenitally/in utero, or through direct contact with the lesions in the passage of the birth canal.

Diagnosis

To formally diagnose your rabbit's condition, your veterinarian will need to rule out other conditions that might cause similar symptoms, such as ear mites. Some of the common outer symptoms, such as dry crusts that form with excessive saliva in and around the face, matting of hair around the face, and lesions around the face, will need to be closely inspected, with fluid and tissue samples taken for biopsy.

Along with the thorough physical exam, your veterinarian will need you to give a thorough history of your rabbit's health and onset of symptoms. Your doctor's initial diagnosis will take into account the background history of symptoms and possible incidents that might have led to this condition. If the final diagnosis is treponematosis, all of the rabbits that have come into contact with the infected rabbits will need to receive medical treatment. Treatment

Treatment in the form of a topical treatment is necessary. It is also necessary to keep the lesions clean and dry to help them heal quickly. While this is not always necessary, it can help speed the recovery. A simple topical (external) antibiotic can also be used to speed healing. Only medications that can be applied topically may be used, as oral applications can be fatal, unless your veterinarian advises otherwise. Your rabbit will require follow-up monitoring and care to ensure complete resolution of the symptoms.

Living and Management

It is important to follow-up with your health provider to ensure the rabbit avoids exposure to other rabbits that may still carry this infection, which can result in recontamination, and to avoid infecting other animals until your veterinarian is confident that your rabbit is clear of the Treponema cuniculi bacteria. If you have other rabbits, there is a good possibility that they are also infected and should also receive treatment. Even if they are not showing symptoms, your veterinarian may choose to err on the side of prophylactic treatment to avoid further complications.

The prognosis for rabbits with treponematosis is excellent provided treatment commences immediately and that all rabbits with the T. cuniculi infection receive treatment promptly. https://www.petmd.com/rabbit/conditions/reproductive/c_rb_treponematosis

Rabbit Dance an Oneida legend retold by Desiree Barber

Long ago, two hunters went hunting deer for their village. They hunted for a very long time without seeing any signs of deer, but they didn't return to the village for they knew they had to provide food for the winter.

Suddenly, they heard a very loud thump! They stopped and listened to see if there would be another thump, and sure enough, they heard it again! This time the thump was louder, "THUMP!"

One hunter said to the other, "What is that?"

The other hunter said, "I don't know, but IT sounds very close!"

So, both hunters got on their bellies and crawled to a nearby clearing surrounded by bushes. In the center of the clearing they saw the biggest rabbit they had ever seen!

The first hunter started to aim his bow and arrow at the huge rabbit, but the second hunter stopped him and said, "Let's wait to see what he is going to do."

Both hunters waited and watched the huge rabbit as he lifted one of his big back legs and thumped it three times on the ground. Then, out from every direction hopped regular sized rabbits. The hunters watched very closely not wanting to miss anything.

The little rabbits gathered around the big rabbit, and the big rabbit began to thump his back leg in a pattern as the little rabbits danced. The hunters watched in awe as the rabbits danced. Then the big rabbit thumped his leg in the directions in which the hunters lay. The huge rabbit looked in that direction and leaped into the sky. Then all the rabbits quickly hopped away.

The hunters watched still in awe. They realized they had to go back to the village and tell the people what they had seen and heard. They ran all the way to the village and asked if they could speak to the elders. After they told their story, one of the elders said, "Show us how the beat and the dance went." The hunters showed them exactly what the rabbits did.

Another elder said, "The rabbits gave this dance to tell us to show them respect and appreciation for what they give to us. We will name the dance after them, and we will dance it at our socials to show them our gratitude."

So this is the way it was then and is now. That is how the rabbit dance came to be.

http://www.uwosh.edu/coehs/cmagproject/ethnomath/legend/legend16.htm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oneida_people

 

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