Saturday, November 3, 2012

A short overview of Rabbits

By Paul Hill


Rabbits are one of the world's more popular household pets. Generally thought to have originated in Spain, they are now popular throughout much of The western world, located in various environments such as meadows, woods, forests and our houses.

Rabbits come in many different shapes, sizes and colours. There are around 45 different breeds of rabbit, all of which will make good pets; Some of the most popular breeds of rabbit include, Dutch, Holland Lop, Netherland dwarf, Rex, French Lop and the Lionhead.

Rabbits are social animals and enjoy the company of a number of different creatures, including other rabbits, guinea pigs, chinchillas, cats, dogs and humans.

All rabbits are herbivores, in the wild; their diet consists mainly of grass and leafy weeds. They will graze on these for almost all of the day. Home-based rabbits are usually presented a more expansive variety of foods compared to those accessible to rabbits residing in the wilderness. The everyday diet for a domesticated rabbit consists of vegetables and fruits, such as, carrots, cabbage, broccoli, apples and pears.

Rabbit's teeth continuously grow all through its life; therefore it is essential that the correct food is provided. Grass and hay are crucial in order to keep the back teeth from growing too long, the grinding action as they chew keeps them down. Gnawing on carrots and other hard vegetables, are incredibly efficient at keeping those very important front teeth down. Wild rabbits would often use a piece of bark to do this. If the front teeth were to grow too long then the rabbit could be unable to eat at all. Within domesticated rabbits, a visit to the veterinarians is normally required when they become too long.

Because of their friendly appearance and placid nature, rabbits make particularly good household pets. If cared for regularly, they can become very contented around people and are very good to have around kids. It is normal for rabbits to live in wooden constructions, typically known as hutches. In many cases they may even be found roaming around the home.




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