Key Points for Rabbit Care in October
📝 Summary
October brings big day-night temperature swings and the molting period, raising disease risk, so the focus is protecting pregnant does through each pregnancy stage and preparing the kindling box, storing dried forage, and preventing contagious disease with vaccination, stable warmth, and weekly disinfection.
1 Rabbit Management Priorities in October
1. Protect pregnant does and prepare for kindling
Helping rabbits breed is the top task in October. Get eligible rabbits to mate this month and ensure non-pregnant does that meet breeding conditions become pregnant:
1. Pre-pregnancy: within 10 days after mating, focus on protecting the pregnancy; feed as usual and let the doe exercise, but avoid startling her.
2. Mid-pregnancy (days 11-20): focus on nourishing the fetus; gradually add high-quality, nutritious green juicy feed and supplement concentrate and minerals. This is when miscarriage is most likely, so do not forcibly catch the doe and avoid any fright.
3. Late pregnancy (day 21 to birth): strengthen the fetus with small, frequent meals and complete nutrition; ensure no lack of trace elements and vitamins.
Doe pregnancy is 28 to 32 days. Five days before kindling, prepare the kindling box, disinfect it, place it in the cage, and line it with clean, soft, short straw; the doe usually pulls fur to build a nest. If she does not, pull some belly fur and lay it in the box. Provide plenty of lightly salted water and green feed to stop her from eating the kits out of thirst after birth.
2. Prepare forage and feed
October is the harvest season for crops and rabbit grasses; cut and dry straws such as peanut vine and soybean for storage. These are excellent rabbit feeds to mix with concentrate. This month is busy, but still feed on time to avoid irregular feeding and needless loss.
3. Prevent disease
Late autumn and early winter are the peak season for severe contagious disease such as rabbit hemorrhagic disease. Prepare vaccinations in time. Because day-night temperature swings are large, rabbits easily catch colds and secondary pneumonia, so keep the hutch temperature stable; if nights are too cold, wrap the hutch with plastic film to block drafts, and disinfect the hutch weekly.
If a rabbit shows cold or diarrhea symptoms, treat it promptly. For colds, inject compound aminopyrine solution 0.5 ml and give a paracetamol tablet once (half for young rabbits); if not better after three days, add antibiotics and apply drops into the nose. For diarrhea, give a norfloxacin tablet, one for large rabbits and half for small.
The above covers the key points for rabbit care and management in October.
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