Rabbit Rhythms July 2020

Rabbit Rhythms July 2020: Our featured rabbit this month is the Silver Fox Rabbit, whose coat is as stunning as a wild Silver Fox's. Delve into this breed's history, and why it makes for such a versatile rabbit.

While the Silver Fox rabbit may be versatile, most breeds cannot survive in the extreme summer sun. We provide tips for preventing your outdoor rabbits from overheating. 

Is your rabbit's fur looking chewed, patchy, or moth-eaten? There are various reasons this could be happening. Learn why your rabbit's coat isn't looking so hot, and find possible solutions to this hairy problem.

Raising-rabbits.com needs breeders! The large numbers of rabbit breeders around the country are poorly represented on many of our "rabbits for sale in (your) state" pages, so request a listing, and we will list your rabbitry for FREE! Check out our Rabbit Breeders page to sign up.

Featured Breed: Silver Fox Rabbit

• This black fox (to the right) has rejoined her pup after a successful hunt on San Juan Island. Her coat is silvered, as are Silver Fox Rabbit coats. Note the dirt on her nose - from sniffing around rabbit burrows!

History
Silver Fox rabbits are a versatile breed; great as pets, meat rabbits, and show rabbits. They are less common than your average rabbit breed, but have recently surged in popularity in the last 5 years. Silver Foxes were created in the United States by an American breeder, Walter Garland. It was bred through a cross of Checkered Giants, Champagne D’Argent and English Silvers. This breed was officially accepted by the ARBA in 1925.

Description/Temperament
Silver Fox rabbits aren’t all that different from actual Silver Foxes. Their coats are very similar in both color and density. Instead of a traditional flyback coat, they exhibit a standing coat which stays in place even if stroked against its fur gradient. It comes in a variety of colors including black, blue, chocolate, and lilac; however only black is accepted by the ARBA due to the lack of other colors being bred. These rabbits are extremely docile and gentle, making great mothers and low maintenance meat rabbits. While they are primarily bred for meat, they also make great pets. 

Find additional detail about the Silver Fox Rabbit breed here.

Hot Summer, Cool Rabbits

With summer coming into full swing, it is important to know how to protect your rabbits from extreme sun and heat. Too much heat in one day can cause immense stress, heatstroke, or even death. Here are the best tips and options for keeping your rabbits cool during the summer:

• ALWAYS have water available - it is important to always keep tabs on your rabbit’s water source, as it evaporates quickly in hot temperatures. Rabbits need to always be hydrated and can die if they get heatstroke.
  
  
• Shaded cages - A very effective yet simple way to cool your rabbit during the summer is to move their cages under trees, or in the shade. Trees absorb the heat around them, causing the temperature to be around 10 degrees cooler than in the sun. 
  
  
• Underground burrows - If the heat is extreme where you live, you may want to consider creating underground burrows. This takes a little more effort, but the results are worth it. For more information on how to build this system, check out our Cooling Rabbits page!
  
  
• Misting system - If you don't want to go underground, building a misting system might be a better option for you. A shade cloth can be placed above the rain-proofed rabbit cages, with light misters on top. This system is likely to leave puddles and requires water. For more information on how to build this system, 
  

For more information on how to cool your rabbits, check out pages 89-93 in the Rabbit Raising Problem Solver. 

OR check out our eBooks: DIY Rabbit Cages or Livestock Rabbit Housing for instructions on how to build efficient cooling systems! (Disclaimer: these eBooks contain identical information as pertains to cooling systems. You do not need to purchase both!)

Rabbit Health: Hairy Situations

Both of these rabbits have the tell-tale signs of chewed fur - the coat looks "moth-eaten."

Your rabbits probably don’t need a barber!

Have you seen any bare foreheads or patchy fur on your rabbits lately?

It can be quite alarming to walk into your rabbitry and find your beautiful rabbit's forehead completely bald between the eyes!

If you’re housing several female siblings in the same cage, one or more of them may take to chewing on their cagemates either as an attempt to climb the social ladder, or as a result of a nutritional deficiency of fiber.

The official term for fur-chewing is "barbering!"

Fortunately, the two main solutions for barbering (fur chewing) are very easy to implement: 

1. Separate the rabbits into their own cages.
2. Add hay to the diets of all. 

See page 297 in The Rabbit Raising Problem Solver for full details.

What else might be barbering your rabbits?

Kaelyn noticed a bald spot at the base of her rabbit’s ears, so she wrote to us...

“We have a 3-month-old bunny with a completely bald spot on back of his neck. I took it to a vet who said he’s probably just scratching himself, or may have allergies.  It still hasn't gotten better even after a couple weeks. He eats well and is very active, and actually isn’t scratching much. The skin doesn’t have scratches. Any ideas?"

***** Karen Sez *****

Without seeing a photo, the most common cause of bald patches at the base of the neck is fur mites, little parasites that chew the fur. The mites’ favorite site of infestation on a rabbit is at the base of the ears, although they might be found elsewhere on some rabbits.

The Rabbit Raising Problem Solver, pages 265-267, outlines a quality treatment plan you can follow, and the various anti-parasitic medications that will solve the problem for your rabbit. A couple of these are ivermectin, and selemectin (Revolution).

Rabbit Breeders:  The World Needs You!

Shockingly, the demand for rabbits vastly outweighs the supply. Our Rabbit Classifieds page is a living testimony of this! People need rabbits, and are looking for trustworthy breeders. If this is YOU, we offer reputable rabbit breeders a huge opportunity for free advertising. 

We give free rabbitry listings on our State by State rabbits-for-sale pages. Unfortunately, some of these pages have little or no breeder representation. But we know you're out there!

These states have 1 or fewer breeders listed:

If you breed rabbits at all in ANY state, request a listing here FOR FREE, or go to our Rabbit Breeder's page for general information. PLUS: Please tell your rabbit-breeder and homesteader friends about this free advertising opportunity. Thank you!

(Additionally, we offer free listings for breeders in Canada, the UK, Australia, and around the globe.)

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Your friends at Raising-Rabbits.com wish you a wonderful July 2020. 

Enjoy your rabbits!