Category: Rabbit Care & Grooming

  The normal fur of the rabbit hair consists of two types of hair, the undercoat which is soft and varies in different breeds, between about I and RI inches, and the guard hairs which are stronger and longer. The diameter of the undercoat hairs varies between four and eight-thousandths of an inch, whilst the guard hairs may be as much as sixteen-thousandths of an inch in diameter or even more.   These typical rabbit hair have been modified in different breeds. For example in the Rex, the guard hairs have been shortened until they are about the same length or slightly less than the undercoat hairs, whilst in the angora, both types of hairs are much increased in lengths.   All hairs consist of a medulla, a series of cells in the centre of the hair, a cortex, which surrounds the medulla, and the cuticle scales, which overlap each other. In the undercoat hairs, the scales cover the entire hair,

On examination, the breeder must decide whether he will leave the entire litter with the doe (after eliminating any malformed or dead young), whether he will foster some on to another doe, or whether he will destroy any.  litter may vary between one and fifteen or even more, although between four and nine are more common,and the average will probably be about six in most breeds.The number of young which the breeder will wish to leave on a doe will vary. Some who wish to have a few young of extreme size will leave only one or two on the doe. In the case of meat rabbits, where the breeder has a good milking straits, the largest litter size will usually be the best. The maximum number of young to be left on the doe will again depend to some extent on the age of the doe, as well as the number of her previous litters.