mencret pada kelinci

Menret pada kelinci biasanya disertai dengan kembung pada perut kelinci,…atau jika tidak diobati maka kelinci tersebut bisa mati dalam keadaan kembung. Peternak Kami pernah bercerita bahwa di daerah Lembang ada kelinci seorang peternak yg mati karena perutnya pecah :( ,perutnya kembung namun tidak diobati. Mungkin bukan 100% salah peternak tersebut, karena penyakit ini memang susah2-gampang untuk dideteksi. Walau susah untuk dideteksi, tapi bukan berarti tidak ada tanda2nya sama sekali, berikut tanda2 kelinci yg sedang kembung/mencret/masuk angin

* Tidak bisa/malas berdiri. Kalaupun berdiri biasanya membungkuk,..sama seperti manusia yg sedang mules/masuk angin
* Karena menahan sakit, biasanya kaki depanya diselonjorkan kedepan terus agar kaki kelinci tsb tidak menyentuh bagian perutnya yg sedang sakit. Hal inilah yg menyebabkan kelinci tersebut enggan dan sulit untuk berdiri
* Mata sayu
* Kelinci jd kurang aktif
* Gigi “gemeretek”/bergesek2kan sehingga menimbulkan bunyi. Hal ini karena kelinci sedang menahan sakit
* Kelinci haus terus
* Kotoran kelinci tidak padat/seperti gell

Penyakit ini cukup sering lho menimpa kelinci,..jd mesti diwaspadai. Nah, kl dah tau ciri2nya…sekarang Kita cari tahu penyebabnya.Penyebab mulesnya si kelinci ada banyak, tidak hanya satu. Sama aja kan ky manusia???ada yg mules karena masuk angin, ada yg karena habis makan rujak, ada juga yg mules karena mau presentasi di depan Bos-nya :P

Yang Kami tau penyebab utamanya adalah

* Tidak seimbangnya antara serat, protein, lemak dan gizi lainya pada pakan kelinci,..nah sekarang Kita semakin sadar kan akan pentingnya pelet.
* Kotornya lingkungan kandang, sehingga bakteri masuk ke dalam tubuh kelinci melalui udara/makanan
* Angin malam
* Cuaca yg kurang baik
* Berganti2 makanan secara drastis. Mungkin sama saja ketika orang Sunda pindah ke Padang :P

Sebagai tambahan, penyebab mencretnya kelinci juga bisa diliat dari kotoran/feses kelinci tsb,…

* Kotoran berwarna ijo, dan seperti jelly, penyebab : Terlalu banyak serat/sayuran hijau yg tidak diimbangi dengan lemak, protein, dll(serat > 22%). Pengobatanya kelinci diberi hay(sayur yg sudah dilayukan)
* Kotoran berwarna gelap, encer : Ada dua kemungkinan, kemungkinan pertama warna gelap berasal dari darah. Pengobatanya harus dengan antibiotik. Kemungkinan kedua kelinci terserang karena terserang bakteri seperti E.colli. Biasanya kelinci hanya bisa bertahan 1-3hari saja. Penangananya harus cepat dengan memberikan antibiotik yg dapat dibeli di dokter hewan.

Ada tips dari Kami, biasanya kl kelinci Kami ketahuan mencret, Kami melepaskanya di kandang dan menjemurnya di pagi hari. Selain itu juga bisa dicoba diberi penyegar cap kaki 3 atau flagyl.

Kelinci Kaloran

Si Manja yang Menjanjikan

Flu burung merajelela. Kalau kita nekad usaha unggas tentu rawan bangkrut. Karena itu kalau mau usaha ternak carilah peliharaan yang minim resiko, sedikit modal namun hasil menjanjikan. Usaha apa?

Kelinci Australia jawabnya. Apa tidak beresiko?

Memang, bisnis apapun, apalagi berkaitan dengan urusahan nyawa pasti ada resiko. Tapi dibanding dengan unggas, kelinci lumayan aman. Itulah yang membuat usaha Sugiyono, 39 tahun, masih berjalan lancar. Selama 8 tahun, petani asal Janggleng Kaloran ini sudah membuktikan.

“Dulu saya ini bingung mau usaha apa. Pelihara kambing gagal, sapi gagal, jadi petani juga begitu-begitu saja. E, karena pengalaman yang saya dapat dari Bandungan Semarang, akhirnya saya bisa usaha ternak ini Mas, “tuturnya.

Apa benar usaha kelinci mampu menghidupi keluarganya? Bukankah banyak kelinci di desa-desa yang dipelihara petani toh tidak menjanjikan?

Rupanya peliharaan Sugi yang berjumlah 25 ekor itu bukan kelinci lokal, melainkan kelinci Australia. Badannya gemuk-gemuk, kulitnya tebal, tampangnya lucu, terlebih kelinci hiasnya.

Kelinci unggul ini biasa disebut Trewelu Ustrali. Jenis kelinci ini tergolong primadona baik untuk hias, pedaging, ternak maupun untuk kulitnya. Di daerah lain, seperti Bandungan Semarang, Lembang Bandung, jenis kelinci ini sudah lama dibudidayakan. Kelinci ini tergolong laris manis di pasar untuk berbagai kebutuhan, seperti hias, sate, atau bahkan sebatas kebutuhan bulunya untuk Jaket, Sandal, Tas dll.

Harga di pasaran Temanggung tergolong murah. Untuk usia 35 hari, alias selesai sapih hanya Rp 10.000. Kelinci ini biasanya dibeli oleh para peternak untuk dibesarkan. Tapi resiko kematian cukup tinggi mengingat kelinci tergolong hewan manja, yang tidak gampang lepas induknya. Untuk mencapai harga bagus biasanya peternak seperti Sugi memelihara sampai umur 3 bulan dengan harga Rp 80 ribuan. Sedangkan yang berumur 6 bulan, dijual Rp 150.0000.

Harga itu tergolong murah. Beberapa minggu lalu, saat penulis datang ke Kawasan ternak kelinci di Lembang Bandung, harga kelinci sehat-gemuk yang dipelihara Sugi dijual dengan harga Rp 200.000, ada juga yang mencapai Rp 225.000 sampai Rp 300.000 untuk kelinci hias.

Tapi soal harga adalah urusan pasar. Bagi Sugi, yang penting usaha. Ia tidak perlu repot menjual ke kota. Cukup menunggu tamu di rumah, dagangan laris manis. Dengan 25-30 kelinci itu rata-rata ia memperoleh hasil Rp 750.000-Rp 1.200.000. “Saya yakin bisa untung lebih banyak kalau modalnya besar. Ya ini dapat segitu sudah lumayan. Maklum, modal saya kecil,” katanya.

Di daerah Kaloran pakan untuk kelinci cukup terjamin. Kalau bosan rumput bisa berganti ampas tahu atau makanan yang lain. Agar kualitas kelinci gemuk dan sehat, maka kandang harus dipisah dengan hewan lain, dan selalu bersih. Kalau kotor dan udara lembab, kelinci biasanya stres dan penyakitan. Kalau mau sukses, manjakan hewan pendiam ini dengan akan dan suasana yang serba nyaman. Selanjutnya, disate wae….(dari www.stanplat.com)

Beberapa minggu yang lalu, penulis menyempatkan mendatangi sebuah peternakan kelinci hias di Parongpong Bandung Utara. Penulis merasa tertarik datang ke peternakan kelinci setelah secara tak sengaja mendapatkan gambar jenis kelinci dunia yang begitu beragam dan memiliki keunikan masing-masing. Ada jenis Holland Loop, Fuzzy Loop, Dwarft Hotot, Satin, Harlequen, Netherland Dwarft dan puluhan jenis kelinci lain dari berbagai suku bangsa. Dari pengenalan gambar dan keterangan di internet tersebut penulis disadarkan oleh perspektif baru bahwa kelinci yang kita kenal selama ini di kampung-kampung yang dipelihara para petani bukanlah termasuk kelinci hias, melainkan jenis pedaging. Kelinci hias memiliki beragam bulu dan bentuk fisik dengan keunikan yang luar biasa.

Setelah beberapa saat berbicara kepada seorang petani, Pak Sabar, penulis ditanya; dari mana Anda tahu ada peternakan kelinci di sini?

“Saya dapat dari berita di Internet pak,” jawab saya singkat. Kontan, Pak Sabar hanya menjawab, o. Entah tahu atau tidak Internet itu makhluk apa. Yang ia tahu, bahwa majikannya, seorang dokter di rumah sakit terkemuka di Bandung itu konon sering diliput wartawan atas kesuksesan mengelola agroindustrinya. Selain ternak ternak ayam, itik, domba dan sapi sang bos beternak kelinci hias dari berbagai jenis bangsa. Nah, kedatangan saya ke Pak Sabar tersebut adalah untuk membuktikan apakah benar kelinci-kelinci jenis hias itu sama bagus dan menarik dari sisi bisnis sebagaimana banyak diberitakan di koran-koran, terutama di Internet. Ternyata benar. Kelinci jenis hias di Parongpong dan Lembang Bandung yang sudah berpuluh-puluh tahun ada itu sangat menarik perhatian. Saya merasa agak “menyesal”, tinggal lama di Bandung namun baru tahu ada banyak jenis kelinci hias yang diternakkan sedemikian cerdas dan profesional, sehingga menghasilkan kekayaan bagi sang pemodalnya. Ya, beruntung ada Internet.

Internetlah yang memperkenalkan kepada kita tentang dunia lain yang sebenarnya dekat tapi selama ini kita abaikan. Dengan Internet selama ini kita justru sering banyak tahu berita dari negeri jauh dan lupa akan lingkungan terdekat. Beruntunglah kiranya dengan Internet orang asing yang menulis peternakan kelinci itu menyadarkan bahwa di sekitar kita ada potensi bisnis yang besar namun sering diabaikan masyarakat kita.Setelah pulang dengan membeli beberapa ekor kelinci hias, penulis langsung kembali ke meja Internet. Berhari-hari saya telusuri tentang fenomena peternakan kelinci di Indonesia melalui Internet. Alhasil, ternyata ternak kelinci sedang ngetren diperbincangan di beberapa milist. Banyak juga berita-berita lokal tentang kelinci, terutama kelinci untuk jenis pedaging. Sedangkan berita dari luar negeri lebih banyak didominasi oleh pengelolaan kelinci hias sebagai salahsatu jenis hobi.

Tapi setelah dua tahun terakhir ini kaum peternak memperlihatkan hasil budidaya kelinci impor melalui Internet, mendadak banyak orang tertarik mengenal kelinci lebih jauh. Berbagai jenis kelinci dunia ternyata sudah banyak bertebaran di beberapa daerah, seperti Lembang, Parongpong (Bandung), Klaten, Semarang, Surabaya, Cipanas (Bogor), Temanggung, Magelang (Jawa Tengah) dan lain-lain. Dari Internet, ribuan orang sekarang dikenalkan oleh hal-hal yang baru yang tadinya hanya diketahui sedikit orang, terutama para peternak di Lembang dan Parongpong di Bandung. Melalui Internet inilah kemudian terjadi kenaikan bisnis yang nyata. Beberapa peternak yang pernah diliput media dan tampil di Internet atau mereka para peternak yang sengaja mengiklankan melalui media online langsung mendapatkan banyak respon yang positif. Kenaikan omset pun meningkat mengingat pesanan dari berbagai daerah bertambah pesat. Dampaknya, beberapa anak muda yang kreatif menangkap peluang ini pun langsung mencoba membudidayakan ternak kelinci di lingkungan masing-masing.

Dari sini kita bisa memetik pelajaran berharga bahwa dunia bisnis Internet tidak selalu berurusan dengan hal-hal yang glamor sebagaimana yang dipikirkan banyak orang. Dunia bisnis internet sebagaimana di banyak negara maju sebenarnya lebih banyak berhubungan dengan hal-hal yang sifatnya tradisional daripada bisnis modern. Seyogianya kaum cyberis tidak perlu lagi sungkan menggali nilai-nilai tradisional yang sudah ada untuk kemudian dikembangkan prospeknya melalui Internet. Tidak ada salahnya kita belajar dari kelinci agar kita tidak hanya jadi kelinci percobaan bisnis di era global sekarang ini.

Gerak ternak di jalur Internet

Salahsatu fenomena perkembangan bisnis ternak kelinci berbasis Internet bisa kita ambil dari seorang pemuda dari Temanggung Jawa Tengah. Farid Ibrahim (27), di awal tahun ini memilih beternak kelinci jenis impor. Alasannya karena modal untuk untuk ternak kelinci tidak terlalu besar. Kebutuhan rumput tidak banyak. Dengan memelihara sebanyak 20 ekor kelinci induk ia hanya butuh pakan satu karung, setara dengan kebutuhan seekor kambing. Pakan tambahan bisa dicari dari pakanan unggas seperti bekatul, dedak atau pelet. Farid yang juga salahsatu pengajar di pesantren “Ridlo Allah” Kaloran Temanggung itu pada mulanya memang tertarik dari salahsatu peternak di Kawasan Wisata Bandongan Semarang. Namun alasan yang membuat ia tergerak berani memilih ternak kelinci adalah karena informasi yang ia dapatkan dari internet. Dari informasi itu ia mendapatkan banyak pelajaran tentang metode peternakan kelinci, ia pun memberi beberapa buku tentang peternakan kelinci. Belajar otodidak ini membuatnya merasa percaya diri untuk menjadi peternak serius. Internet pula yang membuat Farid memiliki akses jaringan yang luas dari para peternak di beberapa daerah di luar kota, seperti Purwokerto, Semarang, Lembang, Parongpong (Bandung), Cipanas Bogor, Jakarta, Klaten dan lain-lain.

Melalui komunikasi internet –yang kemudian berlanjut pada komunikasi selular hingga hubungan darat- Farid menjalin relasi untuk mencari bibit kelinci jenis hias dari Bandung, terutama dari Parongpong. Berbagai jenis hias yang selama ini hanya dimiliki peternak elit dengan harga mahal ia kembangkan di Temanggung. Alasannya, di daerah Jawa Tengah jenis-jenis hias tidak sebanyak di Bandung. Dengan demikian ia merasa percaya diri menawarkan beragam jenis kelinci hias di Temanggung dan sekitarnya. Dari internet pula Farid mengembangkan hubungan yang harmonis dengan seorang saudagar pakan ternak terkenal dari Klaten. Dari Klaten itu ia bisa membeli harga pakan ternak kelinci lebih murah dibanding harga pelet unggas atau pakan jenis lain.

Selain relasi tersebut, Farid juga sering mendapat pesanan kelinci beragam jenis dari daerah-daerah lain, sampai-sampai ia merasa kebingungan dengan permintaan pasar. Ia tidak mungkin menjual induknya, sebab kalau induk dijual berarti tidak ada lagi anakan yang akan dijual. Karena itu yang dibutuhkan Farid sekarang adalah menambah jumlah induk dengan cara tidak menjual anaknya dalam jangka waktu 6 bulan agar menjadi induk-induk tambahan. Dengan begitu kelak beberapa induknya akan menghasilkan anakan-anakan kelinci hias lebih banyak dan mampu memenuhi permintaan pasar lebih besar.

Pangsa Pasar Kelinci

Di luar peranan internet dalam memainkan perkembangan ternak kelinci, apakah dari sisi bisnis kelinci benar-benar menguntungkan? Dari pelbagai perbincangan penulis dengan para peternak di Lembang, Parongpong dan peternak daerah lain melalui internet dan wawancara telepon saya bisa memberikan rasio perhitungan berikut ini:

Analisa budidaya kelinci impor untuk kategori pedaging per 50 ekor induk untuk peliharaan setahun:

1) Biaya Produksi

a. Rumah untuk kandang Rp 1.500.000

b. Kandang besi dan perlengkapan Rp. 2.000.000,-

c. Bibit induk 50 ekor @ Rp. 100.000, = Rp. 5.000.000,-

d. Pejantan 5 ekor @ Rp. 150.000,- Rp. 750.000,-

e. Pakan rumput (relatif)

Pakan pellet/konsentrat perbulan kira-kira Rp 100.000 x 12= 1.200.000

f. Obat dan vitamin (setahun) Rp. 500.000

h. lain-lain termasuk rumput 1 juta

Jumlah biaya produksi Rp. 11.950.000

2) Pendapatan rata-rata 46 ekor:

Pilihan penghasilan dalam setahun:

a. Jual anak (usia 1 bulan) dari 46 ekor betina x 6 anak = 276 x 6 ( dalam setahun)= 1656 ekor x Rp 10.000 (harga anak): Penghasilan bersih 16.560.000

b. Jual (dewasa 4 bulan) dari 46 betina x 6 anak = 276 x 3 (dalam setahun)= 828 x Rp 40.000 (harga dewasa) = 33.120.000:

(keuntungan dikurangi biaya tambahan makan dan obat Rp 1.000.000): penghasilan bersih Rp 32.120.000

c. Jual (bibit 7 bulan) dari 46 betina x 6 anak = 276 x 1 (7-12 bulan) = 276 x Rp 150.000 = Rp 41.400.000

(keuntungan dipotong biaya tambahan makan dan obat Rp 2.000.000)

Penghasilan bersih = Rp 38.400.000

Keuntungan tersebut bisa juga dikombinasikan dengan membagi penjualan anak mulai dari umur 1 bulan sampai umur 6 bulan (induk). Untuk kelinci hias biaya induk lebih mahal. Namun keuntungannya 2x lipat lebih tinggi. Jadi sebenarnya kalau kita hitung secara kalkulatif, ternak kelinci dengan modal antara 10-12 juta dalam waktu 7 bulan sudah balik modal. Untuk selanjutnya peternak bisa meraih keuntungannya. (Catatan: Hitungan yang saya buat tersebut tentu saja hanyalah prakiraan. Bisa saja kurang dan bisa lebih)

Bagi yang tidak memiliki modal besar jangan khawatir. Sebab ternak kelinci juga bias dimulai dari beberapa ekor. Yang menjadi pertanyaan adalah, apakah kelinci sudah menjadi kebutuhan massal di masyarakat kita? Memang, untuk jenis kelinci pedaging kita tidak melihat potensi pasar seluas peliharaan lain seperti domba dan unggas. Hanya sedikit orang yang tertarik mengonsumsi kelinci, itupun dalam kurun waktu yang relatif lama. Tapi di beberapa kota besar seperti Malang, Yogyakarta, Bandung Utara, Semarang dan beberapa kota lain sekarang ini kebutuhan sate kelinci lumayan meningkat di banding 5 tahun sebelumnya. Bahkan pasokan daging kelinci masih teramat kurang. Ini artinya pasar masih sangat terbuka lebar.

Kekhawatiran akan terjadinya over-produksi barangkali belum perlu dipikirkan. Kalaupun dalam jangka waktu 5 tahun ke depan over-produksi terjadi, para peternak masih bisa mengembangkan pasar ke kalangan masyarakat. Masyarakat kita sebenarnya lumayan suka dengan daging kelinci, hanya saja karena kurang terbiasa sehingga daging kelinci kurang dilirik. Saya kira ketika ada stok daging kelinci di pasar sebagaimana daging sapi, kambing kemungkinan besar daging kelinci termasuk komoditi yang sangat bagus. Di sinilah pentingnya promosi lebih giat dari media massa dan pemerintah agar daging kelinci yang memiliki protein tinggi dan minim kolesterol ini dikonsumsi masyarakat. Jenis kelinci hias lebih mahal dari pedaging. Satu hal yang membuat peternak kelinci hias akan berkembang adalah ketika masyarakat mulai mengemari hobi memelihara kelinci. Sebenarnya kelinci hias seperti Holland Lop, Fuzzi Lop (Belanda), Dutch (Belgia), Rex (Amerika) dan berbagai jenis lain sangat menarik di banding dengan memelihara kucing atau anjing sekalipun. Hanya saja karena masyarakat kita belum begitu mengenal beragam jenis hias impor sehingga belum tertarik. Saya yakin jika para penggemar hewan peliharaan itu mengenal lebih dekat tentang kelinci, mereka tidak akan lama-lama merogoh kocek untuk membelinya.(dimuat di majalah Infovet edisi Desember 2007)

Siti Nur Aryani.

Berguru Kelinci ke Vietnam dan China

Vietnam dan China terbukti sukses mengembangkan usaha ternak kelinci di negaranya

Kelinci belum banyak dikembangkan di Indonesia meskipun jenis ternak ini berpotensi besar dalam peningkatan mutu gizi masyarakat. Sementara pemerintah juga masih kurang serius menggarap usaha ternak ini. Padahal usaha ternak kelinci bisa membantu meningkatkan pendapatan masyarakat dan bahkan bisa jadi solusi mengatasi pengangguran. Lihat saja Vietnam dan China. Kedua negara tersebut cukup sukses mengembangkan kelinci. Untuk itu, demi pengembangan usaha si kuping panjang ini di tanah air, tak ada salahnya berguru kepada mereka. Berikut ulasannya.

Ternak Rakyat di Vietnam
Di Nho Quan pedesaan di Provinsi Ninh Binh, Vietnam sebelum tahun 2000an, petani setempat memelihara kelinci sebagai usaha sampingan, penghasil gizi keluarga atau sekadar peliharaan kesenangan. Produktivitasnya di masa itu sangat rendah karena pemeliharaan dilakukan dengan cara dilepas bebas di pekarangan rumah. Lalu pada suatu musim di tahun 2003, ribuan kelinci di kawasan pegunungan Nho Quan itu tertimpa penyakit kaki dan mulut. Beruntung pemerintah tanggap. Penyakit tersebut diteliti lalu dikumpulkan sebagai studi persoalan penyakit hewan oleh pemerintah setempat.
Selanjutnya penanganan kasus ini juga melibatkan pihak penyuluh serta didukung oleh pemerintah provinsi yang justru bersikap bijaksana mendorong budidaya kelinci secara modern, bukan malah secara naif menghabisi kelinci karena alasan penyakit. Bahkan, pemerintah menurunkan tim khusus untuk program modernisasi peternakan. Para dokter hewan, petani, ibu rumah tangga, petugas departemen kesehatan, menyatu dalam program terencana pemerintahan lokal. Dalam hal ini, pelatihan, pemberdayaan dan penyadaran kesehatan ternak secara modern digalakkan.

Kredit Lunak untuk Peternak
Keseriusan pemerintah ini terbukti berhasil. Empat tahun kemudian (2007), usaha peternakan kelinci di sana kembali menggeliat. Angka pertumbuhan usaha ini mencapai 25,6 %. Jika sebelum 2003, setiap dusun hanya lima kepala keluarga yang memiliki kelinci, pada 2007, peternak jumlah kelinci melonjak mencapai 18 hingga 20 kepala keluarga pada setiap dusun. Dari sini mengalirlah kredit lunak untuk peternak. Mereka ditawari kesanggupan membayar secara realistis, tanpa perlu membuat proposal. Pemerintahlah yang melakukan riset lapangan secara langsung setiapkali ada pengajuan modal.
Untuk itu, pemerintah membentuk asosiasi peternak kelinci yang memberikan keleluasaan kepada peternak. Pemerintah bertindak sebagai pencatat dan pengawas. Selain itu, pemerintah juga mendatangkan teknologi peternakan yang menunjang usaha peternakan kelinci misalnya dalam pembuatan pakan dan pengolahan pascapanen. Tetapi sebelumnya mereka mengundang peneliti untuk melakukan riset obyektif.
Hasil penelitian tersebut merekomendasikan beberapa hal. Diantaranya, peternakan kelinci sulit berkembang jika pasar tidak terbuka, masyarakat sering kesulitan membeli kelinci karena tidak semua orang tahu lokasi pemeliharaan kelinci. Selanjutnya petani akan cepat pintar jika kerap diadakan pelatihan serius, asosiasi atau koperasi peternak kelinci sangat penting untuk memberikan posisi tawar harga di pasaran, pengolahan pascapanen sangat menentukan perkembangan pasar kelinci dan ibu rumah tangga berpotensi menjadi pengelola ternak kelinci di rumah karena mereka (62%) terbukti lebih sayang terhadap kelinci dibanding laki-laki (38%).

China Spektakuler
Sementara di China, kelinci sudah dikenal luas oleh masyarakat. Pada 1950, berbagai jenis kelinci dari luar negeri membanjiri Negeri Tirai Bambu tersebut. Gu Zilin, peneliti dari Insititut Pertanian Universitas Ia Bei, Boading China (2001) menuliskan hasil risetnya tentang peternakan kelinci di China. Dalam artikel “Review Rabbit Breeding In China”, Zilin mengkaji pencapaian pengalaman pemeliharaan kelinci domestik di China. Hasilnya, peternakan kelinci memiliki implikasi ekonomis baik dari daging, bulu dan hasil lainnya di sana. Jenis Anggora untuk tujuan penghasil bulu paling banyak diminati peternak.
Pemerintah selain memfasilitasi para pengimpor swasta juga terlibat memberikan bantuan belanja kelinci dari beberapa negara seperti Inggris, Jepang dan Hungaria. Kelinci Anggora yang didatangkan dari Jerman dan Perancis sangat diminati peternak karena kualitas bulunya yang baik. Sedangkan jenis kelinci pedaging, pemerintah China mendatangkan jenis kelinci besar dari Jepang, Selandia Baru, Jerman, Perancis, Amerika Serikat, Denmark dan lain-lain. Kelinci penghasil Fur jenis Rex dari Amerika Serikat juga banyak didatangkan semenjak tahun 1980an.
Masuknya beragam kelinci impor tersebut membuat kelinci lokal China seperti jenis Taihang, Saibei, Fujiang, Anyang dan lain-lain berkembang lebih variatif karena perkawinan silang. Upaya pemerintah mengimpor kelinci ini membuat peternakan kelinci untuk penghasil bulu lebih cenderung pesat dibanding kelinci sebagai penghasil pedaging. Pesatnya perkembangan ternak kelinci juga didukung fakta bahwa masyarakat setempat sangat menggandrungi kelinci.
Kemudian pada 1980 kerjasama ekonomi dan teknologi di bidang peternakan kelinci dengan pemerintah Jerman, Perancis dan Amerika Serikat dilaksanakan di Jiangsu, Shandong, China. Kerjasama ini memperkenalkan model peternakan baru dan teknologi canggih untuk mengelola kelinci beserta hasil-hasilnya. Pada 1988, China menjadi tuan rumah konferensi kelinci tingkat dunia yang ke empat (Fourth World Rabbit Science Conference for Rabbit Sains).

Should I Have my Pet Rabbit Spayed or Neutered?

Question: Should I Have my Pet Rabbit Spayed or Neutered?

Answer: In a word, yes.

There are many advantages in terms of behavior and health to spaying and neutering your pet rabbit. In addition to these benefits, which are outlined below, you will help prevent the problem of pet rabbit overpopulation. People like to joke about how readily rabbits reproduce, but the sad truth is that far too many bunnies end up at shelters and rescues facing an uncertain future already.

Advantages to Spaying and Neutering Pet Rabbits
The obvious reason for spaying and neutering rabbits is to prevent them from reproducing, but their are many other advantages including:

• Spaying prevents a condition called "psuedopregnancy" or false pregnancy where hormonal changes make the rabbit act as if she is pregnant. Rabbits in this condition go through the motions of pregnancy including nest building and milk production and can become quite stressed and aggressive to other rabbits or people.
• Reduced aggression; as rabbits reach sexual maturity, hormones tend to bring out aggressive and or destructive tendencies. Rabbit that are spayed and neutered tend to be calmer, easier to handle, and more affectionate with their owners.
• Spaying and neutering greatly reduces territorial marking behavior such (e.g. urine marking and spraying), and makes litter training easier.
• In females, spaying eliminates the risk of uterine cancer, which is quite common in rabbits. The risk of ovarian cancer is also eliminated, and the risk of mammary cancers (the animal equivalent of breast cancer) is greatly reduced.
• Spaying also prevents other diseases of the reproductive tract such as infection of the uterus (pyometra).
• In males, neutering eliminates the risk of testicular cancer.

Thumping: When a rabbit thumps or stomps on the ground with a hind leg, it can make a surprisingly lo

Thumping: When a rabbit thumps or stomps on the ground with a hind leg, it can make a surprisingly loud noise. This is the way rabbits commuicate danger to other rabbits, and sometimes it is a sign of annoyance. Interpretation: "I'm scared and nervous" or "I'm annoyed with you."
Teeth Grinding: Gentle, soft grinding of the teeth in a relaxed rabbit is communicates contentment (and sounds almost like a cat purring). On the other hand, loud teeth grinding is a sign of pain or discomfort, and your rabbit will often also be tense or hunched up when this occurs.
Interpretation: softly grinding teeth: "This is great"
Loudly grinding teeth: "Oooh, I'm in pain and I don't feel good" (this also means a trip to the vet is in order as soon as possible)
Chin Rubbing: You may witness your rabbit rubbing its chin on objects or even people. Rabbits have scent glands on their chins that they use to scent mark territories and objects (the scent is not detectable by people, though, the scent is strictly for rabbit communication).
Interpretation: "This is mine!"
Binky: The binky is the unique and acrobatic jump accompanied by twisting the body or kicking the legs. Rabbits use the binky to communicate that they are feeling very happy and playful.
Interpretation: "Life is Great! I'm so Happy!"
Licking : A bunny that licks you has fully accepted you and is showing you affection.
Interpretation: "I like you"
Circling Your Feet: A rabbit that follows you around circling your feet may just be trying to get your attention, but more likely your rabbit is sexually mature and is courting you (especially if accompanied by soft honking or oiking noises).
Flat Rabbit: When a rabbit flattens itself on its belly with its head down and ears held very flat, he or she is frightened and is trying to blend into his or her surroundings. (Note: a relaxed rabbit may also lay flat, but a relaxed rabbit has different body language: relaxed muscles and expression.)
Interpretation: "I'm scared!"
Flopping : A content rabbit that is sitting still or grooming may suddenly flop onto its side and lay still. Owners often fear something dire has happened, but it is a sign of utter relaxation.
Interpretation: "oh, I'm just so relaxed."
Lunging: A sudden movement towards you with the head up, tail up and ears back is a very clear form of rabbit communication: an unmistakable threat.
Interpreation: "I don't like that, back off!"
Vocalizations: Rabbits are capable of some vocalizations that they use for communication, which sometimes surprise owners. Here are their interpretations:
Soft Squeal or Whimper: mild annoyance or displeasure.
Grunting, Growling, Snorting, and Hissing: all communicate varied stages of anger, stress, or feeling threatened. May be followed with a lunge or bite.
Soft Honking or Oinking: commuicates sexual interest. If your rabbit is circling you and honking, it is time for neutering.
Screaming: sign of extreme pain or fear. Do not ignore; reassure your rabbit and if there is no obvious reason your rabbit might be terrified, take your bunny to a vet.

Of course, rabbit body language is much more complex than what I have presented here. Rabbits communicate much information by how they position and move their bodies, and an experienced owner can learn to read their rabbit's signals quite well.

Baby Rabbits Leave The Nest Box

Baby Rabbits Learning To Live In The Cage

I remove the nest box at three weeks of age in cold weather and two weeks of age in hot weather. To help with the transition, I may place a large handful of hay in the cage for the bunnies to snuggle into. I've often given them an empty oatmeal box for a few days so that they have a warm place to cluster together. In the past, I tried placing the nest box on its side, but the dam would climb up on it and jump down on the babies. I had one injured that way, so I quit using the nest box that way.

After two or three days, the babies have acclimated to being on the wire. You will notice when they first get out, they try to nurse and the mom spends her time avoiding them. Within a few minutes or hours, that subsides and they coexist on the wire peacefully together.

Make sure that your cage protects these babies from being hurt by rabbits in the neighbor cages. In my first litter, a dam reached through and grabbed a baby and ripped the fur on its neck. You can use babysaver wire or line the adjoining walls with hardware cloth that the dam next door cannot reach through.

You may be concerned about the kits' feet falling through the spaces in the wire floor. It does take them a little practice to walk on the wire and little feet may poke through from time to time. Luckily, they do not weigh enough at this point to cause a lot of damage.

At this point, I provide the kits with their own water dish (even though I've seen babies as young as three weeks using the automatic watering system) and food dish of their own. I sprinkle their pellets with a mixture of sunflower seed hearts and oats. They get the oat-seed mixture until they are five weeks old. Then I suspend it until they are between three and four months old. This practice put an end to a rash of weaning enteritis I had several months ago. Kits get a constant supply of hay as well.

Once the kits are on the wire, the whole group of bunnies is on a free feed schedule until weaning.

Successful Wild Baby Rabbit Care/Rehabilitation

Caretaker Habituation, CTs

Contrary to assertions that one should minimize contact (e.g., Evans, 1983; Buglass Hiss, 1988; Reese,1994), I have found that 'taming' wild infant rabbits during the first two days following admittance with frequent handling is a critical component of their survival during rehabilitation. Piver (1991) similarly advocates a 'touch' approach to rehabilitating infant cottontails.

However, upon introduction

of solid food and within a few days,

the rabbits typically develop diarrhea and

die in a matter of hours

When not handled in this way, wild baby rabbits become stressed every time a human comes near. Thus, they have a low likelihood of survival in captivity. Based on my experience, I do not recommend that bunnies be kept rehab centers, but rather be fostered out to a home where they will have only one caregiver, and where stress factors can be dramatically reduced.Diet-associated diarrhea has proven more difficult to manage,especially when rehabilitation begins with baby rabbits whose eyes have not yet opened.Diarrhea commonly caused by "overfeeding of nutritional inadequate diets" (Evans, 1983) can be circumvented through carefully monitoring the animal's stomach during feeding and by using a milk-replacer formula combination that closely reflects the mother rabbit's milk in gross nutritional composition, as described in this article. However, upon introduction of solid food and within a few days, the wild baby rabbits typically develop diarrhea and die in a matter of hours, most likely from enterotoxemia caused by pathogenic bacteria in their gut (Cheeke, 1987). Efforts to manage this problem have been used with limited success by using antibiotics and/or by providing 'harmless' bacteria (e.g., Lactobacillus; Bene-bac®, etc.) to prevent colonization of the gut with pathogenic microbes and inoculate needed gut flora (e.g., Buglass-Hiss,1988; Reese, 1992, 1994).In fact, Evans (1983) recommends against the "blanket use" of antibiotics with cottontails. In my experience, none of these techniques has worked with rabbit babies who were separated from their mother prior to their eyes opening. Weaning-onset mortality was 100 percent.This article presents a novel approach to preventing weaning-onset diarrhea in cottontail rabbits, based on knowledge of the biology of these animals. (Please see part two - covering weaning to release in the Winter 2000 issue of Wildlife Rehabilitation Today).It is well-known that adult rabbits engage in coprophagy, in which they produce and consume a special type of "soft" or "night" feces, separate from the excretion of their "regular" hard pellets (Cheeke, 1987). (The soft feces are more technically called cecotropes or caecotrophs, and for brevity I will hereafter refer to these as 'CTs.')In the rabbit gut, specific microbes act on food in the cecum, a sac-like structure at the juncture of the small and large intestines. This fermented, bacteria-laden material is coated with mucous. It is voided to produce the CTs. When consumed, CTs provide additional nutrients, including protein, minerals and certain vitamins (Cheeke, 1987).Ingestion of CTs also provides a continual supply of the appropriate microbes that are necessary for proper functioning of the rabbit's gut (Cheeke, 1987). My observations suggested that baby rabbits obtain their gut flora needed to process solid food via eating some of their mother's CTs. Thus, the protocol described below provides CTs to baby rabbits prior to weaning onto solid foods. I have used this technique since 1987 to avoid weaning-onset diarrhea during successful rehabilitation of dozens of baby cottontails (Sylvilagus floridanus) and marsh rabbits (S. palustris).

I have used this technique

since 1987 to avoid weaning-onset

diarrhea during sucessful rehabilitation

of dozens of baby cottontails

My protocol for successful rehabilitation of these animals involves handling/ taming of the babies, which results in wild baby rabbits that are calm in my presence. I am the only person caring for the babies. The only other person that they ever see is my spouse; thus they remain frightened of others, as they should be. Upon release, they "wild out" without any problem and yet remain unafraid of me. This allows me to closely monitor their post-release progress, as they remain near our home on wooded acreage, where we provide specially-constructed brush piles and other hiding places.As evidence of the success of this rehabilitation protocol, I have witnessed several of my released rabbits reproduce. They also have much better than average survival - two to six years - in this 'wild' setting despite the presence of various predators, including hawks, owls, foxes and raccoons.I will address weaning, including the use of CTs to prevent diarrhea, as well as caging and release, in the Winter 2000 issue of Wildlife Rehabilitation Today.

Wild Baby Rabbit Initial Care

During intake assessment of a wild baby rabbit, the primary concern is for its safety.It is a very rare bunny that ever tries to bite. Rabbits' main method of defense is kicking with their hind legs. Though they are capable of inflicting significant scratches, the main danger is to themselves, in that improper holding can result in a fractured spine from the kicking, and also from a fall.Therefore, hold the bunny securely by placing a forefinger of one hand over its ears and forehead with the other fingers and thumb over its shoulders and forelegs. Use your other hand to support and secure its hind legs and rump. Always be alert; bunnies have an uncanny way of relaxing, tending to cause the handler to relax, and then they try to leap out of your grip. Quickly assess the bunny for life threatening conditions that would require emergency care: severe bleeding, shock, difficulty or cessation of breathing, hypothermia or hyperthermia, brain or spinal injury, poisoning, seizures, vomiting, severe burns, severe dehydration, etc. If you are not familiar with protocols for dealing with these problems, see the International Wildlife Rehabilitation Council Basic 1AB course book or the National Wildlife Rehabilitators Association Principles of Wildlife Rehabilitation (1997) manual for details. Or you can consult an experienced wildlife rehabilitator orveterinarian.Make a determination of hydration status by pinching the skin together into a tent on the animal's back at shoulder blade level, and time how long it takes for it to become flat again. Less than one second indicates five percent dehydration; greater than five seconds is severe. No return requires veterinary emergency care.All animals are considered to be mildly dehydrated upon admission, therefore begin administering a rehydration solution (Pedialyte®, Normosol® or lactated Ringer's) every 30 minutes until a normal hydration level is achieved. If the baby appears to be stressed, do not proceed with the physical exam at this time. Instead, stabilize the animal by treating its emergency conditions and place it in a warm incubator in a darkened, quiet area free from human activity and potential predators so that it can calm down, settle in and warm to its normal body temperature (101-103 degrees F).The first step in the physical examination is to observe the baby in the holding container for any additional signs of problems. Examine it from head to tail - does it appear normal, maintain a normal body posture, move correctly, use all limbs, behave naturally, etc.? Use your senses of sight, smell, and hearing when conducting a physical exam. Record the information on a standard physical exam form. Any abnormalities should by appropriately addressed; discussion of these details is beyond the scope of this article.Note that babies that do not have their eyes open can be held and comforted soon after intake. Older babies with their eyes open may require several hours or days to become accustomed to you and to its new surroundings before taming down. As you regularly feed the baby, clean its cage and talk softly to it, you will notice that it will soon become used to you and your hands.Also, it is important to raise more than one baby together; these are social animals when they're babies and need to have playmates and the comfort of cuddling with others.

Homemade Incubator

Wild Babies under two-and-one-half weeks of age should be housed in an incubator. To build an inexpensive, efficient and safe incubator, use a plastic see-through sweater box; drill 1/4" holes 3" apart in rows spaced every 3" across the top. The heat source is a seven-watt night light fixture with the shade removed, plugged into an extension cord and placed into the bottom of a wide- mouth pint canning jar or a glass peanut butter jar. Place the jar in a fuzzy athletic sock, turned inside out; close the sock at the top of the jar with a "twist em" and again at the top of the sock onto the cord. Pin a tent made with sweatshirt material on the side of the jar. Line the incubator with a baby receiving blanket or tee shirt. Place the heater jar in one end of the incubator, making certain there is room all around it for the baby to move without getting stuck.This provides a nice 'warm fuzzy' for the baby to cuddle up to and a cozy cover, almost like Mom! If the room is too cool, you might need to place a towel over some of the holes in the incubator top to hold in more heat, but DO NOT cover the holes over the heating jar or it will get too hot.Another heat source, but much more expensive both to purchase and to use (150 vs. seven watts), is a heating pad placed under one end of the incubator, set on low.

Formula Feeding

After the wild baby rabbit is fully hydrated, palpate and visually check the stomach for remaining mother's milk.Once the stomach is mostly empty, begin the transition to full strength formula, using the following schedule.(Note that there should be a total of at least nine feedings with pre-mixed formula diluted with Pedialyte® before introducing full strength formula).

Pre-mixed rabbit formula 1	Pedialyte®	Give enough to lightly fill stomach every:
1 part	3 parts	1/2 hr (for 3 feedings)
1 part feedings	1 part	1 hr (for 3 feedings)
3 part feedings	1 part	2 hr feedings (for 3-4 feedings)

1 The pre-mixed rabbit formula used here is given below. Note that the powdered formula is mixed with water first, and then diluted with Pedialyte®. Do not make up the powdered formula with Pedialyte®. An established formula that comes close to matching the milk of mother cottontails in gross nutritional composition (Marcum, 1997) is:

Zoologic 42/25® or KMR®	1 part
Zoologic 30/55® or Multi Milk®	1 1/2 parts
Water (distilled or boiled)	2 parts

Other published combination formulas are too protein deficient; even this formula is somewhat lacking in protein. Evans (1983) recommends the addition of commercial protein supplements, although I am not aware of any specific work that has been done to establish this method.Neither Esbilac® nor KMR® should be used alone; Esbilac is very protein deficient and too high in carbohydrates. KMR is deficient in fat and excessively high in carbohydrates, which contributes to diarrhea.Mix only enough powder and water to provide formula for a day's worth of feeding, and keep the unused portion refrigerated to minimize bacterial growth. The recommended feeding utensil is a 1cc syringe with a Catac® nipple, or a nipple made from cutting a 1 1/2 inch piece of #10 or #12 size gastric tube.Babies that have not yet opened their eyes have an essentially sterile gut system, which is maintained by an interaction with the high fatty acid content of the mother's milk (Cheeke, 1987). We cannot duplicate this using existing formulas, and thus it is very important that we do not introduce any bacteria when feeding. Therefore, it is necessary to wash your hands thoroughly and to sterilize all feeding equipment by placing in boiling water before each feeding.When refrigerated, the formula becomes very thick and will need to be spooned out of the storage container. Heating it achieves a more liquid consistency. Warm only the amount of formula that you will feed at one feeding and discard any leftovers. Place the formula in a sterilized medicine dose cup or 35mm film canister and heat it briefly in a microwave or in hot water until it is close to the baby's body temperature. It should feel very warm to your wrist. You should keep the formula warm by immersing its container in a baby food jar of heated water.Hold the baby rabbit in an upright position for feeding. Babies whose eyes have not yet opened should be picked up and laid back in your hand at a 45 degree angle. If the animal resists feeding, it can be encouraged by lightly coating the nipple tip with Nutri Cal® or baby food (e.g., banana or sweet potato flavors). Feed slowly and pay close attention to the crease between the baby's lip and nose - wipe away any milk that goes up toward the nose. Most babies ( before their eyes open) will suck readily on the nipple; older ones may just lick formula off the nipple.

Rather than following

published feeding charts,

observe and palpate the

stomach as you feed.

Unlike squirrels, bunnies are not prone to overeating. However, it is important not to overfeed, as that will cause diarrhea. Rather than following published feeding charts, observe and palpate the stomach as you feed. It should be slightly rounded out and slightly firm, but never hard or taut. Babies that do not have their eyes open are fed every three hours and with much smaller amounts than what you will see in published feeding charts.Many articles on rabbit care state that babies are only fed once or twice a day by their mothers andthus that we should feed on a similar schedule. However, I recommend more frequent feedings, for two reasons. First, rabbit mothers in the wild may actually feed more often - once or twice during the night, as well as at dawn and dusk (Harrison & Harrison, 1985). Second, substitute milk formulas are digested much more rapidly than rabbit milk, which due to its acidity, forms a thick curd in the baby's stomach and digest slowly over several hours.Adjust the feeding schedule so that the baby's stomach is mostly empty before feeding again. Some bunnies digest faster than others.Babies with eyes closed must be stimulated to urinate and defecate. Some may defecate on their own but you should stimulate them after each feeding.Bunnies that are accustomed to being held will allow stimulation for elimmination long after their eye have opened. This allows you to closely monitor the character of both urine and feces, and keeps the cage cleaner.

Always be on the alert for the first sign of mushy feces, and make corrections, such as by reducing the amount or frequency of formula feeding, changing or reducing the amount of weaning foods given, reducing the stress level, etc. Mushy feces may also indicate a need for administration of another couple doses of CTs (this is be covered more fully in part two in the Winter 2000 issue of Wildlife Rehabilitation Today).Babies whose eyes have yet to open should be weighed every other day, as a consistent loss in weight is a sign of a problem.

In a previous article (Kenyon, 1999), I introduced a protocol for the successful rehabilitation of orphaned wild infant cottontail and marsh rabbits that avoids the often-fatal diarrhea commonly seen during wild rabbit rehabilitation (Evans, 1983; Reese, 1992).This approach includestwo features:(1)habituating('taming') the rabbits to captivity through early frequent handling, and (2) providing the infants with 'soft feces' (also termed cecotropes) from an older wild rabbit to help establish their gut flora prior to weaning them to solid food.My previous article addressed initial care for the rabbits, making an incubator and formula feeding.Here I describe the remaining components of this protocol, including weaning to solid food, caging and release procedures.

WEANING

Weaning-onset diarrhea is a very common occurence in wild baby rabbits that have been separated from their mother prior to their eyes opening.Once such diarrhea begins, I know of no way to stop it, and it usually is fatal.To avoid this, within a day or two of the eyes opening and BEFORE ANY solid foods are offered, begin the following probiotic (microbe supplying) regimen. Obtain fresh cecotrope material (hereafterreferred to as CTs) from an older healthy wild rabbit.There are two forms that can be used. The most common is the CT "packet", the clump of closely clustered grape-like 'soft feces' that are expelled by the rabbit during the night or dawn hours. CTs are dark brown to black, soft and moist, with a strong odor, in contrast to the individual, lighter colored round pellets that are excreted (these are also harder, drier and less odorous than CTs).Rabbits usually eat CTs directly from their anus, and thus they are not readily found in a rabbit's excrement.The best way to obtain CTs is to put an Elizabethan collar on a domestic rabbit overnight. The rabbit should be in an elevated cage with clean newspaper underneath to catch the CT material.Analternate method for obtaining CTs is to get the cecal sac from a butchered healthy rabbit. It does not matter what age or sex the rabbit donor is.What does matter is that it is healthy, without parasites, and that it is not on any type of medication.Remove 2-3 of the soft pellets and offer them to the rabbit.Some bunnies will readily lick these off one's finger.Otherwise, mix them into 1cc of formula and syringe feed.In either case, make certain that all of the material is eaten. Feed this once each day for 3 or 4 days.If fluid from the cecum is used, withdraw this directly into a 1cc syringe and feed 1/3 cc per day on the same schedule.Experimental studies (i.e., controlled double-blind, etc.) need to be done to determine the precise CT dosage and schedule. For example, smaller doses over a shortened time may be adequate.However, since 1987 I have used the protocol described here with complete success on dozens of rabbits, and thus I strongly recommend that it be followed until additional data are available.Because of the difficulty in obtaining CTs, it would be helpful if these could be frozen for future use.Thus, studies also need to be done to determine whether and how long the CTs remain viable under freezing or other methods of preservation.I have frozen the cecal sac liquid and based on microscopic examination after thawing, it has appeared to remain 'alive' for at least a few weeks.Once this schedule of CT feeding has been completed, weaning onto solid foods can begin.The weaning diet should consist ofhigh quality, name brand rabbit pellets and high quality, well washed natural vegetation (e.g., grass, clover, dandelions and plantains) that you are certain has not been sprayed with, or was not in a drift area of, pesticides or fertilizers.Also include high quality alfalfa hay.It is imperative that the hay be completely dry and stored in an air tight container to avoid the risk of molds.A good transitional food is raw rolled Quaker{R} oats.Bunnies are always eager to eat this and will continue to favor it; thus you must wean them off the oats inorder to get them to eat the pellets.

Although rather young wild rabbits may be seen outside their nest during weaning, this does not necessarily mean that they are weaned from their mother's milk (Reese, 1992). For example, I have observed a wild mother rabbit (one that had previously been rehabbed and released), near her nest nursing babies that were a few weeks beyond eye-opening.In fact, cottontails are not fully weaned until 4-5 weeks of age (Chapman et al., 1982).Thus, you should continue to feed formula during the weaning process.To avoid spoilage, do not add liquid formula to the oats or the pellets.Also, do not put formula in a dish, as the bunnies will step in and run through it, getting it all over themselves and contaminating it.Trying to clean formula from bunny fur is very stressful both for the bunny and you!As the bunny gets older, you can offer a dish of liquid formula and see if they can drink it without making a mess.However, do not leave a dish of liquid formula in the cage formore than about 30 minutes because of potential bacterial growth.

Keep fresh water available at all times, preferably in a water bottle (vs. a dish) for cleanliness (note that bunnies reared with a water bottle readily convert later to a dish or natural water source).Make certain that all babies are eating the weaning diet.Weigh them every 3rd or 4th day, and continue to monitor fecal quality.Offer supplemental foods (well washed fruits and vegetables) only after the bunnies are routinely eating the rabbit pellets.Keep in mind that supplemental foods should comprise no more that 10% of the total diet-- they are treats.Some suggestions for these are broccoli (stems only), carrots, endive, kale, romaine lettuce, water cress, cauliflowerand occassionally blueberries, strawberries or raspberries.Add one small piece of supplemental food at a time, and then wait a couple of days so that if a problem develops, you know which food may have caused it.Keep a heavy dish (for stability) of rabbit pellets available at all times, and feed the greens at dusk and early mornings, the normal foraging times for rabbits (Harrison & Harrison, 1985).

CAGING

Once the wild rabbit babies leave the incubator, they can be housed in a standard2' x4' x 1 1/2' commercial rabbit cage as long as the cage is inside a protective enclosure.Outfit these cages with hiding places, including boxes, tunnels, tubes made of pvc drainage pipe and piles of hay.Also provide dishpan-sized sand trays for digging and play.Do not use these cages outside as predators(e.g., raccoons and cats) can reach through them and grab a bunny, and snakes can crawl inside.Do not use screening for rabbit enclosures, as raccoons and dogs can break through screening.It is important to house bunnies in an enclosure with only bunnies, or with only bunnies and squirrels.Make certain that they cannot see, hear, or smell ANY potential predator.Keep in mind that their senses are much more acute than our own.Reese (1992) suggests keeping cages near the ground because rabbits are ground-dwellers.This is good logic, but in my experience I have found that a person rising high above caged rabbits tends to scare them.Therefore, I recommend that cages be elevated; also, an elevated cage will bring the rabbits above the eye line of an outdoor predator.

Bunnies at this stage are relaxed, curious, and playful, both with each other and with their foster mom. I have observed wild-born litters that have left the nest playing vigorously with each other, as well as playing by themselves, and even trying to engage their real mother in play.Play is a critical part of developing the predator-avoidance skills of speed and jumps that result in a 180 degree turn.It is a tragedy to allow a baby rabbit to remain so frightened throughout its early development that it never is at ease enough to play, and that it has to be confined in a very small cage so that it doesn't injure itself, as some rehabbers have suggested. When the bunnies begin to pace, dig and chew the wire, or fight, it may not mean that they are ready for release but rather that they need to be moved into a larger enclosure.It is important at this stage to try to keep the group of bunnies no larger than what is dictated by the size of the cage.Continue to observe them, especially at night, for signs of fighting (e.g., clumps of fur on the floor or scratches on the bunnies) and be ever alert for signs of stress.If these problems occur, and you do not have a larger enclosure, you can intervene by separating out an aggressive bunny, or by releasing it.

Enclosures for outside should be made of galvanized 1" x 1/2" welded wire (preferred), or galvanized 1/2" x 1/2" welded wire, elevated 2 feet off the ground with the bottom area under the cage closed off to prevent predator access, and two sides should be visually blocked to a height of18 inches.The enclosure that I have for my outside bunnies is8' x 12' x 8' tall, and has a plywood floor, with a small area with a wire floor for airing their undersides (which they like to do), and for excretory purposes.They are very easy to 'potty train' to a specific area by using urine-soiled newspaper.In this enclosure bunnies are content, unstressed and playful, and they come to greet me when I enter!

RELEASE

Rehabilitators seem to be aware that typically, most orphaned wild baby rabbits get diarrhea and die soon after their eyes open. Many assume that the diarrhea is due to stress, which can be one cause, but more commonly the likely cause is enterotoxemia from pathogenic bacteria in their gut (Cheeke, 1987).The high frequency of diarrhea has led to the establishment of protocols, based on erroneous beliefs, to cease giving formula and to release the animal shortly after the rabbit's eyes open, or when it begins eating solid foods.Described by Reese (1992) as a common mistake, and as I have heard others mention,the goal of many rabbit rehabilitators is to release the animals before they die in captivity,using the reasoning that'It doesn't matter, anyway, because they are just going to be eaten by a predator.'It is certainly true, at this very young age that, without a nest in which to hide, and without much savvy of the dangers in the wild, they will soon be eaten, and if not they will most certainly die from diarrhea!Given such a self-fulfilling prophecy, one has to ask "Why bother 'rehabbing' them?"

Wild rabbit babies in my care are usually 1/2 to 3/4 grown before I release them, and therefore they are not going to immediately become a meal for a predator; their speed and avoidance techniques by this time are well honed!Although they are comfortable around me, they are frightened at the approach of other persons.To release them, their enclosure is opened and they are free to leave whenever they are ready.If they have not left by nightfall, the door is closed to prevent predators from entering, and opened again the next day.They do not disappear in a panic retreat, but rather leisurely explore their new freedom, sometimes returning to their enclosure, and generally staying in the area for months and sometimes several years, and are periodically watched by us at feeding and/or watering stations, with their own babies, etc. On at least three occasions a mother rabbit had her babies under the 'Critter Hut', the enclosure from which she was released.

In general, for on-site releases, slow release methods are preferred as they allow, the bunny to leave when IT is ready, rather than when the rehabilitator is ready, and this allows the rehabilitator to keep track of the animal and provide assistance if needed.Following is a list of questions to consider before releasing rabbits that have been rehabbed:

1.)What is the weather like and what is the forecast? Is the rabbit in good enough physical condition to withstand these conditions?

2.) Is the rabbit at normal body weight for its age (i.e., not too thin, with good muscle tone, etc.?

3.) From what injuries did it recover? Can it run properly? Does it have good strength and stamina? Does it have normal vision?Can it hear?Are the stools normal? Is it good general health?

4.) Does it have a dense coat of fur?

5.) Is the release site in the proper habitat: woodland with thick undergrowth, brush piles and a meadow area, with ample food and fresh water (creek, stream, pond or lake)?Iffood is seasonally sparse, will you be able to continue to offer handouts?

6.) Is there evidence that some rabbits are living in the release habitat? If not, figure out the reason-- it may be ominous!Are there too many predators in the area, human hunting or trapping, etc.?

7.) Does it recognize its predators, from the air as well as the ground?Is it afraid of persons other than yourself?

8.) Is it acclimated to the outside ambient temperatures? This is critically important.

9.) What are the hunting and trapping seasons of the area? Try to wait until hunting season is over!What about plans for construction? Don't release in an area that is soon to be bulldozed!Always obtain permission from the owner before releasing animals on property other than your own.

CONCLUSIONS

In this and my previous article (Kenyon, 1999), I have described a protocol for successful rehabilitation and release of infant rabbits.I have developed and applied this protocol over the past 12 years with dozens of cottontail and marsh rabbits.Prior to this, rabbits that were brought in for rehabilitation beforetheir eyes opened (some were newborns), and had developed entirely normally to this point, would invariably get diarrhea and die soon after I began weaning them to solid food. Now, by habituating them to captivity and handling, AND by feeding them CTs prior to weaning, my bunnies do not get diarrhea, they thrive during rehabilitation and they are successfully released.Subsequent observations on these rabbitsin the wild confirm their long-term survival and reproduction, essential components of successful rehabilitation.

Panduan memilih kelinci Jenis Dutch (Kenali ciri-cirinya, jangan sampai tertipu)

Para Rabbits mania, mungkin banyak diantara Anda termasuk Saya juga pernah merasa tertipu saat bertransaksi kelinci, ternyata peliharaan yang kita beli ternyata jenisnya bukan seperti yang dikatakan si penjual dan bukan seperti yang kita inginkan. Sampe rumah baru nyesel dech….
Tapi perlu disadari juga bahwa hal ini mungkin tidak akan terjadi jika saja Kita para pembeli memiliki bekal sebelumnya, yakni sedikit pengetahuan tentang apa yang ingin kita miliki. Sedikit demi sedikit Saya akan mencoba untuk mencari informasi mengenai jenis-jenis kelinci yang sekarang banyak kita kenal dalam ras perkelincian di Indonesia dan men-share untuk Anda sekalian.
Kali ini Saya mulai dengan jenis DUTCH, selamat membaca.
Kelinci jenis DUTCH pertama kali ditemukan di Holland pada sekitar tahun 1850-an dan lebih dikenal dengan nama Hollander Rabbit. Jenis kelinci sangat populer sehingga muncul di Inggris pada tahun 1864 dan kemudian berlanjut menyebar keseluruh dunia. Kelinci jenis DUTCH adalah salah satu jenis yang diternakan pada pada masa sebelum kelinci jenis yang lain. Dengan memperlihatkan eksistensinya, jenis kelinci ini adalah jenis yang mudah dipelihara (Domestic Rabbit)dibandingkan dengan jenis kelinci liar Eropa. Dengan pertimbangan keindahan terhadap kelinci jenis ini maka para peternak /breeder sangat memperhatikan sekali dalam menjaga dan menyempurnakan bentuk tubuh/tampilannya sampai sekarang.
Ciri-ciri fisik
Kelinci jenis DUTCH adalah jenis yang tidak terlalu besar dengan telinga yang berdiri tegak dan memiliki kaki belakang yang kuat. Kaki belakangnya selalu lebih panjang daripada kaki depannya. Ciri utama kelinci jenis DUTCH ini adalah seakan-akan memakai seragam warna putih yang menutupi sebagian warna dasar kelinci itu sendiri. Kelinci jenis ini adalah merupakan jenis yang populer dikalangan pe-hobi kelinci sampai saat ini.

• Berat badan pada saat usia dewasa adalah berkisar antara 2 -2.5 Kg dengan masa rentang hidup adalah sekitar 5 – 8 tahun.
• Masa kehamilan (Gestation Period) adalah 30 – 33 hari
• Masa sapih yang optimum bagi anak-anaknya adalah pada sekitar usia 4 – 6 minggu
• Rata-rata konsumsi makannya kelinci dewasa adalah 160 gram per kilogram berat badan
• Rata-rata konsumsi air adalah 100 – 200 ml per Kilogram berat badan, tapi hal ini juga tergantung dengan kondisi temperature lingkungan
• Kotoran yang dihasilkan adalah sekitar 5 -6 gumpalan

Karakter, Perangai dan Penanganan
Kelinci jenis DUTCH ini adalah sangat cocok sekali untuk dijadikan hewan peliharaan, baik untuk para orang dewasa maupun anak2. Anak-anak yang mulai memeliharan hewan peliharaan lebih baik berusia diatas 10 tahun, tapi bukan berarti anak dibawah usia tersebut tidak boleh, asalkan tetap diawasi oleh orang tuanya.
Kelinci jenis DUTCH pada dasarnya adalah merupakan kelinci yang baik dan memiliki sifat sosial yang tinggi serta sangat energik. Kelinci jenis ini tidak terlalu menuntut perhatian , bertipe mudah cepat bosan, memiliki intelegensi yang tinggi dan mudah untuk dilatih.
Tidak seperti kucing atau anjing, kelinci masih memiliki rasa ketakutan yang alami pada saat ia hendak ditangkap maupun dipegang. So.. bagi para rabbits lover yang baru saja memiliki Kelinci jenis ini dan si Kelinci masih terlihat belum jinak ya mohon bersabar ya… Berikan ia waktu agar bisa menyesuaikan diri, mungkin dari bayinya si Kelinci ini tidak terbiasa untuk diberikan perhatian oleh para breeder-nya. Yang istimewanya, karena si DUTCH ini memiliki intelejensi yang baik maka ia bisa dilatih untuk mengenali namanya sehingga pada saat dipanggil ia akan menurut kepada Anda. Ngomong-ngomong si DUTCH ini juga adalah kelinci yang sangat senang untuk dipangku dan diberi perhatian.
Pada umumnya, kelinci sangat mudah sekali untuk terkejut dan ini adalah merupakan response yang alami dimana kelinci pada awalnya adalah merupakan umpan/bagi hewan pemangsa. Jadi untuk para Rabbits lovers, jangan lupa ya pada saat mengangkat hewan ini agar mengikuti petunjuk yang benar sehingga si Kelinci merasa nyaman dan tidak menghentak yang bisa mengakibatkan cidera, baik bagi kelinci maupun anda sendiri.
TIPE UMUM
Maksudnya tipe adalah merupakan perpaduan kesempurnaan dari bentuk badan dengan kombinasi penampilan bagian-bagian tubuh yang lain yang memiliki keharmonisan dan keseimbangan yang baik. Dan biasanya yang sangat terperhatikan adalah dari kesempurnaan bulu dan mata.


BENTUK BADAN
Kelinci jenis DUTCH memiliki bentuk badan yang padat yang berpadu dengan bentuk badan yang membulat dibagian belakang.
Dilihat dari bagian belakang, tubuh yang sempurna adalah bahwa bagian punggung memiliki bagian yang paling tinggi bila diukur dari bagian pinggang dan pinggulnya.
Dilihat dari atas, bagian punggungnya terlihat membulat dan memiliki ukuran yang sedikt lebih kecil dari lebar bagian paha. Bagian pinggulnya memiliki bentuk bulat sempurna dimana bagian kaki belakang dan pinggang menyentuh permukaan tanah dan tidak memiki tulang yang menonjol yang dapat merusak kesempurnaannya.
BENTUK KEPALA
Kepala yang baik adalah kepala yang berbentuk bulat penuh dan tidak berbentuk seperti buah pir (alias ada kemonyongan diarea mulut), bentuk leher pendek (tidak lebih dari 2 jari) seakan menyatu dengan bagian punggung.
BENTUK TELINGA
Daun telinga jenis DUTCH adalah harus berbentuk pendek gemuk, ditumbuhi oleh bulu yang merata dan berdiri tegak. Ukuran telinganya harus proporsional dengan kepala maupun badannya.
BENTUK MATA
Tampilan mata haruslah bersih dan cerah tanpa ada bintik-bintik dibagian korneanya. Warna kornea juga harus sama pada kedua matanya. Warna bola mata kelinci jenis ini biasanya berwarna coklat tua, tapi ada juga pengecualian untuk DUTCH yang berwarna kebiruan, maka matanya juga akan memiliki warna biru keabu-abuan. Tapi yang penting warna mata kelinci jenis ini adalah harus terlihat terang.
BENTUK KAKI
Bentuk kaki dan tungkai kelinci ini harus lurus dan memiliki ukuran keseimbangan yang harmonis dengan bentuk tubuhnya. Dan yang juga penting adalah warna kuku-nya harus putih.
CIRI BULU DAN TANDA KHUSUS
Bulu dari kelinci DUCTH berukuran pendek dan padat. Jadi kalau di test, pakai aja sisir dengan menyisir kearah berlawanan. Kalau bulunya bagus maka bulu tersebut akan kembali ke posisi semula. Dan bulu-bulu in harus menutupi seluruh bagian tubuh kelinci. Warna bulu kelinci juga biasanya terlihat sampai kulitnya, jadi kalau bulunya hitam maka warna permukaan kulitnya juga akan hitam, begitu juga dengan coklat.
Tanda khusus (seragam DUTCH) sangat mempengaruhi penampilannya. Jadi kalau mau beli jenis ini perhatikan garis batas warnanya yang harus bersih, kontras (misal antara warna hitam dan putih, abu-abu dengan putih, coklat dengan putih dll) dan lurus. Coba lihat gambar berikut.

Yach.. mudah-mudahan setelah membaca tulisan ini, para Rabbit lover bisa sedikit mengerti dan bisa mempertimbangkan kembali jika ada yang menawari Kelinci jenis ini, sehingga bisa mendapatkan harga yang rasional.
Selamat berburu…

Kelinci Pedaging

Akhir-akhir ini bisnis kelinci pedaging semakin diminati oleh sebagian pebisnis di tanah air, apalagi semenjak mewabahnya virus flu burung sebagian Rumah Sakit mengganti menu daging ayam dengan daging kelinci, perusahaan sosis-pun kini menghadirkan variant sosis kelinci untuk menggantikan sosis ayam. Bahkan Kami sempat terkaget-kaget ketika ada pelanggan yg berencana membeli 10.000 ekor kelinci pedaging dari Kami…woww….
Sebenarnya bisnis kelinci pedaging sudah sejak lama dimulai oleh peternak-peternak di Indonesia, hanya saja karena tidak adanya forum/wadah yg mengakomodir para peternak menyebabkan distribusi kelinci pedaging tidak merata. Di suatu daerah jumlah kelinci pedaging menumpuk hingga peternak kebingunan untuk menyalurkanya, sedangkan di daerah lainya para bandar kebingungan memenuhi orderan. Kami pernah mendapat informasi ada seorang peternak yg kebingungan untuk menyalurkan kelincinya pada akhirnya membagikan kelinci miliknya secara cuma-cuma! Sayang saat itu Kami tidak ada
Memang bisnis kelinci pedaging gampan-gampang susah,…kelinci bukanlah komoditi primer(bahan pokok) yg dicari oleh masyarakat, sehingga pemerintah tidak merasa perlu untuk campur tangan dalam menentukan harga kelinci. Berbeda dengan harga sapi, ayam, atau komoditi peternakan lainya yg termasuk kedalam komoditi primer. Saat harga daging sapi melonjak, pemerintah langsung turun tangan untuk menekan kenaikan harga sapi,..tapi saat harga kelinci fluktuatif, pemerintah tidak akan turun tangan, sehingga pasar yg akan menentukan harga kelinci. Hal ini pulalah yg menyebabkan harga kelinci di tiap daerah berbeda-beda. Sehingga jika Kita ingin memulai berbisnis kelinci pedaging, Kita harus melakukan survei pasar terlebih dahulu dan melakukan perhitungan untung-ruginya. Tidak semua daerah di Indonesia cocok untuk bisnis kelinci pedaging.
Kendala utama dari beternak kelinci pedaging adalah jumlah orderan yg sering kali tidak sesuai dengan kemampuan peternak. Kebanyakan orderan yg datang meminta daging kelinci dalam jumlah yg sangat besar secara rutin. Bayangkan saja, rekan Kami pernah mendapatkan permintaan daging kelinci(sudah disembelih) sebanyak 2ton!! Umumnya berat karkas kelinci adalah 33% (sepertiga)berat hidup, artinya jika kelinci hidup memiliki berat 3kg, maka saat disembelih berat dagingnya hanya sebesar 1kg saja. Jika orderan tersebut menuntut pasokan sebanyak 2ton daging kelinci/bulan maka Kita harus menyiapkan 6ton kelinci hidup, atau 3000 kelinci/bulan. Tentu ini bukan hal yg mudah, banyak aspek yg harus dipikirkan, mulai dari tempat penyembelihan, pegawai, freezer,dll. Belum lagi orderan seperti itu biasanya bersifat profesional, artinya jika Kita tidak mampu memenuhi orderan sesuai kesepakatan kerjasama, maka Kita akan dikenakan denda. Rumit bukan???tapi itulah tantanganya
Nah,..sekarang jenis kelinci apakah yg cocok untuk bisnis kelinci pedaging?
Beberapa peternak menggunakan jenis kelinci flemish giant(plams giant), namun Kami sendiri lebih senang menggunakan jenis kelinci Lokal. Kelinci Lokal adalah kelinci yg tidak masuk ke dalam katagori kelinci hias. Biasanya kelinci jenis ini turunan/silangan dari kelinci New Zealand. Mengapa tidak menggunakan kelinci flemish?Karena kelinci flemish memiliki nilai jual yg lebih tinggi jika dijual sebagai kelinci hias dibandingkan jika Kita jual sebagai kelinci pedaging.
Gimana,..ada yg tertarik mencoba berbisnis kelinci pedaging ?