| Rabbits and Cavies |
| Breeds of rabbits: |
| Fun Facts: |
| Breeds of Guinea Pigs: |
| Alaska American Checkered Giant American Angora Argente De Champagne Belgian Hare Beveren Blanc De Hotot Black and Tan Californian Chinchilla Cinnamon Dutch English Spot or Butterfly English Silver Flemish Giant Florida White Harlequin Havana Himalayan Lilac Lop Netherland Drawf New Zealand Palomino Polish Rex Rhinelander Sable Satin Siberian Silver Fox American Silver Fox Smoke Pearl |
| Lop rabbits come in differnet sub-breeds classified by their ear size and shape. There are: French, Holland or Dwarf, Mini, and English varieties. Like cats, rabbits can get hairballs in the spring molting season. This can be seen by lethargy, not eatting, and breath the odor of sour milk. Guinea Pigs always need to be supplied with extra Vitamin C. Wild rabbits live in colonies, varying from only a few to hundreds of inhabitants. Unlike hares, which build their nests on the ground surfaces, rabbits dig many tunnels to form a warren. The warren's numerous tunnels lead to communal chambers and various dead ends. Six wild rabbits can consume as much food as a single sheep, and therefore are a serious problem to farmers. Rabbits can attain speeds of approximately 21 mph (35 kph) and are adept at making rapid turns to escape from preadators. Rabbits are not rodents, but lagomorphs. Rabbits evolved about 2-3 million years ago. Lagomorphs are divided into two families: rabbits and hares, and pica. There are 38 species of rabbits and hares, 17 of which are rabbits. |
| A hare is different from a rabbit for two reasons. Hares have longer limbs and ears than rabbits, and they have 48 chromosomes, to a rabbit's 44. The domestication of rabbits for food is attributed to French monks. It became fashionable in Italy to keep rabbits and hares. Although rabbit hunting was a popular sport, it was also expensive to eat. The monks were allowed to eat unborn or newly born rabbits, known as laurice, during fasting. This was because laurice was not considered meat. This dish dates back to Roman times. Rabbits are induced ovulators, and domestic rabbits are capable of cycling year round, while their wild counterpart has a breeding season. Does (adult females) have the ability to resorb the fetus(es) if they don't think the environmental conditions are right. It is not abortion, but degeneration of the fetus and then is simply resorbed into the body again. This process helps to control wild rabbit populations. |