RABBITS 



253 



An English Lop-Eared Raiuut ( Fi:male) 



the owner or the person who 

 feeds them does it. Rabbits 

 are afraid of strangers, and if 

 they approach, the terrified 

 mother will jump upon her 

 young to protect them, and 

 in so doing smother them. 



To raise rabbits with profit 

 it is necessary, above all, to 

 have suitable hutches, for 

 which purpose large bo.xes or 

 barrels can be used. If bo.xes 

 are chosen they must be so 

 placed that they will be dry 

 and sanitary. The hutches 

 for the females, w^hich should 

 always be rather larger than 



those for the males, must be three feet long, 

 two and a half feet wide, and twenty inches 

 deep. They must be provided with lattice 

 doors. When the mother rabbit is about to 

 bring forth young she should be placed in 

 a " nest hutch." It is not necessary that this 

 should be the size of the above, and the open- 

 ing need be only large enough for the mother 

 to pass through, with a few holes above for 

 ventilation. The young ones will then be well 

 lodged and protected against inclemencies of 

 weather. Above all, it is necessary to make 

 sure that these hutches be placed in dry 



An English Lop-Earkd Rabkit (Male) 



A I.EPORIDE RaBRIT (FEMALE) 



situations, as in a barn or 

 shed, where neither wind nor 

 rain can reach them. If the 

 rabbits must be kept out of 

 doors, a shed made of planks 

 and covered with tar paper 

 should be built over the 

 hutches ; the roof should be 

 tarred and the inside parti- 

 tions whitewashed. 



If it is desired to have a 

 good rabbit home, several 

 bo.xes of uniform size may be 

 placed together in groups of 

 three or more. They should 

 never stand directly on the 

 ground, but should be raised 



