BABBITS 181 



ing pans should also be kept very clean; and 

 these ought to be of pottery or iron, as wooden 

 ones are ruined by nibbling. The hutch should 

 be cleaned regularly ; in fact, it is a good thing 

 to make a practice of raking out the refuse 

 every morning and giving the rabbits a bed of 

 fresh straw. 



Babbits should be fed regularly twice a day. 

 Almost anything in the way of fresh vegetables 

 is good for them green grass, lettuce, cab- 

 bage-leaves, roots, such as carrots, sweet apples, 

 and vegetable parings from the kitchen. A 

 regular daily ration, however, should be a 

 small quantity of grain, half oats and half 

 bran, or something similar, and in the winter 

 good hay. Many recommend in winter, warm 

 tea-leaves and dandelion as an occasional treat, 

 good for their health, and boiled potato-parings 

 given warm. One experienced man warns us 

 against giving cabbage-leaves to the young; 

 and also warns us that all green stuff offered 

 must be quite dry or it is likely to "pad" the 

 animals give them cholera morbus. They do 

 not need much water when fed on juicy food, 

 but drink a good deal when living on hay and 



