THE RABBIT IN HEALTH 11 



long bones has become ossified or is still con- 

 nected with the shaft by cartilage. The above 

 are only very rough indications as to age but 

 as far as they go are useful and reliable. 



Feeding 



There are many popular superstitions in the 

 matter of the feeding of rabbits, but as in the 

 case of all animals success depends piot so much 

 on the precise nature of the food stuffs as upon 

 the correct ratio of digestible albuminoids, fats 

 and carbohydrates, contained in them. The 

 correct proportion for yovmg rabbits and nurs- 

 ing does is proteins 1, carbohydrates 4 to 5. 

 Rabbits fed on a diet deficient in proteins, ac- 

 quire a voracious appetite but at the same time 

 fall off in condition or fail to develop, becoming 

 weakly and stvmted. The fault most generally 

 committed in feeding rabbits is to feed a ration 

 with a deficiency of proteins with the results 

 emmierated above. On the other hand a ration 

 with protein in excess of the requirements of 

 the individual is an extravagant one and seri- 

 ously reduces the profits of the enterprise.^ 

 The quantity of food consimied by the average 

 rabbit may be estimated at two ounces daily 

 per pound weight but it must be imderstood 

 that this estimate applies only to the correctly 

 balanced ration. In addition it should be re- 

 membered that the yoxmger the rabbit the 

 higher must be the proportion of proteins in 



