GENERAL CARE OF RABBITS 'J^ 



boys that the right way to lift a, rabbit is to 

 grab it by the ears. This is wholly wrong, as 

 every rabbit keeper of experience knows. 

 Many times lop ears are produced as a result 

 of such rough handling, and a lop ear spoils 

 an otherwise good specimen. Moreover, 

 handling by the ears causes the rabbit pain, 

 and is a most cruel practice. There is one 

 right way to lift and carry a rabbit, and one 

 which all youthful rabbit keepers should be 

 taught at the beginning. Just behind the 

 shoulders there is a bunch of loose skin which 

 can be readily grasped by the hand, in much 

 the same way as an old cat takes her kitten in 

 her mouth by the scruff of the neck. It does not 

 injure or hurt a young rabbit to lift it in this 

 way. Quite often a rabbit breeder following 

 this practice will also close his fingers around 

 the ears so that a superficial observer might 

 think that the weight of the rabbit was carried 

 by the ears. When a rabbit is heavy it is best 

 to use two hands, one holding the animal in 

 the way mentioned, while the other is placed 

 under the hind quarters and allowed to carry 

 most of the weight. As a rule rabbits dislike 

 to be handled. Sometimes they will struggle 



