GERMAN MOTLEY GIANT (BUILDER): DESCRIPTION AND CHARACTERISTICS OF THE BREED

In order to have rabbits, first of all, you need to familiarize yourself with the rules of their maintenance, nutrition, care and breeding.

The choice of rabbit breed depends on the purpose of its purchase. In this article we will consider the features and rules of breeding the German Motley Giant breed.

History of origin

The German motley giant, the German butterfly, the builder and many other names has this breed. The name "builder" comes from the word "line" - a black longitudinal strip across the back of the animal. The exact history of the breeding is unknown, but they appeared on the territory of England thanks to the crossing of the Belgian giant and local breeds. Because of the difficult process of selection, rabbits did not have constant characteristics when breeding, therefore it was impossible to distinguish them in a separate category at that time.

Did you know? The record of fertility belongs to the rabbit, who gave birth to 24 rabbits at a time!

Then the German breeders took up this issue in more detail, and it was thanks to them that the German motley giant in 1890 was first presented at the exhibition. Already in 1908, this breed was officially made separate.

Straw Rabbit: Breed Description

These rabbits are known precisely for their unusual appearance, bright color and large size. Consider exactly what external characteristics has the builder, so as not to confuse it with another similar species, for example with the Belgian giant.

Rabbit breed Strokach attributed to the meat direction. We advise you to familiarize yourself with the peculiarities of breeding other meat breeds of rabbits: chicolus, white pannon, hiplus, and French sheep. Also read about the best breeds of meat rabbits.

Appearance

External characteristics can be identified as follows:

weight: Both males and females can reach a weight of up to 6 kg;
head: oval shape, small in size, in proportion to the size of the body;
ears: long, about 15-18 cm, erect;
torso: large, oblong, with a curved back, but at the same time the rabbit is very muscular and slender;
Color: There is an ideal color option for the builder: dark circles around the eyes, a dark butterfly on the nose, 2 spots near the cheekbones, pure black ears, specks on the sides of the crawl, but not more than 8. Variations can be white with black, with blue, and also color Madagascar and Havana;

paws: powerful, muscular;
eyes: almond shape, dark color, mostly brown color;
the size: large crawl, because the weight is also quite large;
neck: not very long, wide, one can say a thick neck;
claws:medium length, transparent or yellowish.

Thus, we can conclude that this look has not only a peculiar, unique color, but also a fairly large weight, size and muscular physique.

Rabbit character

Character under good conditions of detention is very kind and calm. Friendly to children, very appeasable pets. Quite active, therefore, need to walk.

Important! If the rabbit feels in danger, then he can show aggression, even with a calm character!

Pure breed criteria

The basis of pure breed can take:

bright, clear picture, not blurred;
spots and color should be dark or dark brown, if it is a special color, it can be bluish or Madagascar;
weight should be from 5 to 11 kg;
soft, uniform coat, without damage;
painted in pure black ears of the correct form, upright;
calm behavior even with unfamiliar people or other rabbits;
large size, but they are muscular and thin.

There may be slight deviations that will not affect the rabbit's thoroughbreds:

a slight weight loss, for example, 4.5, etc .;
coat color may depend specifically on the subspecies of the breed;
in stressful situations, the rabbit can behave nervously, a little aggressively, but in acceptable norms.

If the pet has such minor flaws, then it can still be considered a thoroughbred.

Did you know? Rabbits, thanks to the special structure of the eyes, can see what is happening behind, without turning their heads.

Content and care

When growing a rabbit you need to pay attention to such moments:

Place of residence: Since rabbits are very large and are quite active, they need either a spacious cage or a place in the shed in which they will feel comfortable. There should also be a bed of hay or sawdust, which must be replaced regularly.
Equipment: in addition to the litter, there should always be a drinking bowl with fresh water, as well as a feeding trough and constant access to food.

Lighting: this type of contraindicated as direct sunlight, and permanent stay in the shade, so it is recommended to find the middle.
Temperature and airing: airing is necessary during the cleaning of the shed or cage, but it should be ensured that there is no drafts, because animals can get sick. The temperature should be about + 15 ... +20 degrees Celsius.
Walk: walks should be carried out in the warm season, as the rabbit can get sick in the cold.

By adhering to these recommendations, you can create a place in which pets will feel completely comfortable.

What to feed a rabbit

Since this species is heavy, nutrition is a very important part of caring for it.

Important! Strokachi when growing up may be obese, so it is recommended to monitor the weight of animals.

A feature of this type is that they need constant access to food, that is, they have a digestive system that allows you to maximize all the nutrients. The animals eat in small portions more than 30 times a day.

Their diet can include:

granulated feed - has in itself all the necessary minerals and substances;
grasses and other plants, such as dandelions, flower stems — fresh grass in the summer improves digestion in rabbits, affects the structure and quality of wool;
branches and bark of fruit and conifers - strengthen the teeth of the animal and have many beneficial trace elements;
cereals, for example, oats, millet;
fruits and vegetables - in their raw form, they contain many vitamins.

You can mix some types of products, as well as finely chop them, so that the pets feel comfortable using them.

We advise you to find out whether you can give bread, corn, wormwood, rice, potatoes, grapes, pears, and apples to rabbits.

Breeding rabbit builder

Rabbits can start from the age of 6 months or later. Pregnancy of the rabbit lasts from 25 to 30 days, on the 31-34th day should appear rabbits. The brood of the female is quite large, there may be 8-10 cubs at a time. Their survival rate is also high, and on the 10th day they open their eyes. It is recommended to wean off from the mother at the age of 2 months, since this species has a very strong system of social connections, and babies can lose weight and show apathy during early separation from the mother.

Before you need to put the female in a separate cage, where to ensure her constant nutrition and access to clean water, there she will build a nest for kids. In order to choose rabbits for breeding, first of all, it is necessary to determine the goal. If this breeding for slaughter, then you need to choose the largest individuals. If this is an exhibition krol, then you need to pay attention to the parents' pure blood. Also, if the parents have a perfect color, then the babies can turn out to be both pure white and pure black. And most importantly, that the parents were completely healthy.

Possible diseases

This breed is quite susceptible to various diseases, therefore it is recommended to vaccinate every six months, starting from 2 months. Rabies vaccine should be among these vaccines. If one of the pets is sick, it must be placed in an insulator, because it can infect the rest.

Find out what diseases of rabbits can be dangerous to humans.

The most common diseases are:

Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, internal organs - are non-infectious, appear under the wrong conditions. The solution is a hungry diet for 12 hours, after that - adding plant foods (potatoes) while feeding on feed, reviewing nutrition in general.
Poddermatit - the hair falls out on the paws, wounds appear and infection begins. It may be caused by an iron cage or poor sanitation. The solution is to change the conditions of detention, to lubricate with "Ointment of Vishnevsky" or iodine.

Myxomatosis - one of the most dangerous diseases: there are tumors or strong puffiness around the eyes, genitals and other parts of the body. To date, there is no treatment for this disease, so the rabbit must be isolated from healthy individuals and call a veterinarian for their examination.
Viral hemorrhagic disease - symptoms are fever, bleeding from the nose, mouth or anus, apathy. The solution is only a prophylactic vaccine, it is necessary to isolate the disease.
Worms - The solution to this problem will be regular cleaning and preventive use of drugs.

Thus, we can conclude that this type of rabbits is suitable for both slaughter and exhibition breeding. Animals do not have special conditions of detention, they are calm and friendly, but it is recommended to vaccinate because they are in poor health.