Mary Allen
Most breeders have probably decided which buck will be exhibited in Freiburg. The most beautiful rabbits are expected at this elite exhibition. Now it is important to keep the magnificent animals in exhibition condition.
Now, so shortly before the buck show in Freiburg, the most beautiful in the stable is being watched with eagle eyes. is he eating well Is he lively and vital? A health issue at this point can cost you valuable points and put a gold medal, or even a championship title, out of reach. But not only the prettiest rabbits should get through the winter well, but the entire stock. In addition to the hygiene we take for granted, such as regular mucking out and cleaning bowls, the flora helps in many ways to keep the animals healthy. Most of the plants in our latitudes are in hibernation, but there is enough seasonal fresh food such as carrots, beetroot, apples, winter lettuce, and all kinds of twigs. They contain vital substances that help the animals through the winter. There are also digestive and immune-stimulating spices and herbs from the kitchen and garden.
Juice foods are popular with rabbits and encourage appetite. However, for ecological reasons, you should use seasonal and local ingredients. Carrots are the proverbial rabbit food. They owe their orange color to the carotenoids, which also include beta-carotene. This is converted into vitamin A by the body and helps to maintain healthy skin and a strong immune system. Last but not least, the roots also boost fertility. Because they’re not high in calories, they won’t tip the scales on the expert table.
Beets contain many vitamins and minerals. Its high anthocyanin content (the red pigment) inhibits tumor cells, the active ingredient betaine provides more endorphins and protects the heart and liver. Beets also improve oxygen utilization in the mitochondria, the small power plants found in the body’s cells, thereby increasing endurance and slowing down aging. Rabbits are very fond of root vegetables. You can get unwashed and therefore storable fodder edges directly from the vegetable farmer. But don’t overdo it: Beetroot contains oxalic acid, which is involved in the formation of kidney stones. Incidentally, after a beetroot meal, the urine is often reddish in color, which is nothing to worry about.
«Gschwellti» for More Weight
Apples ensure good digestion, strengthen the nerves and thus help against the stress of long-eared ears and breeders at exhibitions. In addition, they stimulate kidney activity and strengthen the respiratory organs and the heart. They can also be a little wrinkled, which doesn’t bother the rabbits. Another winter vegetable is the potato. Rabbits like them best as “Gschwellti”, i.e. cooked in the shell. With potatoes, you can push the weight of the animals up a bit.
Rabbits love salads; the bitter winter varieties Zuckerhut and Cicorino Rosso are particularly healthy. These chicory salads are cultivated forms of chicory, which help with upset digestive tract with its bitter and tannins. Their relatives from the salad corner have a similar effect and are therefore particularly valuable in the winter months when there is little green. If the future champion shows less appetite than normal, give him a Cicorino Rosso leaf or two for a few days and he’ll soon be back on his feet.
Savory, caraway, aniseed, and fennel seeds help with more severe indigestion with bloating. Usually, one or the other of them can be found in the kitchen. It is best to administer them together as a four-herb tea, as they complement and enhance each other’s effects. Pour two deciliters of boiling water over the mixture of a pinch of the spices, cover immediately and leave to stand for ten minutes. Offer this tea as a potion or enter it directly in emergencies.
If a serious drum addiction occurs, action must be taken quickly. A combination of the homeopathic remedies Nux vomica D30, Colchicum D12, and Carbo vegetabilis D30, which belong in the stable pharmacy, has proven effective. A few globules (beads) or drops are dissolved in a little water and given directly to the suffering rabbit. After surviving drum addiction, feed carefully with a little oatmeal, lots of hay, and the four-herb tea described above.
Not Too Many Exhibitions
Keeping rabbits healthy also means not overstraining them during the exhibition season. At shows, animals from different herds come together, sit on the same judges’ tables and spend a few days close together. Microorganisms are exchanged, a strong immune system keeps them in check. However, the body’s defenses are weakened by prolonged stress, as several consecutive exhibitions demonstrate. In this case, less is more.
To support the immune system, oregano, which also inhibits unwanted microorganisms, is given before and after the exhibition. Thyme and dried nettle have a similar effect. The show animals are given a teaspoon of the herbs sprinkled over the concentrated feed every day for a week. In addition, they are given echinacea tincture in their drinking water. Dosage: Ten drops to the amount of water the rabbit drinks daily. Fresh twigs such as birch, alder, hazel, and spruce, which all contain valuable vital substances, are now suitable as nibbles.
The soothing yet invigorating lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) makes it easier for rabbits to transport to the show and change places with all the unfamiliar people and smells. On the evening before the trip and on the day of the trip, the long-eared ears are given ten drops of lemon balm tincture diluted with a little water or dried lemon balm leaves are sprinkled over the food. Lemon balm also helps against motion sickness, to which rabbits can be subject just as much as we humans. Prepared in this way, the rabbits come to the exhibition in top form and come back healthy.