The death of a pet is always a tragedy, even if the animal dies of old age. Therefore, when acquiring a pet, you always want him to live as long as possible, while remaining healthy and cheerful. Conditions of detention, of course, play not the last role in achieving this goal, but the fundamental factor determining the life span of a pet is still biological. The average life of decorative rabbits and how you can influence this period is described below.

Life expectancy of different breeds

From a biological point of view, the rabbit's body is designed for ten to twelve years of life, and this parameter is the same for all mammals of the Zaitsev family. However, you need to understand that the concept of "average life expectancy" is very relative. So, in the wild, the life of a small animal is threatened by so many deadly dangers that it has practically no chance of dying from old age.

Important! The average life expectancy of a rabbit in nature is no more than two to three years, but according to statistics, hares survive to five to six.

When an animal is surrounded by love and care, does not need to get food, does not run the risk of freezing or becoming a prey of a predator, its life can last much longer and much closer to the natural threshold laid by nature.

It should also be noted that in reality the life expectancy of rabbits at home depends little on the breed. Fans of these eared pets still note some features, however, it is difficult to say for sure whether these observations are a regularity or an accident.

Lop-eared rabbits

Lop-eared rabbits, like lop-eared cats, are the result of fixing a mutation that has accidentally manifested. This was followed by a long breeding work aimed at breeding animals that are distinguished by the increasingly bizarre shape of long ears, hanging on the sides of their broad-headed heads and making the animal very similar to a lamb (therefore, the lop-eared rabbits of different breeds have the common name - “ram”).

The most famous breeds of this category include:

Did you know? Rabbits Holland Lop (Dutch lop-eared) is today considered the most expensive rabbit breed in the world. They are bred, despite the name, only in the United States of America, and the cost of one individual reaches thousands of North American dollars.

I must say that the data on the average life expectancy of lop-eared rabbits are very contradictory: in some sources parameters from seven to eight years are indicated, in others terms of ten and even twelve years are indicated. The latest examples, most likely, characterize not standard cases, but long-livers, which are found among all animal species, including domestic ones.

However, the version is often expressed that, because of hanging ears, these animals are much better protected from exposure to loud noises, which means they are less susceptible to stress, which explains their longer life compared to owners of erect ears.

Dwarf rabbits

Oddly enough, the reduced sizes, for which some breeds of rabbits should also be grateful to many years of selection work, according to the observations of some owners, have a positive effect on the life spans of these miniature creations. But, as with their fold brothers, there is no need to speak of a definite approach.So, speaking about the inverse relationship between the size of the animal and the duration of its “life path”, rabbit breeders at the same time call for dwarf breeds an average indicator of five to seven years of life, which is even less than that of their lop-eared counterparts. But in relation to survival records, small breeds are ahead of “rams” of standard sizes: there are cases when dwarf rabbits survived to one and a half decades.

Rex

Another fairly popular variety of decorative rabbits are rex. These animals are distinguished by curly hair similar to karakul fur (by the way, the name of the corresponding rabbit mutation comes from the name of this breed of rabbits, which gave the name to many unusual cat breeds - Devon Rex, Cornish Rex, Oregon Rex, etc.).In terms of average life expectancy, Rexes are slightly behind the dwarf rocks. Their average is five to six years, a record eight to nine.

Angora rabbits

This breed of decorative rabbits is quite old, but perhaps one of the most unusual. When looking at this beast, there is a clear association with a large white down ball, because long fur completely covers the legs, tail and even partly the muzzle.The average life expectancy of Angora rabbits is five years; good care can extend this indicator by a maximum of two to three years.

Giant Rabbits

The average weight of a mammal of the Zaytsev family ranges between five kilograms, dwarf breeds weigh no more than a kilogram. However, there are lovers who want to have a large beast in the house. Especially for them, relatively truly giant breeds of rabbits have recently been bred, whose body length is at least a meter, and their weight exceeds ten kilograms.

Did you know? The largest rabbit in the world is the Belgian giant nicknamed Ralph, who lives in the UK. The animal weighs 25 kg, and the body length from ears to tail is 1 m 30 cm.

The most famous giants of the rabbit world are:

Such animals, as a rule, are distinguished by good health and good stress resistance, however, in terms of average life expectancy, they do not stand out among their smaller relatives.

How to choose a pet

Knowing what the rabbit age depends on, you can make sure that the acquired pet lives as long as possible, making maximum use of the opportunities laid down by nature. And for starters, you need to correctly approach the choice of a beast. So, it’s better to buy:

1. A rabbit from four to six months of age. Young children are still too vulnerable to stress and infectious diseases, so they are better off staying with their mother until the immune system is strengthened. Older individuals are also not a good option to buy, because their character has already been influenced by the conditions of detention (as a rule, breeders keep animals intended for sale in cages and do not surround them with the care that a pet can count on in a house of loving owners) .
2. Proven breeds, being wary of new-fangled varieties based on the combination of a large number of mutations not found in nature (any change of this kind may be associated with other congenital pathologies that will manifest themselves in the future).
3. An animal in a kennel with a good reputation, preferably with a pedigree, in which you should definitely look for the absence of closely related crosses (common relatives within at least four to five generations).
4. Absolutely healthy and active baby, who eats with appetite, makes easy contact, shows curiosity to surrounding objects, has a shiny coat of good quality, clear and unclouded eyes.

You can not buy rabbits that show excessive shyness or apathetically sitting in the corner of the cage. The reasons for rejecting the acquisition are also:

• bald spots in the coat;
• watery or reddened eyes;
• dirty hair around the anus;
• wet breasts.

Important! It has long been noticed that albino rabbits live less than their counterparts. How the substance affecting the color of the fur is associated with the animal’s eyelid is not completely understood, however, this dependence objectively exists.

Factors Affecting Longevity

So, if the breed has some effect on the age of the pet, then it is very indirect. Much more significant here are completely different factors, and among them there are both objective (natural predisposition and other circumstances that do not depend on the will of the owner), and subjective (especially leaving).

The first category of circumstances that determine the life of a pet should include:

• competent selection (the presence or absence of closely related crosses in previous generations);
• the presence and nature of congenital pathologies (some shortcomings of this kind, such as malocclusion, can lead to the birth of non-viable offspring, therefore, when identifying such defects, an individual should be excluded from breeding programs, but this rule is not always observed);
• other hereditary factors (general state of immunity);
• randomness factor (even a pet kept at home can become a victim of an accident - fail to fall, poison, be attacked by a dog or cat, etc.).

Subjective factors include:

• fertility (sterilized animals usually live a little longer than their full counterparts in terms of reproductive function);
• mobility (lack of walks and constant presence in a limited cage leads to obesity, impairs the functioning of all organs and systems of the pet, causes their premature wear and rapid aging of the body);
• stress (rabbits are very shy, and constant emotional upheaval can significantly reduce their eyelids);
• balanced and nutritious nutrition (the gastrointestinal tract in rabbits is generally very sensitive, and especially in decorative breeds bred artificially);
• optimum temperature (cold, heat, drafts, high humidity - all this adversely affects the health of the pet and shortens its life);
• injuries and various diseases, both infectious and non-infectious in nature;
• owner's attention and care (many owners of rabbits confirm that these creatures are capable of real friendship and therefore are very difficult to experience the owner’s betrayal or unfair treatment of himself on his part).

Important! Factors affecting life expectancy are generally the same for all living things, including humans.

Signs of Pet Aging

It is very easy to distinguish an old animal from a young one both in appearance and in behavior. But when it comes to a pet with whom you are in constant contact, signs of aging can not always be noticed in time.The fact that the decorative rabbit has moved from the category of cheerful fidget to the stage of "advanced" age can be judged by the following changes:

• refusal or a significant reduction in the duration of walks (the animal is less and less willing to leave the cage);
• loss of interest in your favorite toys and entertainment;
• the skin does not tighten the muscles, but hangs in folds (especially on the abdomen);
• the fur becomes rare, dull, does not hold well and falls out strongly (it seems that the beast constantly sheds), sometimes the shade of the coat changes due to changes in its structure;
• eyes become cloudy.

Some owners note changes in the nature of their aging wards (they become more capricious and less friendly), although most often the animal still shows apathy, not aggression. Also, due to hormonal changes in the body, the animal can lose weight.

Did you know? There are legends about a certain rabbit from Nova Scotia (neither the name nor the breed of this miracle beast are known), which supposedly lived to be twenty-four years old. However, most likely, this is fiction. The official record for longevity among rabbits belongs to an Australian individual named Flopsy, who lived a little less than nineteen years. Interestingly, this is not about a decorative breed, but about a beast born in the wild and caught at a young age.

How to extend the life of a pet

Preventive measures to prevent premature death of a pet and prolong its life include:

1. Regular vaccination. Be sure to vaccinate decorative rabbits from the two most dangerous diseases of a viral nature - myxomatosis and necrotic hepatitis (viral hemorrhagic disease). If contact with other animals is possible, rabies vaccination is also desirable. The frequency of routine vaccinations is once every six months, with the first complex vaccine being given at one and a half months of age, then revaccination is carried out after three months. The rabies vaccination calendar looks different: the first rabbit vaccination is done at the age of two - two and a half months, the subsequent ones are carried out every year.
2. A complete and balanced diet. In addition to the usual dry food, the rabbit's cage should always have fresh, dry and fragrant hay (it is better to buy it at a pet store, since independently dried herbs may contain pathogenic microflora and industrial waste residues that are fatal for a decorative pet). To provide calcium to the rabbit, it is necessary to give chalk, and for the animal’s teeth to grind properly - solid food: sticks of fruit trees, special “spikelets” and other similar “treats-gnomes”. We should not forget about vitamins: deficiency of retinol, tocopherol, cobalamin and vitamin D is especially critical for rabbits. There are a number of seemingly safe and familiar products for us that are strictly contraindicated or extremely undesirable for rabbits (for example, cabbage, sunflower seeds , nuts, tomato tops, dairy, sweets, pastries, meat, etc.). This list should be carefully studied and noted.
3. Physical activity. If it is possible to please a pet with walks in the fresh air, it should not be neglected, but only when it comes to a country house, park, forest or meadow. There is nothing for the pet to do in the smoky city courtyard, especially since such experiments are fraught with various tragic accidents - from the attack of a neighbor's dog to death under the wheels of a passing car. However, it is necessary to let the animal out of the cage daily, so that the pet can “stretch its bones” and realize the need for communication for at least a couple of hours. So that the pet does not get bored the rest of the time, it is useful to place various toys, labyrinths and other entertainments in the cage, which should be changed periodically.
4. Temperature condition. To make the animal feel comfortable, the cage can not be placed in a draft, in the sun or near heating appliances. [The optimum temperature, which is suitable for keeping rabbits, is in the range between 16 and 18 ° C, and the maximum permissible deviation from these parameters in one or the other direction is 6 ° C. Too cold air provokes colds in rabbits, and too dry and warm affects their genitourinary system.
5. Minimizing bathing. Rabbit fur does not tolerate wetting, however, in order to protect a valuable coat from breeding various parasites, it is useful for a pet to take sand baths sometimes. Special material for these purposes can be purchased at the zoological store.
6. Cleanliness in the cage. The sanitary regime is the key to the health of the fur animal.Contact with wet litter not only adversely affects the condition of the fur and increases the development of infectious diseases, but also causes respiratory tract irritation due to the ingress of ammonia and carbon dioxide vapors into them.
7. Reduce stress factors. Decorative pets do not like harsh sounds, noise and lighting effects, as well as other surprises.
8. Avoiding contact with other animalsthat can scare, injure the animal, as well as infect it with any disease.

9. Minimizing the risk of injury. It is domestic injuries that are the most common cause of premature death of decorative rabbits. For this reason, it is better not to pick up animals without special need (children should be forbidden to do this at all), not to let them walk unattended on high planes, from where the animal can fall, carefully look at its feet when the pet is released from the cage and you can look at it step, etc. It should also be known that the long ears of the rabbit are not at all designed to take an animal for them and lift them up. You can’t also hold the rabbit by its paws or lower it upside down.
10. Sterilization. If the pet is not used in breeding programs, it is better to sterilize it, because unrealized sexual instincts are the cause of the development of many serious pathologies that can lead to premature death.
11. Love from the owner. This rule applies to all pets, and decorative rabbits are no exception. Actually, it is the owner’s attentive and responsible attitude that allows him to discover in time that something is wrong with the animal and to respond to the problem in time (adjust the conditions of the diet or show the pet to the veterinarian or just play with a bored baby).

In terms of life span, decorative rabbits differ little from their wild ancestors, as well as from breeds that are bred for agricultural purposes. But if it is important for the farmer that his herd remain healthy and gain good weight only until a certain period, the age of pets always wants to extend as much as possible. On average, rabbits live for about seven years, but if you create good conditions for your pet, this parameter is quite possible to extend one and a half, or even twice!