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Biology
of the Rabbit
by François LEBAS Directeur de Recherches honoraire de l'INRA English revised version of "Biologie du lapin" , translated from French by Cathy R. Martin and Joan M. Rosell Edition 2020 |
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| Information source and objectives | This
study devoted to the general physiology of the rabbit aims to quickly
describe the main functions particularly solicited in rabbits reared for
meat production. Originally it was written in French (2000), to constitute
the first chapter of a collective work (28 authors) devoted to rabbit
pathology. This work was done under the direction of Dr. Juan Maria Rosell-Pujol
and published in Spanish (Enfermedades del conejo, 2000, Mundi-Prensa
ed., Madrid, volume I, 605 pages & volume II, 598 pages). The 2002
French version available online, was translated in English by Cathy R.
Martin and Juan M. Rosell and partly enriched to obtaned this new English
version.
As far as possible, in this short study we will try to describe the variations that may be considered as "normal", some say "physiological". Indeed, it is necessary that breeders and people working with rabbits know the amplitude of the variations supported by the these animals, so that they can intervene quickly and thus avoid that the rabbits arrived in a "pathological" situation, often irreversible. Unless otherwise
indicated, the descriptions presented in this study concern medium-sized
rabbits, i.e., those with an adult weight of 4 to 5 kg and whose
prototype is the "New
Zealand White" rabbit. But in the case of "physiological"
variations, it is useful to remember that the adult weight of rabbits
can vary from 1 kg in "Colored
Dwarfs" or "Polish"
rabbits, to more than 8 kg in the "Flemish
Giant". |
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For a quick presentation of the
rabbit used for production, you can consult the following pdf presentation
file, written initially in French in 2012 and translated in English
Click on the image to
open the pdf file
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Biology of the Rabbit - Index of the Website
