Hermelin rabbit: description of the breed and characteristics, rules of keeping

Hermelin is a miniature rabbit breed most often used as pets. This is due to their attractive appearance, beautiful coloring, unpretentiousness and dimensions, allowing you to keep a pet even in the smallest apartment. These cute rabbits have a good-natured, complaisant character, there is no aggression. They easily get used to home conditions and behave almost the same as other pets - cats, lap dogs, ferrets.

Origin

Germelins are often called Polish rabbits, but some mistake has clearly crept into this name.There is no single breed name in different countries. Although the animals are called Polish, in Poland itself such a breed does not exist, at least not at the state level. The same applies to other countries.

In the UK, hermelins are called Polish rabbits, although experts believe that it was in this country that they were engaged in breeding work with animals. In the US, Hermelin rabbits are called britannia petite.

Most likely, the breed was bred in Germany at the beginning of the twentieth century. Germelins are sometimes confused with Dutch dwarf rabbits, but there is no special external resemblance or genetic similarity. The Dutch are true dwarfs, and the Hermelins are miniature representatives of the breed, specially selected by selection. In addition, Dutch rabbits have a rounded head, smaller size and short, pointed ears. All the similarities lie in the same white body color of both Dutch dwarf rabbits and hermelins, as well as in the red tint of the eyes.

Description of Hermeline

Although the animal has a miniature size, it is not a genetically dwarf rabbit. The dwarf gene is absent in germelin. The animal is used as a show animal and as an unpretentious and beautiful pet.

The Polish rabbit has a compact body, short, straight ears close to each other, a small head with lush cheeks (“whiskers”). Eye color varies by variety:

Hermelins, true albinos, have red eyes.
Blue-eyed rabbits are not albinos, their unique shade of the iris is associated with the presence of genes of the white Viennese breed in the genotype.

The color standard for hermelins was originally pure white. But the American Rabbit Breeders Association in 1957 recognized the black color as appropriate, later the chocolate shade, and in 1982 the blue tone also became legal.The last variant "broken" (spotted) was recognized - in 1998.

Main positives and negatives

Polish rabbits have many advantages:

Small dimensions, allowing you to keep animals in apartments.
Calm, friendly and accommodating character.
Unpretentious.
Economy in content - dwarf rabbits eat little.
The ability to learn to use the litter box like a cat.
The ability to walk in a harness on a leash like dogs.
Attractive appearance, especially in blue-eyed hermelins.

The following properties can be added to negative traits:

During the rut, males and less often females can show aggression towards people and towards their fellows. For indoor rabbits, the situation is corrected by castration.
The room in the house where hermelin walks free can suffer because the rabbit can gnaw on furniture, baseboards, carpets, cardboard boxes, magazines and books. Of particular danger are wires - electrical and computer. The animal will not only damage expensive equipment, but can also be electrocuted, poisoned by heavy metals, or suffer from swallowed pieces of wire and plastic braid.

If the rabbit is carefully monitored and provided with the right conditions, it will become the cutest and most pleasant pet.

Nuances of keeping and caring for animals

Like other breeds, Polish rabbits do not tolerate heat and direct sunlight well, but cope well with low temperatures if the room is not drafty and there is no high humidity.

Animals can gnaw everything, therefore, releasing them for a walk, their actions must be monitored. You should not allow hermelin to be fed from your table - human food, especially bread, is poison for them.

Representatives of the Hermelin breed are compact in size, so you should not walk them outside in severe frosts, especially in wet weather.

There is also a marked tendency to tangle, tangle, and clog the digestive organs with hairballs. To prevent this from happening, Hermeline is regularly combed out like a cat.

Feeding rules

Preferably use ready-made pellets. They are balanced in composition and are highly nutritious, thanks to which the rabbit is given a quarter cup of compound feed every other day. In addition, it is necessary to feed germelin with fresh green fodder (hay in winter). Carrots and an apple are a delicacy, given little by little, as they contain too much sugar. Cabbage vegetables, especially white cabbage, should be excluded from the menu. You should also avoid foods high in starches and sugars. Eating corn by Polish rabbits can lead to gastroenteritis.

Treats for pets are young dandelion leaves, spinach and parsley. Hermelin rabbits need to be given hard foods, such as tree branches, to grind their teeth. Animals should always have access to clean water around the clock.

Features of breed breeding

Bathing rabbits is prohibited. Claws in the absence of natural grinding are carefully trimmed once a month. The fur coat needs to be combed out, and a special mineral stone should be given for the he alth of teeth and bones.

Puberty in representatives of this breed occurs at 6-8 months. The female is placed with the male, but if she behaves too aggressively, they will have to be separated and tried with another sire. Like cats, these rabbits can be selective in choosing a partner. The male and female are left to mate for about five days.

The duration of pregnancy is standard for all rabbits - about a month.If you pursue fashionable trends in breeding and breed ultra-small germelins with a body weight of up to 750 grams, then reproductive function may suffer. Males may be sterile, and females, if they become pregnant, then bring no more than 2 rabbits.

To obtain a full-fledged, he althy offspring, it is necessary to select producers with a body weight within the breed standard - 1.5 kilograms. This is a normal weight for a he althy rabbit. The maximum weight of a male is up to 2.5 kilograms. Excess body weight also negatively affects the overall he alth of the Polish rabbit, and the ability to have offspring.

Diseases and breed defects

The vices of the Germelin breed include non-standard fur color, for example, the presence of a yellowish or grayish tint, dullness of the coat. Deviations from the standard in the shape, size, length or thickness of the ears are also considered defects.

Polish rabbit diseases:

Ear pliers.
Feeling down.
Tooth problems.
Respiratory diseases.
Infectious diseases.
Urolithiasis with the formation of stones in the bladder.
Gastrointestinal disorders.
Injuries to the spine.
Food allergies.

At the slightest suspicion that the pet is ill, it is necessary to seek professional medical help from a veterinarian. Rabbits die very quickly without treatment, especially when it comes to infections and severe injuries.

How to choose?

When choosing a rabbit to keep at home, it is important to find a good breeder, not an amateur from whom you can buy an animal with birth defects and hidden he alth problems.Outwardly, this may not manifest itself, but it will affect over time and may cause premature death of a pet.

This is even more important if hermelin is purchased for breeding purposes. Breeding rabbits should be unrelated, have sufficient fatness, but not obese. This is checked on the spine. If it is rounded, with protruding vertebrae, the rabbit is malnourished. In the event that the bones cannot be felt, he is overfed.

A he althy Polish rabbit is clean, fluffy, with clear eyes and clean ears. There are no tangles on the body, no discharge. The animal is cheerful, cheerful, not too shy, regularly goes to the toilet and does not refuse food. The weight is within the normal range. The average life expectancy of germelin is 5-6 years. Castration and sterilization allows you to extend it up to 8-10 years.