by Stephanie A. Smith

Created on: September 13, 2010   Last Updated: September 14, 2010

When choosing a pet, or an animal to keep commercially, you should think about choosing rabbits. No one knows when the rabbit was first domesticated, but since then, the rabbit has been a cherished pet as well as the food staple that it has been throughout history.

Rabbits have many uses - from commercial livestock to pets. Depending on the breed, nearly every rabbit can be used for any of the purposes that a rabbit can be used for. It all depends on who is willing to buy the animal. Commercial uses for rabbits include: meat, fur, pets, shows, laboratory use, fertilizer, and earthworms. However, most people who keep rabbits keep one as a pet.

No other animal can be housed in such a small space, or eats such a small amount of food. A pet rabbit can also be trained to do its business in one spot, much like you can train a cat to use a litter box. Many people keep cages in their homes for this purpose. The rabbit to be trained is kept in the cage when the owners are not at home, and then the rabbit is let out into the rest of the house, or a few rooms with waterproof floors when the owners are home. Acquiring your rabbit at a young age is best when trying to housebreak it. Even a rabbit kept only in its cage will usually only do its business in one space in the cage.

As a commercial animal, a rabbit is also a great choice. The most common and oldest commercial uses for a rabbit are meat and fur production. Any rabbit can be used for meat, but only the largest rabbit breeds are used for meat. Fur buyers prefer buying the white rabbit pelts, as they are the easiest to dye. Dyed rabbit furs are used for novelty items, fur in clothing, especially in the place of expensive exotic furs, and for some toys. The rabbit is a source of high quality meat at a higher nutritional value than all other types of livestock meat, including chicken and beef, at a fraction of the expense of beef. When butchering the rabbit, no more than 15% of its weight is lost when not using the fur as well. It only takes 4 pounds of feed to produce one pound of meat, much less than most other animals. Each doe can have 4-6 litters of 6-8 rabbits each year, for a total of 24-48 rabbits every year, and you only need one buck to service every ten breeding does you have.

A more recent use for rabbits is in the laboratory. Scientists developing medicines and treatments use rabbits in one of the stages of testing. Over 600,000 rabbits are used annually in laboratories, which require young, parasite free

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