Rabbit Nutrition in Tropics

Rabbit nutrition basis were mainly developed since the 70's, for indoor professional systems,where the feed is produced by specialized companies, and in western Europe, thus in temperateclimates. However, since the 90's several research groups developed programs to improve thefeeding in hot environments (Egypt, Spain) and also in tropics (Indonesia, Africa, etc.). Thenutrition is first dependent of the level of production aimed: either intensive indoor farming tovery extensive outdoor or semi-indoor systems. In tropical climates one of the main constraints isthe high temperature (>30°C) combined with high humidity that leads to a decrease in thevoluntary feed intake of the rabbit, and thus of performances. One of the challenge, particularlyfor a semi-intensive system is to maintain a sufficiently high level of nutrient intake (energy,proteins) in the breeding doe, to allow a good milk production and thus to improve the littersurvival. In less extensive systems, one of the main challenge is to use tropical forages having agood nutritional value for the rabbit. Further research are still needed in this topic, to set upfeeding programs, having a low-cost but a good nutritional supply to the animals. When rabbitare extensively farmed a zero cost feeding may be reached, without competition with humanfood, by giving various types of plants, cuts, household vegetable wastes, etc. Thus, rabbitfarming is already developed in many tropical countries, either at a medium scale level (20 to100 breeding does) or a large scale level (>100 does)