Editing Cuniculture (section)

===International commercial use===
With the rise of scientific animal breeding in the late 1700s, led by [[Robert Bakewell (agriculturalist)|Robert Bakewell]]{{clarify|date=August 2020|reason=Is the correct Robert Bakewell linked?}} (among others), distinct livestock breeds were developed for specific purposes.<ref name=Dunlop/>{{rp|354–355}}
[[File:Rabbit skins.jpg|thumb|left|A wagon-load of rabbit skins in [[Walcha, New South Wales]], Australia (1905)|320px]] Rabbits were among the last of the domestic animals to have these principles applied to them, but the rabbit's rapid reproductive cycle allowed for marked progress towards a breeding goal in a short period of time. Additionally, rabbits could be kept on a small area, with a single person caring for over 300 breeding does on an acre of land.<ref name=Whitman/>{{rp|120}} Rabbit breeds were developed by individuals, cooperatives, and by national breeding centers. To meet various production goals, rabbits were exported around the world. One of the most notable import events was the introduction of the [[Belgian Hare]] breed of rabbit from Europe to the United States, beginning in 1888.<ref name=Whitman/>{{rp|86}} This led to a short-lived "boom" in rabbit breeding, selling, and speculation, when a quality breeding animal could bring $75 to $200. (For comparison, the average daily wage at the time was approximately $1.)<ref name=Whitman/>{{rp|88}} In 1900, a single animal-export company recorded 6,000 rabbits successfully shipped to the United States and Canada.<ref name=Whitman/>{{rp|90}}
[[Image:Farmrabbits.jpg|thumb|right|Meat-type rabbits were raised for supplementary food in the [[Great Depression]] of the 1930s.|350px]]

Science played another role in rabbit raising, this time with rabbits themselves as the tools used for scientific advancement. Beginning with [[Louis Pasteur]]'s experiments in [[rabies]] in the later half of the nineteenth century, rabbits have been used as models to investigate various medical and biological problems, including the transmission of disease and protective [[antiserum]]s.<ref name=Dunlop/>{{rp|377}} Production of quality animals for meat sale and scientific experimentation has driven a number of advancements in rabbit husbandry and nutrition. While early rabbit keepers were limited to local and seasonal foodstuffs, which did not permit the maximization of production, health or growth, by 1930 researchers were conducting experiments in rabbit nutrition, similar to the experiments that had isolated vitamins and other nutritional components.<ref name=Whitman/>{{rp|376}} This eventually resulted in the development of various recipes for [[Pellet feed|pelleted rabbit diets]]. Gradual refinement of diets has resulted in the widespread availability of pelleted feeds, which increase yield, reduce waste, and promote rabbit health, particularly maternal breeding health.<ref name=Templeton>{{cite book|last=Templeton|first=George S.|title=Domestic Rabbit Production|year=1968|publisher=The Interstate Printers & Publishers|location=Danville, Illinois}}</ref>{{rp|61–63}}