Breeding- what to do?

[Whiskerz]

I have been thinking a lot about this, I just cant figure it out...

I have Felix a male and Riley a female together. They are both around 6 1/2 weeks old, almost 7 weeks right now. They seam to really love each other and I wouldn't ever want to think about separating them but I know a male and female will mate.

My vet starts spaying/neutering rabbits at 5 months old, but can do it earlier if needed for certain reasons. I was thinking, maybe I could get Felix fixed as soon as his balls drop, which I read can be around 3 months old..

If I keep Felix and Riley together until they are 3 months old to get Felix neutered, how high is the chance he could mate with Riley and get her pregnant at that age?
And to be on the safe side, at what age do males start mating successfully and at what age can female gets pregnant?

I am trying to find a way where I will not have to separate the two, but I also do not want Riley getting pregnant.

 

[irishbunny]

It takes about 8 weeks after surgery for your male not to be able to get her pregnant for sure, so even if done at 3 months he can still possibly reproduce till he is like 5 months. Plus I don't know about getting a male done at 3 months, seems awful young... maybe someone else will know if it is safe to do so at that age or not. The can start to reproduce at around 3 months, but normally it is around 4-6 months. If I were you, I would seperate them around 11 weeks just in case.

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

Even though some males testicles can drop at 12 weeks (or sometimes sooner), not all will. Some may wait until 4, 5 or even 6 months old. Most vets won't neuter a rabbit until both testicles have dropped. If there is a problem and the rabbit is older but the testicles still haven't dropped, then they can do it, but it is harder and more expensive. Some vets might even have a minimum age or weight that they will do a neuter for the animals safety.
Since females can get pregnant at 3-4 months, you could have babies before you would even know that both would be ready and able to. My Amelia got pregnant at 3-4 months becasue she was kept with some younger rabbits for a bit too long. Very few vets will spay a female at that age.

It is really best to separate them until both are neutered. It is really the only way to prevent breeding in intact rabbits, even young ones.

Keep in mind that while young rabbits will almost always get along, as they get older the hormones can cause some issues. Felix could start to want to hump Riley and she may not like it and could get aggressive when he does it.