Frustrated bucks... and breeder.

[lelanatty]

Ok, so there's this girl. She is my only silver marten brood doe, and she won't breed. When I take her to my bucks, she immediately starts running around the cage with her tail twitching like crazy. The bucks try to chase her, naturally. Sometimes she stops as if she is tired, but then as soon as the buck moves, she takes off again around the cage. Both of my bucks will literally stop chasing her and look up at me like I'm crazy, as if they are saying "How am I supposed to do my job like this??????"

I got her on June 21st, so it has been more than long enough for her to settle in and she is doing fine. She is in fairly good shape physically, except that she is very fat. The reason for that is because she had not been bred for a few months before I got her. So I am trying to breed her for her own health and for the reason I got her in the first place-- to actually breed her. A couple of weeks ago she actually lifted for my buck, but yesterday I palpated her and she is most definitely not pregnant.

It isjust getting a bit frustrating for me, and my boys, when they have does next to them whohave 4 week old kits andare practically trying to stick their behinds up to the cage begging to be bred again.

Any suggestions on what I can do here?

 

[dixonsrabbitry1]

Hold her down and let them mount her. they should be able to breed her if she is ready.

 

[lelanatty]

dixonsrabbitry1 wrote:

Hold her down and let them mount her. they should be able to breed her if she is ready.

I would really prefer not to do that. I stand squarely against force breeding.

 

[dixonsrabbitry1]

If she is not going to cooperate, you might not have a choice. It doesn't hurt the doe at all. You just hold over the shoulders and lift her her rear end up for her. Sometimes i gently pull the tail up a little bit so buck that can do his job easier. She may not take the first time. But it might trigger her into wanting to breed a day or two later. Sometimes some does are just uncooperative and need alittle help when it comes to getting the deed done.

 

[pamnock]

lelanatty wrote:

dixonsrabbitry1 wrote:

Hold her down and let them mount her. they should be able to breed her if she is ready.

I would really prefer not to do that. I stand squarely against force breeding.

It's not "forced" breeding. If the doe is receptive, she'll lift - if not take her out. It's certainly not worth risking injury to your rabbits by letting them tear around the cage!

 

[RAL Rabbitry]

Try a smaller cage.

 

[TinysMom]

What about putting her in the buck's cage overnight - with him in her cage- and switching them back and forth like that for 2-3 days until she seems receptive to the buck?

 

[Jaded]

Try putting her between two buck cages, the sometimes helps for my rabbits.

 

[lelanatty]

I am trying the switching the doe and the buck's cages right now, because I have mommies with litters and don't want to disturb them by moving them in order to try to get this girl in between two bucks. That's just one of the disadvantages of only having 8 cages total.