Future Bunny Breeder

[Kristin777]

Hey Everyone!

Its been ages since I've been on, so I will give a quick recap of who I am
I used to have a Holland Lop, but she sadly passed April 29, 2012. I am still rabbit free, but I just adore rabbits. I am hoping to get a Flemish Giant at some point. I am in Ontario, Canada. Are there any breeders in this area?

I am thinking of breeding Flemish Giants in the distant future, but I have a ton of questions.

Is there a registry for rabbits? How would you get your rabbitry registered? Do the does and bucks come registered already?

How often is it recommended to breed/year?

How did you all begin your rabbitry?

Would you recommend having a pet in shows before breeding?

At what age is it recommended does are bred?

I'm sorry if my questions are ignorant. I am not planning to do this for a long time, and want to make sure I get my bases covered.
Any advice at all is very much appreciated.
Thanks in advance!

 

[woahlookitsme]

Ill try to help you out with what I know

Are there any breeders in this area? Check out this website for much more info about your specific area: http://www.drcba.ca/

Is there a registry for rabbits? How would you get your rabbitry registered? Do the does and bucks come registered already? American Rabbit Breeders Association (ARBA) is the registry that we use because we are in the US. You can register your rabbitry with ARBA even if you are in Canada. Like in this list we have breeders from Canada and even Thailand on the listing. https://www.arba.net/PDFs/Breeder_List.pdf
To register with ARBA you mail in a form with all your information and what name you want for your rabbitry and pay 6 or 7 dollars for registration. The registration is valid as you renew your annual membership dues and is only void if your membership expires. Rabbits can come registered but a majority of them are not that are for sale (especially young rabbits). For example the only rabbits I have that are registered are my herd bucks and does.

How often is it recommended to breed/year? My does have litters normally twice a year. This is pretty standard. Some people go up to 5 or more but I feel this is a little excessive.

How did you all begin your rabbitry? I started in tans at a rabbit show. I looked at all the different breeds at the show and decided I liked tans the most out of all. I bought a pair at that first show had one litter of three and grew from there. I actually didnt keep my original rabbits because I eventually learned I needed better rabbits in order to be more competitive in my breed.

Would you recommend having a pet in shows before breeding? I recommend starting with a buck or a pair first. Especially if its a new breed to you and you dont know how everythings going to go. Most people (at least me) like to feel out a new breed and see how much they enjoy them. For example people might like one breed but when they find that one thing that makes a breed difficult to raise they might not want to put up or deal with it. Start small decide if you really could be serious with that breed and stick with it. Theres always room to learn and grow in a rabbitry

At what age is it recommended does are bred? This varies with different sizes of rabbits. Smaller rabbits like dwarfs, mini rex, hollands marute earlier and can have a successful litter at 6mos of age. Larger breeds like californians, flemish, and french lops have much better luck at the older ages of 8-9 mos. Some people even wait until 1 year of age when the rabbit hits its adult full grown weight. Majority of people use the rule of breeding rabbits when they hit senior weight. Senior weight varies and is in the breed standard which can be found in the Standard of Perfection Book published by ARBA

 

[Kristin777]

Thanks so much for the response! You gave some great information.
How do you find out about the buck and doe's health before purchase? Are there any genetic deficiencies that might be prominent in Flemish Giants that I would need to be looking for specifically?
I want to breed for health, temperament, and looks, in that order.

 

[Kristin777]

I forgot to ask also, is there a change in the doe's temperament when she is bred? My Holland Lop became pretty temperamental when she was 6 months old. When I spayed her she was a "perfect" angel. Is it just dependant on the doe?

 

[majorv]

I forgot to ask also, is there a change in the doe's temperament when she is bred? My Holland Lop became pretty temperamental when she was 6 months old. When I spayed her she was a "perfect" angel. Is it just dependant on the doe?

It depends, some do and some don't. It's usually temporary though. I find that if you always pet your rabbit each day, they get used to you. So when they do kindle they're usually better about letting you handle the kits without attacking you.

 

[Kristin777]

This might be a stupid question, but when you breed rabbits is it similar to cats/dogs in the way that they go into a heat and you have a small window of opportunity to get the doe pregnant?

 

[Kristin777]

Also, thanks for these great replies!

 

[zombiesue]

Wow! I don't really know anything about this, but good on you for working to make sure you know what you're doing before you jump off the ledge. It makes me sad to hear about breeders who grabbed a pair on a whim and just don't know what they're doing.

 

[majorv]

No, rabbits don't go into heat like dogs/cats. They can be bred at any time. Doesn't mean they always want to breed but can become pregnant at any time once they reach sexual maturity.


Sent from my iPhone using Rabbit Forum

 

[Kristin777]

@ZombieSue: Thanks! I was interested in breeding Savannah cats as well, but after talking to breeders I realized how much time, money, and heartbreak goes into them. There are so many shows to attend, Savannahs cost a lot, the males spray, etc etc. I though rabbits would be a better place to learn about breeding. I personally find breeding to be pointless if you won't do it right. Baby bunnies are adorable, but genetics is a huge deal. My lop passed at 5. I didn't have an autopsy done, but I think it was a genetic problem.

@Marjorv: Thank you so, so much for this great information! What is a nest box generally constructed out of?

 

[majorv]

Nestboxes can be made of wood or metal. All of ours are wood with either a solid wood bottom or wire bottom.

 

[woahlookitsme]

How do you find out about the buck and doe's health before purchase? Are there any genetic deficiencies that might be prominent in Flemish Giants that I would need to be looking for specifically?

You can physically check the rabbits and that would be the best way. Basically what you want to look for is disqualifications (heres a basic how to: http://www.extension.colostate.edu/...livestock/RabbitShowmanshipEtiquetteGuide.pdf )
All breeds have common genetic flaws and I dont think theres one for flemish specifically. The one thing I have heard is that flemish in rabbitries should be kept on solid flooring and not wire.

 

[Kristin777]

Thank you so much!