Help with breeding please!

[flopsythebunny]

Hello Everyone. This is my first ever post here on RO!


I have had rabbits since I was a little girl (I'm 27 now) but this is my first venture with breeding.

I have got a male mini lop rabbit and am picking up my female tomorrow. I have been very careful with genetics, don't worry!

They are both four months old.

I would like some advice about a few things. I have done a lot of research about breeding rabbits for the last four years.

I have 4 hutches, one for mum, one for dad, one for female babies, and one for male babies.

I have found seven great homes for the babies.

Could somebody help me answer these questions:

- Can I keep them in the same hutch or do they have to be in a different hutch?

- Could somebody give me some tips for the actual mating process?

- They are 4 months, is that old enough or should I wait until they are a bit older?

- I have done research on signs of pregnancy but I would like advice from actual rabbit breeders/keepers, what (in your opinion) is the best way to detect a pregnancy?

Please can nobody tell me not too breed as I am doing it responsibly and have a breeding mentor however he is on holiday for 4 weeks so I need some help.

Thanks Everybody
:runningrabbit:

 

[OakRidgeRabbits]

- Can I keep them in the same hutch or do they have to be in a different hutch

Your adult breeding rabbits must be housed separately. The kits can be kept with their mother until about 6-10 weeks, depending on when you prefer to wean them. By 12 weeks, male and female kits should be separated from each other.

Same-gender kits can often be housed together until they're about 4 months old, sometimes even longer with females. Just separate them as soon as you see hormonal behavior (chinning, humping, chasing, etc.)

- Could somebody give me some tips for the actual mating process?

Take the doe to the buck's cage. Watch for the buck to squeal and "fall off" to the side. Then remove the doe from his cage. Wait about 15 minutes and try again. I try to get 3-4 successful breedings in before I stop taking her to the buck's cage.

- They are 4 months, is that old enough or should I wait until they are a bit older?

I would recommend waiting until the doe is 6 months old. Bucks can breed as early as their testicles drop, but young does can have complications. Six months old is the best time to breed small-breed does for the firs time.

- I have done research on signs of pregnancy but I would like advice from actual rabbit breeders/keepers, what (in your opinion) is the best way to detect a pregnancy?

If kits are born on Day 31. The only way to know for sure is if you are able to palpate successfully. Otherwise it's a waiting game, because some does will go through false pregnancies if they are bred.

Some signs you may notice are that the doe does feel bigger/fuller in the stomach than usual. She may stop eating or eat less a few days to a week before she is due. She may start nesting within a week or so of the birth. But there are no "for sure" signs, other than actually feeling the babies through palpation.

 

[flopsythebunny]

Thanks that answered all my questions! Oh one last one, are neat boxes compulsory? I have two houses for her but I can't find a nest box! :bunnyheart

 

[OakRidgeRabbits]

I prefer nestboxes, and if you're purchasing a proven doe, they are generally already used to them. However, I know some breeders who keep their litters on a solid floor and just let them nest wherever they'd like to.

The benefit to a nestbox is mostly that it makes it difficult for young kits to wiggle or bounce out before they're old enough to regulate their own body temperature and open their eyes. Rabbits can't carry their offspring like dogs or cats can, so if a kit strays from the nest while it's still blind and furless, it often doesn't turn out well.

I would definitely use a nestbox if it's less than about 60 degrees where you're keeping the rabbits. When its warmer, the kits have a better chance of living long enough for you to find them and return them to the nest.

 

[flopsythebunny]

She has never been bred before. She will be kept inside in my pet room (with my birds and hamsters and Flopsy) so she will be room tempature.

Could you recommend a place to get a nest box in the UK?

I have tried pets at home, eBay, my local pet store, and a few online pet supply store.

I want her to be a happy bunny so I will hold of breeding until she is 6 months and until I can get a nest box.

:happyrabbit:

 

[Imbrium]

Sounds like OakRidgeRabbits answered most of your questions... as for the nest box, if you have some basic tools, you could just make one. This site has good, easy-to-follow instructions on building nest boxes (though it shows how to make 10 from a 4x8 sheet of plywood and obviously you don't need that many... but many hardware stores/lumber yards sell smaller sheets of wood). Oh, and the site doesn't mention it, but you want to use hardwood plywood (not pine, unless you can find some that's kiln-dried) and you don't want stuff rated for exterior use, as it's been treated - soft woods and treated lumber aren't bunny-safe.

I'm happy to hear you've done so much research, vetted their genetics, etc. - I can tell you're going to be a very responsible breeder!