How old does a rabbit need to be to breed ?

[Robbierabbit]

Hi, I'm looking to breed my bunny , how old does she need to be?

 

[Apollo’s Slave]

I think that most breeders usually begin to breed their does at around 6-7 months?

 

[Robbierabbit]

I think that most breeders usually begin to breed their does at around 6-7 months?

Okay . Thank you ! I was asking because with guinea pigs if you breed for the first time after 7-8 months of age they can have difficulty delivering the pups.

 

[majorv]

Six months is a good time to breed. Rabbits don’t have the same issues that guinea pigs do.

 

[Robbierabbit]

Six months is a good time to breed. Rabbits don’t have the same issues that guinea pigs do.

Okay, that's good

 

[Happy Hollands]

I normally start breeding at 6 months old, give or take. It really depends on the individual rabbit when they are sexually mature.

 

[Robbierabbit]

Is it safe to breed a rabbit for the first time after that age?

 

[Happy Hollands]

Is it safe to breed a rabbit for the first time after that age?

Depends. How old is she? I would not recommend breeding for the first time over one year of age for dwarf bunnies because there are increased issues that can pop up.

A few years ago I bred my dwarf bunny when she was 1.5 years old, and her hips were fusing together so she could not deliver the kits. We ended up doing a C-section to save her life (the vet told us she would have died if we did not brought her in when we did). So there's not only risk of death / problems, but expensive vet bills are very likely to pop up too. Not saying this will NOT happen with younger buns, but it is less likely because their body is in prime shape (or should be) around half a year old.

 

[Robbierabbit]

Depends. How old is she? I would not recommend breeding for the first time over one year of age for dwarf bunnies because there are increased issues that can pop up.

A few years ago I bred my dwarf bunny when she was 1.5 years old, and her hips were fusing together so she could not deliver the kits. We ended up doing a C-section to save her life (the vet told us she would have died if we did not brought her in when we did). So there's not only risk of death / problems, but expensive vet bills are very likely to pop up too. Not saying this will NOT happen with younger buns, but it is less likely because their body is in prime shape (or should be) around half a year old.

Okay. My bun is 5 months. Is that old enough? I'm only planning on breeding her once as she's my sisters and she doesn't want her to be bred a lot

 

[Happy Hollands]

Okay. My bun is 5 months. Is that old enough? I'm only planning on breeding her once as she's my sisters and she doesn't want her to be bred a lot

I would recommend waiting another month, or more depending on how large she is.
What is the goal of breeding? If it is simply for fun, there is no need to breed as there are plenty of rabbits in shelters. With any animal, breeding is a risk! It is totally your decision, but I do not recommend breeding unless you have a clear and concise goal you are aiming for

 

[Hermelin]

Okay. My bun is 5 months. Is that old enough? I'm only planning on breeding her once as she's my sisters and she doesn't want her to be bred a lot

I think you also should think behins why you want to breed the bunny and the purpose behind it.

So you don’t just jump into to breeding because you want to take care of kits

Just so you have goals and a plan behind the breeding.

 

[Robbierabbit]

I would recommend waiting another month, or more depending on how large she is.
What is the goal of breeding? If it is simply for fun, there is no need to breed as there are plenty of rabbits in shelters. With any animal, breeding is a risk! It is totally your decision, but I do not recommend breeding unless you have a clear and concise goal you are aiming for

Okay . She's quite big .
Ive bred before , and my goal is selling them for pets .
I do that with guinea pigs too .

 

[majorv]

Depends. How old is she? I would not recommend breeding for the first time over one year of age for dwarf bunnies because there are increased issues that can pop up.

A few years ago I bred my dwarf bunny when she was 1.5 years old, and her hips were fusing together so she could not deliver the kits. We ended up doing a C-section to save her life (the vet told us she would have died if we did not brought her in when we did). So there's not only risk of death / problems, but expensive vet bills are very likely to pop up too. Not saying this will NOT happen with younger buns, but it is less likely because their body is in prime shape (or should be) around half a year old.

I would question this story. Rabbits are not like guinea pigs. Does can have more complications kindling if they’re bred for the first time after a year old, but not due to fused hips.

 

[Happy Hollands]

I would question this story. Rabbits are not like guinea pigs. Does can have more complications kindling if they’re bred for the first time after a year old, but not due to fused hips.

I am just repeating what was told to me by my vet and experienced breeder friends... I trust them and have never had reason to doubt their wisdom! This was many years ago, but I agree it could have been due to other issues on top of that

 

[majorv]

I am just repeating what was told to me by my vet and experienced breeder friends... I trust them and have never had reason to doubt their wisdom! This was many years ago, but I agree it could have been due to other issues on top of that

No problem . My daughter is in her last 6 months of vet school and plans to treat exotics...she confirmed that rabbits are not like GPs. We were lucky that in the 9 years we bred/showed rabbits that we only lost one doe during kindling.

 

[Happy Hollands]

No problem . My daughter is in her last 6 months of vet school and plans to treat exotics...she confirmed that rabbits are not like GPs. We were lucky that in the 9 years we bred/showed rabbits that we only lost one doe during kindling.

That's interesting! What do you think could've been the cause? Pinched hips, maybe? I do know she was very close to death and needed the kits extracted to survive..

 

[majorv]

That's interesting! What do you think could've been the cause? Pinched hips, maybe? I do know she was very close to death and needed the kits extracted to survive..

That was my first thought. Narrow HQ can make for a complicated delivery. You wouldn’t want to breed that doe again if that’s the case. You can tell if a doe has pinched HQ pretty easy.

 

[Happy Hollands]

That was my first thought. Narrow HQ can make for a complicated delivery. You wouldn’t want to breed that doe again if that’s the case. You can tell if a doe has pinched HQ pretty easy.

Yes, thankfully she got spayed after that!