Possible accidental breeding

[Bunnymom,K]

Separate the buck. The two does may do just fine together- just watch them closely. I would give them each a nest box just in case and as it's been stated before wait about 30 days, if nothing happens then there's no need for concern. With a small buck I wouldn't worry too much.. there is more risk with a doe kindling for the first time after a year or so of age- but I wouldn't get yourself too worked up over it. Best of luck and do keep us informed.

 

[murph72]

Is the other buck neutered since this one isn't? I'd hate to see them turn aggressive on each other, which unneutered bucks tend to do. You've got enough issues with worrying about the girls without worrying about the boys too!

 

[octavia]

The other buck (an angora) is not neutered yet, both of them are still a bit young, I wanted to wait until he was 6 mos before neutering. I do have a neutered male, but he detests my netherland dwarf because he is "mount happy". I will probably let the unneutered males socialize together as long as they are civil, not in the cage but out in the house. My other young male (angora) is mostly free roaming as he is so well behaved, and is easily my favorite bun. I won't move the two into the same cage until they are both altered just to be safe.

I'm probably going to move the girls into my bedroom to give them some quiet and keep the boys away.

 

[aurora369]

If the testicles are descended, you can have the bunny neutered. It is not necessary to wait until 6 months. It is just that 6 months is the average age that a bunny is mature enough for the testicles to descend. For small rabbits like netherland dwarfs 4 months is often more than old enough, where as with large breeds like flemish giants, you often have to wait till closer to a year before neutering.

You do have to keep the boys isolated for girls for about a month after their neuters, because they can still get a female pregnant. It takes a while for all the sperm in their system to die off after the neuter.

I would check out your local vets in case of a delivery emergency. Because the does are older, there is a larger possibility that they could get stuck kits or have other birthing complications. I would have a good vet on standby just in case something goes wrong. Nothing worse than trying to find a good vet at 1 in the morning when your girl has a stuck kit or is bleeding severely.

I think a divider down the NIC cage will work well. However, if you end up with babies, you will need to devise some sort of baby bumper as the holes of the NIC grids are big enough for little babies to squeeze through. I have double up the grids or used cardboard in the past.

--Dawn