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I have people ask me all the time about breeding. Especially those who buy rabbits from me. Before you breed your rabbit
you need to be prepared. Sure, you need to be prepared with a nest box, a big enough cage etc. Most importantly though, you
need to be prepared mentally. Especially if you have children, both you and them need to be able to deal with death. Raising
rabbits is a joy, but babies die all the time! Don't go having babies if you are not prepared for them to die. I don't know
how else to put it. Mothers reject babies, they freeze, escape, mothers eat babies, babies are born dead, you get peanuts
and runts, mothers die, predators, get the picture? Especially with first time moms, you don't know what to expect! Still
want to have babies? Good, because usually good outweighs the bad! Don't get me wrong, a lot of the time, nothing goes wrong
at all! I've had good experiences and bad experiences being a breeder, I still do it. It's worth it to have the experience.
Babies are so cute! Just be prepared.
Now that I have that off my chest I can tell you how I raise bunnies! Note that this is the way I do it based on my knowledge
and experience, other people may do this diffrently, these are my ideas/opinions.
Make sure the buck and doe are healthy before you breed them. Groom them, clip their nails and clean their vents. The
fatter the doe the harder she will be to get pregnant! You should try to breed your doe before she reaches 1yr and stops growing.
This is to widen the hips and make it easier for the doe. It's not a good idea to breed in the winter due to temperature.
When you breed your rabbits you always place the doe in the buck's cage. Does are territorial and will probably kill a buck
in their cage. If the doe keeps backing herself into a corner so the buck can not get to her, take them out and put the buck
on the table first, let him get his scent on it before you put the doe down. You may need to hold her in place if she won't
cooperate. Make sure she has her tail up or the buck will not be successful. He should hop on and bounce around for awhile
(I don't know how to put it) and eventually tuck under, fall off and grunt. They may need a rest. Flip the doe over and start
patting her (helps fertilization). Don't let them do this more than four times. It is best to do it twice or so, wait 8 to
12 hours, then do it a couple more times. This makes it more likely for the doe to get pregnant and helps increase the
litter size.
After they have been bred put them each back in their own cages, they do not need to meet again. After about two weeks
I would be very gentle but clip the does nails and clean vents for the last time before babies. At this time you can try to
gently feel through the abdonomal wall for the babies. They will feel like little marbles. This technique takes a lot of practice
so if you don't feel anything she may still be pregnant and vice versa. I like to start feeding my does yogurt drops every
once in awhile to help the milk come in.
On the 28th day of pregnancy put a clean nesting box 2" wider and longer than the doe in sitting position in the
cage. I stuff mine with 2" (deep) of white shavings. Make sure she has a good, big (at least 24X24 for a Mini Rex), clean
cage. Until she has babies she should still be fed her regular amount, this prevents the babies from getting to big for her.
You can put some grass hay or straw on the wire, just in case she has the babies out of the box. It is a good sign if she
gathers it in her mouth and makes a nest. Make sure she makes the nest in the box, if not, pick it up and insist on putting
it in there. She should catch on.
The doe should pull fur before she has the babies, this exposes the nipples and keeps the babies nice and warm. If she
doesn't pull fur and has the babies, you will need to turn her over and gently pull it for her. Before she has babies her
fur loosens up a lot!
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Make sure she has water at all times and increase her feed once she has the babies. It's best to just leave her be while
she is having them and let nature take it's coarse. After she is done and has fed them you may check for dead ones, she should
clean up but remove any waste if you find it. After that, I wouldn't really hold them or anything until they are a few days
old. Does will nurse the kits only once to twice a day, do not interfere while she is doing this. Make sure to wash and warm
your hands before you handle the babies. I would only let the people who she is used to hold the babies untill they are fully
furred, you do not want her to reject the kits. Keep in mind, babies are born furless, deaf, and blind. After about 7-10 days
they will have quite a bit of fur, be able to hear, and open thier eyes!
It's best to know of someone else who is having babies at the same time just in case you need to foster the babies.
Do not foster babies from a sick mom to a healthy mom. When fostering babies put some vanilla extract on the mother's
nose, now all the babies smell the same!
The babies should start jumping in and out of the box at about three weeks. At this time it is important to clean the
cage and box again and put in fresh shavings. Eventually, the babies will begin to try the hard food and drink out of the
water bottle as well as nurse. Only feed them dry treats because their tummies can not digest foods with high moisture content
such as grass and lettuce. Make sure the bottle is low enough that they can reach it. The doe may seem a little irritated
after awhile and go in the box to get away from the babies, this is normal.
At about six weeks you will need to wean the babies. Put them all in a new cage together. Make sure they have as
much food and water as they want, they are growing fast! The mother should go back to her regular routine. Cut her back
to her normal measured amount of food to dry up her milk supply. You may feel sorry to split the mother and babies up, but
they need to learn to take care of themselves. The presence of their siblings will reduce the stress of weaning.
At eight weeks the bucks and does need to be seperated so they do not breed. This is the age to sell the babies! The
younger the rabbits, the better luck you have selling but I would not sell any younger than this!
The best of luck to you in your baby adventures, I hope your doe is successful! Contact me if you have any questions.
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