after my bunnies are done doing thier business how long will it take for the female to have the babies?

Answer 1

* A female rabbit is called a doe. A male rabbit is called a buck.
* When referring to the parents of a rabbit, the mother is called the dam, and the father is called the sire.
* When you mate two rabbits together, this is called breeding.
* When you check to see if the doe is pregnant or when you breed her again before she is due to give birth, this is called testing.
* When you put a box in the hutch that is lined with hay, this is called nesting.
* When the doe gives birth, this is called kindling.
* The period of time between breeding and kindling is called the gestation period.
* She gives birth to a bunch of bunnies called kits. This bunch of bunnies is called a litter.
* When you take the young rabbits away from the mother, this is called weaning.


Introduction

A small breed doe is normally ready to mate when she is 5 months old, and a buck is ready at 6 months. The medium size doe is ready to breed when she is 6 months old and the buck at 7 months. The heavy breed doe is ready at 8 months and the buck is ready at 9 months.

It's usually a good idea to select rabbits to breed whose ancestry has evidence of good productivity and good genetics. That's where productivity records and pedigrees listing show winnings come in handy. Keep productivity and show records of your herd just for this purpose.

You may keep a ratio of one buck to 10 does if you wish. The buck may be bred up to 7 times a week effectively. Sometimes, you can use the buck twice in one day. The most I use a buck is twice a week.

Keep the following principles in mind when you want to breed your rabbits:

* Only mate rabbits of the same breed. See Rabbit Raising - The Basics. Exceptions to this include breeding for meat, pets or genetic experimentation. You cannot sell a pedigree rabbit that has mixed blood in its background going back 4 generations.
* Do not keep more than one rabbit in each cage when the rabbit is 3 months or older. Rabbits mature faster when alone, do not fight, and do not breed, thus eliminating unexpected results.
* Before breeding, check the bottom of the cage of both the doe and buck for evidence of diarrhea or loose stools. Do not breed the rabbit having this condition until it has been adequately treated. Also check the genitals of both rabbits for any signs of disease or infection (for example, extreme redness, discharge, sores or scabbiness). Refer to the ARBA Official Guidebook section on diseases.
* When ready to breed the doe, take it to the buck's cage. Never bring the buck to the doe's cage. The reason for this is that the buck has less tendency to breed in the doe's cage. He's too busy sniffing around the cage.
* Some leave the doe with the buck overnight. Others put the doe in, watch it, and when they have mated, remove the doe. If you do the latter, put the doe back in with the buck 1 to 12 hours after the initial breeding. This will increase the likelihood of pregnancy and may increase the number of offspring.
* Keep a calendar and accurate records of the day you breed the doe. You should test her for pregnancy between the 10th and 14th day after the initial breeding. There are two ways to do this. The overall preferred method is to palpate the lower abdomen of the doe with your thumb and forefinger checking for nodules about the size of a marble. The other method is not only more risky but also more inaccurate. This method is to mate the doe with the buck again. This can cause problems because the doe has two uterine horns, each of which can carry babies. It is possible for one horn to be fertilized on the first mating and the second to be fertilized on the second mating. This will create a hormonal imbalance and cause the babies in both uteri to not form right, causing her to pass blobs instead of babies at the date of kindling. There is also a chance these "mummified" blobs could cause complications leading to the death of the doe.
* You should place a nest box in her cage on the 29th day after breeding. Thirty-one days after breeding, she should kindle her litter.


Who Can Be Bred To Whom?

Never breed brothers to sisters. Other combinations are fine: father-to-daughter, mother-to-son, cousins, etc. Until you gain some knowledge as to how genetics works with inbreeding, I would recommend your not breeding closely related pairs.

As mentioned before, mate the same breeds together unless you are trying to get meat rabbits with certain characteristics or you are doing genetic experiments or you don't care about the fate of the offspring. You cannot sell the offspring as pedigree if their ancestry is not of the same breed going back four generations.

You may mate rabbits of the same breed having different colors. Keep in mind, though, that there are many combinations of possibilities when mixing colors. Some of the offspring may have colors that are not recognized by ARBA. It is usually best to mate rabbits having the same color to start off with until you know more about how the colors interact. See the section on genetics for more information on colors. Also, join the national specialty group for the breed you are interested in raising. They usually have literature on how to develop the best color, size, and shape of your rabbit.

Avoid breeding rabbits that have genetic defects such as tooth malocclusion (wolf teeth) or moon eye (cloudy cornea), or produces offspring whose skull does not come together (except in dwarfs, where approximately 25% are born too small with deformed head or legs - the offspring are called peanuts). Determine whether the sire or dam is responsible for passing the genetic defect and eliminate it for breeding purposes.

Strive to meet the perfect standard for the breed you are mating. Order the ARBA Standard of Perfection Booklet to know exactly what is expected of the breed. Also, join the national association for that breed to get their manual on the breed. Check out the ARBA web page for a list of associations. This will show you how to improve your herd.


Evaluating A Rabbit's Reproductive Life

A rabbit may normally start breeding at the age of 6 months for the small to medium size breeds and 8 to 9 months for the heavy breeds. The gestation period (time between breeding and kindling) is 31 days. After the doe has kindled, I normally re-breed her at 6 weeks and wean the litter at 5-7 weeks. This cycle continues until she is about 4 years old or until her production is unsatisfactory.

I review the herd records every quarter to determine which rabbits are not producing up to par and eliminate them. In October through December, some rabbits go into what is called moulting. At this period, many do not conceive. If you have lights on all the time in your rabbitry, this will help. Rabbits are like chickens that lay eggs only if there is enough light. Raising most of my rabbits outside, I take this problem into consideration when evaluating them. Also, if it gets too hot in the summer, especially for those who live in the Southern U.S., the buck produces less viable sperm and the conception rate goes down. Some people keep their bucks air conditioned to keep the conception rate high.

My minimum standard for a doe is that she produce at least the following number of rabbits per year all the way to weaning:

* Dwarfs: 8
* Small Breeds: 14
* Medium Breeds: 16
* Meat Type: 20
* Giants: 16

Keep good records of your herd. You can obtain the materials you need for dirt-cheap prices from:

Ralston-Purina Company
800-227-8941

Ask for the rabbit records order form.


A Suggested Schedule

I have developed a Breeding Schedule for my rabbitry that you may wish to use. I have presented the schedule in the form of a flow chart. This flow chart is followed by the same information in a detailed instruction format. To get a permanent copy, you may print the page by going to it and pressing [Ctrl-P].

Good luck in your endeavors to produce fine rabbits!

Answer 2

I've never had baby bunnies either ... but, it only takes
a month from the time she got pregnant to the birth of the babies, so
It shouldn't be long.

From what I've heard, she will pull fur from herself to line the nest
for her babies and that once this happens, it will only be a day or so
before you have babies. It's good that you've given her a nesting box,
and hay. Since you don't know what she has been eating you may get
some other suggestions from more knowledgeable people than I am, but
get her some pellets that are made with alfalfa because both her and
the babies will need the extra nutrition that these provide while she
is nursing.

It's normal for a mother rabbit to only feed once or (at most) twice a
day and most likely that will be when you are not around. Just check
that the little tummies are round and that the babies are warm. You
can touch them, but don't disturb more than necessary to check that
they are alright ... It's exciting having new babies, will you be able
to keep them, or find good homes?

Do you have any idea where Bluebell Bon-Bon came from? Maybe check
with the SPCA to see if a missing bunny has been reported, or post a
note in the local newspaper

I'm gonna have a rabbit doe

Answer 3

the gestation period will take around 30 to 40 days for the female to have its babies. make sure to keep a log of your rabbits habbits to make sure they dont change in any way if they start felling nausios that is normal but if the bunny throws up alot or goes into hiding take him to the vet!! pronto

Answer 4

The gestation period for a bunny is around 30 or 31 days. I hope you have fun observing!

Answer 5

Why do people feel the need to copy and paste information from websites especially when its 10 pages long....get a clue people!!

The gestation period for a rabbit is 28-31 days. You should of researched this BEFORE you bred your rabbits...... and its called MATING not "doing their business"

Answer 6

About 28-31 days. Provide her with a box big enough for her and about 8 babies and some hay. Around the 27-28th day, give her a piece of raw chicken or beef, this will keep her from chewing or eating one or more of her babies. Make sure she is a cage by herself, and not with other rabbits. With the hot weather, provide her with plenty of fresh water, several times a day, if she is outside.

Heres some info I found on the web:

Rabbits multiply quickly. A rabbit raiser can
start with two females and one male and produce
fifty, or more, rabbits in one year. Even a small
backyard project in which two to three females
and one male are raised can furnish meat to
strengthen the family diet. On the other hand,
50 to 150 females can mean a business which provides
part-time employment and perhaps extra
income.


The weather conditions that most affect rabbits are rain,
sun and heat. Rabbits often enjoy sitting in the sun, but
they must always be able to get out of the direct rays of
the sun. Too much sun can kill rabbits. Rabbits tolerate
cold in their "fur coats" better than extreme heat.

Also, protect rabbits from rain and wind. If the sides,
front or back of the hutch are covered only with wire
netting, hang sheets of plastic or gunny sacks over these
spaces during rains to protect the rabbits. Always place
the enclosed back of the hutch to the wind. Rabbits
suffer when exposed to drafts. In severe winter it is
best to bring the hutch under the shelter of a roof
(a corner of the barn) or under the eaves of the house.


Handling Rabbits

Just a short word here on the proper ways to handle
rabbits. Rabbits are generally gentle and will not bite,
but they do become frightened and can hurt themselves or
the handler if they jump suddenly. It is always better to
handle rabbits properly.

Never lift rabbits by their ears or legs: they can be
hurt if lifted this way.

Adult rabbits There is plenty of loose skin at the back of
the neck over the shoulders. Hold the rabbit by this loose
skin with one hand and support its weight by placing your
other hand under its rump (tail). Be sure to hold the
rabbit's feet away from you to avoid scratches from the
long toe-nails.

Small rabbits Lift and carry small rabbits by holding them
between the hips and the ribs. The heel of the hand should
face the rabbit's tail; the rabbit's head should be
pointing toward the ground.


Nursing does should be full-fed (food continuously available)
the grain mix. Dry does and herd bucks should be
given as much as they will consume in 20-30 minutes.


Breeding Rabbits

When buying rabbits find out how old they are. The
minimum age for breeding depends upon type: heavy types
take 9-12 months before they are old enough to breed;
New Zealand Whites are ready to breed at 6-9 months of
age.

Do not breed females until they are old enough to handle
the strain of nursing. One male, or buck, can service as
many as ten females but he should not be used more than
two or three times a week. A maximum use for short
periods would be five times weekly.

When the doe is placed in the buck's cage, he will probably
mount her quickly. If after a few seconds the buck
falls over on his side or suddenly falls backwards, mating
has taken place. Often when the buck falls he will look
as if his whole body has suddenly tightened. Allow only
one or two falls. Then remove the doe and place her back
in her own cage.

DO NOT LET THE DOE STAY WITH THE BUCK ALL DAY LONG. If
mating has not occurred within the first few minutes,
remove the doe and try again after a few hours.

As soon as the doe has been mated and returned to her cage,
WRITE DOWN THE DATE OF MATING on a small card attached
high in the inside of the hutch. If you fail to write
down the date you will not know when to feel for the young
within the doe at 14 days or put a nest box in her cage
before she gives birth.

Holding the Doe for Mating

Sometimes a doe will hide in the corner of the buck's
cage, and he will not be able to mount her. If this
happens, help the buck by holding the doe for mating.
This is very easy to do.
Use either hand to hold the ears and a fold of skin over
the doe's shoulders. Place your other hand under her body
and between her hind legs. Place one of your fingers on
each side of the tail and push gently backwards. This
action will throw the doe's tail. up over her back, so that
the buck can quickly mount and mate her. If the doe's
tail is down, the buck will not be able to mate her.

Kindling is the act of giving birth. The doe will kindle
31-32 days after mating. A doe will probably eat less
food two or three days before kindling. Five to seven
days before the kindling date, put a small box, called a
nest box, inside the doe's cage. She will give birth in
this box. It is usually possible to find boxes which
work very well, but if you must build a box it should be
lightweight and measure about 30cm deep x 35cm wide x
20-30cm high (12" x 14" x 8-12").

Place nothing in the nest box or the hutch if the weather
is warm. The doe will pull fur from her stomach to make
the box comfortable. If the weather is cold, place dry
grass or straw in the hutch three days before kindling,
and the doe will prepare her own nest.

Does usually kindle at night. As each baby is born, the
doe will lick it and give it milk. Does usually give
birth to 4 or 6 babies the first time. After that a doe
usually produces 6-8 babies at each kindling.

One or two days after the rabbits are born, carefully look
inside the box for any dead babies. Move the fur to one
side with a small stick or pencil. Remove any that you
find.

When the doe is with her babies, it is important to keep
children and dogs from bothering her. If the doe becomes
frightened she might injure her young by jumping into the
box quickly and crushing them. Or, frightened does eat
their babies. Does also will eat their young if they do
not have enough protein food. If a doe continues to do
this after a second or third time, however, she should be
replaced.

Sometimes a doe dies at kindling or shortly afterward.
Many rabbit breeders will not take time to raise orphan
young, but young rabbits left without a doe can be fed
whole cow or goat milk from a bottle until able to eat
grains and grass at two weeks of age. When raising orphan
litters care must be taken to keep all feeding equipment
sanitary.

For more about this, go to:
http://sleekfreak.ath.cx:81/3wdev/VITAHTML/SUBLEV/EN1/RABBITS.HTM

Answer 7

Please don't breed your rabbits. There are so many in shelters that need homes.