i am breeding rabbits?

Question

i have researched it and i have all the proper materials. but i have a few questions google could not answer. ps please answereall of the questions if you know them. how soon can you tell a female from a male rabbit? how soon is a male able to mate? what should i do when my dame goes into labor, do i remove the male? do i bring her inside, its almost winter? my female is also larger than my male, is this normal? he is a holland lop and she is a lilac. should i help her give birth? will she reject them if i touch them, or worse eat them? when do they start growing fur? and lastly, what is safe for nesting materials, so she doesnt eat it or something?

Answer 1

Sexing rabbits is done at around 3 months
http://www.rabbitnetwork.org/articles/sexing.shtml

Mating should be after six months of age

Female rabbits are called does, and they don't go into labor, they "kindle"

Yes, you remove the buck. He should be nowhere near the doe during her pregnancy or after kindling.

The doe should be the same size, if not larger than the buck.

You can leave her outside or bring her in, your choice

Leave her alone while she is kindling, and afterward for a couple of days. Check them only to remove dead ones, otherwise do not interfere.

She pulls fur from her own body for nesting, but you will have to build her a nest box. Research this online.

Lastly, if they are not pedigreed and you haven't learned about the different color groups and varieties, you should not be breeding them. The world does not need more pet shop bunnies.

House Rabbit Society
http://www.rabbit.org

American Rabbit Breeders Association
http://www.arba.net

Answer 2

Wow! That was a lot of questions, lol, okay, let's see 1. At around six weeks of age, the organ of the buck will appear rounded whilst that of the doe will be slit-like or V-shaped. With increasing age these differences will become more and more apparent. With a mature buck the scrotal sac will usually be apparent, but it should be noted that the buck can withdraw the testicles into the body cavity, and the apparent absence is not therefore a completely certain guide. 2. Males can mate as early as 4 months old but usually around 6 months old. 3. You should remove the doe from the male after breeding, she should only be put in his cage twice a day once in the morning and once at night; she should be in her own cage before she delivers the babies, female rabbits only nurse once a day between 12 a.m and 5 a.m. so if you want to make sure they are being fed check them at that time and see if they are warm and have a full belly. She won't nurse them the first time for approximately 24 hours. 4. Yes if her cage isn't well sheltered from the cold, by all means bring her inside, you can also get a heat lamp to put in the cage if this is easier for you, you should also provide her with a nesting box. 5. Yes the females tend to be bigger than the males with the males having a broader head. 6. You should not have to help her give birth unless you see some complications, the babies will be born and she will know what to do by instinct. 7. She won't reject them if you touch them, they don't care about human smells; she will only eat them if they are stillborn 8. They start getting fur around 1 week to 10 days old. 9. She will pull her own fur out to make a nesting box ( you will notice while she's pregnant that the fur under her neck will begin to thicken and you should see her pulling it out, the babies will nestle in bottom of the fur until mom comes to wake them up to eat. The babies should be kept at a temperature of 85 degrees. Hope this helps you.

Answer 3

I can't answer all your questions, but I raised rabbits for several years, so I will relate what I discovered from that experience.

A male and female rabbit are distinct from birth. You should be able to tell as soon as they dry off.

I am not sure at what age the male is able to mate, but I would assume when he is ready he will know what to do.

I never kept my rabbits together once the female was pregnant. As soon as she started nesting, they were separated. Most of the time, the only time they occupied the same cage is during the actual 2-3 days when they were breeding.

Yes, females are often larger than males, especially different breeds. Shouldn't make much difference, I had a cross between a Dutch and a full size rabbit that worked fine.

I wouldn't worry much about the temperature unless it is going to get REALLY cold. A good nest and a good mother will keep them warm. I raised mine in SE Idaho and several litters were born in early spring, when the night temps got down to 30 or lower. If there is a cold snap, a little extra bedding won't hurt, or maybe if it gets really cold a heat lamp after they are born. Just a small one, though, and keep it well-shaded to protect closed Bunny eyes.

Nesting material should be straw or hay, preferably dry, clean and soft. The dame will also line the straw with fur pulled from her dewlip, just beneath her chin. She will probably go a little bald there for a while, don't worry about it unless she develops sores. Pretty rare in my experience.

I also provided a corner with a floor for the nest. This keeps drafts down and keeps nesting material in the right place. Some people use a low-sided box, my rabbits always decided it was a pain and just used the corner of the cage.

If you are there for the birth, I would be surprised. Most of the time it will be a go to sleep and wake up to baby bunnies. I wouldn't worry about the birth, rabbits are really good at mid-wifeing themselves, just like cats. She may actually reject anything you have to do with her before labor, and will try to get as far away as possible. Just let her be, and let nature work on this one.

Don't touch them until they open their eyes. Again, like cats. If you have to touch them, take some of the discarded bedding and try to get their scent on you. Hard, but it helps. It will also help if Momma thinks you are OK, so make sure you are friendly with her. Keep contact brief, and try to let Momma watch.

Bunnies should have fur when they are born, but it will be VERY short. It will start to get noticeable when they are about a week old, and will be a silky coat at about 4 weeks.

This is something that you might have better luck with less personal involvement than more, but I raised mine in a more casual outdoor environment.

Good luck!

Answer 4

how soon can you tell a female from a male rabbit?

at about 6 weeks you will be able to tell the difference.

how soon is a male able to mate?

at 2-3 months.

what should i do when my dame goes into labor,
do i remove the male?

Each rabbit should have it's own cage.

do i bring her inside, its almost winter?

The rabbits will be fine outside as long as you provide shelter from the wind and a nest box

my female is also larger than my male, is this normal? he is a holland lop and she is a lilac.

Rabbits come in many different size groups for miniature to giants. Tha is normal.

should i help her give birth? will she reject them if i touch them, or worse eat them?

She doesn't need any help or interference from you. Just give her a nest box and nature will take it's course

when do they start growing fur?

as soon as they are born they will start to grow fur.

and lastly, what is safe for nesting materials, so she doesnt eat it or something?

Clean straw is a nice nesting material. The mother rabbit will also line the nest with her own fur when it is near time.


Good Luck!

Answer 5

Obviously you haven't done enough "research" if you're looking for answers here. You should know by now, if you had really done research, that a female is a doe and a male is a buck. Go buy a book on rabbits. Also check out this website. Please don't think this is a good opportunity to make some extra money. Although it might be cute or fun for a month or two, it could add up to a big population problem. Here is my experience with that sort of thing:
As a kid, I got three gerbils from a pet store. Within a month, I had 27 gerbils. They were breeding so quickly that my mother and I couldn't separate them fast enough (they would continue nursing and already be mating) and before another month and a half went by, I had 72 gerbils in 20 or so cages. I spent every morning before school and every evening after school dealing with the cute little guys. The local pet stores didn't want any more. I was so upset, and my mom was furious. I was able to place most of them with schools, friends, and neighbors, but some got eaten and others got sick. It was really depressing. And I wasn't even planinng on breeding...the pet store sold me 3 pregnant females unbeknownst to them.
All I'm saying is really evaluate why you want to do this before you get in over your head. Good luck to you. I hope you can make a good, informed, and responsible decision.

Answer 6

Male rabbits have very different genetalia than females... to check pick them up with one hand on their bum and the other accross their chest. Males should be able to mate once they shed their baby coat. Males SHOULD NOT be in the same cage as the doe EVER. Especially with the babies. My friend's male killed her babies. She'll eat them if she's too disturbed. If it's winter, she should at least be sheltered if not inside, and the best nesting material is her own fur and hay. She should build the nest herself, but you might want to give her a cardboard box a few days before the birth so that she has a place to do it. Also some rabbits are really bad mothers so you may also want to comb some of her fur out and save it for when the babies are born so you at least have some.

Answer 7

Well, I've actually never bread rabbits, but I've bread Rats. And they sure "breed like rabbits";) I'm not sure about the way rabbits temperament might change when she gets pregnant. My Rats tended to build large ensts where no other were allowed in. When she was outside the nest she'd come to me and just kind of want my attention and would lke o just cuddle up kind of.

I do recomend not keeping the male together with the female, cause if the male is what my main big rat male was, he'll want to mate straight again after she's given birth, which isnt nice to the female. She can really do with a long rest and time to take care of her young.

She drank alot more water and ate more offcourse when she was "big".

When the kiddies are born, it could be simualr to my rats in the way the mother wont let ou near when they are real small.
My female would let me pick up her babies when they had opened teir eyes, got fur all over and started walking around.

nesting materials for my rat was quite interesting. if I gave her a full double sided page from the newspaper. she take it and tear of long strand of paper, then run into her nest and lay them up nicely. So what I ended up doing to help her abit, I tore long pieces of paper just like she did and then gave her one at a time, she'd take the pievce I gave her look at it quickly to checks the size and stuff, then run intot he nest with it!

well, keep it clean and all!
it shuold be a problem, goodluck!

Answer 8

answers to number 1 they got to be about 8 weeks to breed
answer to number 2 you can tell what sex they are when they are about 4 weeks
answer number 3 you cant do nothing when shes in labor just leave her alone in a nice and quiet place
number 4 yes u need to remove the male straight after mating
number 5 rabbit can stay outside all weather but just make sure you but loads of hay in the hutch
number 6 yes some females can be larger
number 7 when she gives birth you need to stay away and keep her calm and DO NOT TOUCH THE BABIES or she will eat them
number 8 t they start growing fur about 4 weeks
number 9 hay and sawdust s OK for nesting materials

Answer 9

female from a male- about 6 weeks
male mating- about 5 months
yes remove the male during labor, she can do all of the work, make her a personal box (i used a Rubbermaid box with the lid on and a hole cut in the side for laboring rabbits, much easier to clean)
females are usually larger & dominate
she don't need help giving birth
probably won't reject them, but its best not to touch them for 4 weeks unless their is something wrong with it
fur at around 3 weeks
i always used hay for nesting....she will chew on some of it but its healthy....straw is fine also, but more expensive.
remember to inspect the hay well, if their is any mold in it it can kill the rabbits...store it in a clean & dry place.

~it has been about 6 years since i had rabbits, im sure i am close~

Answer 10

Your doe is larger than your buck because you have two different breeds. Holland Lops are dwarfs and Lilacs are full-sized.
You can actually start to tell male rabbits from females within about a month or two of birth; the difference is a bit subtle, but it's there. Hold the rabbit upside down in your arms so its head is tucked between your body and your elbow, and with your other hand, gently pull the tail back and spread down the front of its vent, where the urine comes from, so the cartilage underneath gives shape to the thin pink skin. If the vent has a point in the front, the rabbit's a male. If it has a slot or the front of the vent is smooth, it's female. Keep checking the rabbits as they get older; until you're good at this, you might be surprised when their hormones start to turn on.
A buck (male) can mate once his testicals are descended, no matter what his size. Wait to breed does (females) until they've reached an appropriate adult weight for their breed.
Keep the buck and doe separate unless you're breeding them that day, or you've neutered one of them. They should only have contact for short breeding sessions (it only takes five minutes or less) or through the cage wire. If the buck mates with the doe while she's pregnant, she could have complications from having the two horns of her uterus bearing kittens of different ages. Very bad; both litters and the doe could die. Also, bucks tend to kill the kittens.
It's a good idea to bring her inside if it gets cold where you live, but ONLY if you have a quiet room to put her in. It's okay to have the buck nearby, but if the house is noisy, with people and other pets yelling and running around, the stress will make raising the kittens a disaster.
Give her plenty of straw or soft hay (alfalfa's not so good.) She won't eat the parts she uses for the nest, and having something to chew on will make her happier, and more likely to be a good parent. She'll need a box to nest in, something sturdy, about four inches tall, and about an inch bigger all around than she is, crouching down. A roof is nice so she can hide from her kittens, once they start leaving the box. Pine shavings make a nice bottom layer to absorb the blood and the pee from the babies. Just don't make them too deep, or the kittens will climb out before they're strong enough to climb back in---no more than an inch deep.
You don't need to help her give birth. She's not a dwarf rabbit, so she's not likely to have a giant kitten stuck in her birth canal. You'll just go to feed her one morning, and see a moving pile of fur in her nest box.
Touching the kittens will not make the doe reject them. Contrary to popular myth, rabbits do not have a hideous aversion to human scent: it's all over their food, their cage, and their nestbox, so why shouldn't it be on their babies? Stress, however, can make her abandon the young. Frightening her could make her stomp them to death. In cleaning up the mess in the litter box after delivery (placentas, dead kittens) some does start chewing on something they shouldn't be chewing on and get a taste for meat. There's not much you can do to prevent it, except keep her from being stressed.
You must clear out the dead kittens and placentas from the box on the first day, count the kittens, and check the box morning and evening for fatalities, but be quiet about it and don't take longer than you need.
In one week, you have fairly good odds that all the kittens will survive, unless they succumb to diarrhea as they're being weaned. They start growing fur immediately, but it takes about two weeks for them to get really fluffy. In ten to twelve days, they should start to open their eyes. In six weeks, they can be weaned.
Breeding rabbits involves a lot of blood and death. Some of the kittens will die, because this will be your doe's first litter. Rabbits are bad parents; they succeed in the wild by producing litter upon litter of young, which they can abandon under stress or hard times.
Then there is the question of what to do with the grown kittens if you have any. Five is a good guess, maybe three, maybe as many as eight. They won't be purebreds. They'll have funky ears because of their father. Will people want to buy them? Can you find all of them homes, and are you willing to take responsibility for the ones you can't sell? Is there a future for these rabbits? You don't sound the type to just take them out in the back yard with a knife, a bucket, and a pair of loppers and turn them into barbecue. Birth and pregnancy are the most dangerous times of a doe's life. I advise you to neuter one or both of your rabbits, so they can live together in the same cage and be real pets, without the hormones driving them crazy, or the pain and discomfort of pregnancy and nursing.