Dwarf Rabbit.....?

Question

...i have a female dwarf rabbit...i have had her for a month now and when someone tries to pet her she'll run from them...and i was laying on the floor in my room...and she was beside me i petted her and she layed down......she lifted her tail up....like a dog does when they on heat...does that mean shes like that? Then she started to sniff , her nose moved faster then normal and she would just lay quick anywhere...it kinda scared me because shes never done that before...and its like she doesnt run form anyone...it all happend in like 30 minutes....im wondering what that could mean??? And what are some signs that a rabbit is in the stage of "heat",,,,any thing would help...im just really worried because shes never been like that before and its weird....thanks !! =)

Answer 1

Rabbits technically don't go into heat because they are considered induced ovulators. Meaning that they produce eggs or ovulate after the male attempts to breed them. Normally they ovulate and drop eggs about 8 hours after being mounted by the buck. That is why many experienced rabbit breeders will put the doe back in with the buck about eight hours later for a second breeding. It increases the chance that the doe will become pregnant and it also normally increases the size of the litter.

However, females do have periods when their hormone levels rise, especially when they are around the age of 4-6 months old. Your female is going through one of those hormonal periods. Her raising her tail up is a sign that she wants bred. That's not saying you should breed her right now because she wants bred. Normally you should wait till the rabbit is at least 6-8 months old before you start breeding with them. I normally like to start breeding them between the ages of 8-10 months old. Be careful how you handle her during this period. When does are going through a period of increased hormone levels they can become mean. Some does won't become mean and will just hunker down. Others will come at you like a rattle snake. It all depends on the rabbit and how she handles the increased hormones. Normally, if they turn mean, they will settle down after they finally have a litter of babies.

As far as getting the rabbit used to you petting it. Just pet it regularly on the forehead between the eyes. It calms them down and they kind of like that. Always pet so that they can see your hand coming towards them and never from behind. If you pet from behind they can't see your hand coming and it can startle and scare them.

Answer 2

Your dwarf is uncomfortable being touched. You can get her use to that. As for the tail lift--- She is in heat.