I have 3 Netherland Dwarf Rabbits.
Aspen is a 10 month old, 1 1/2 pound Tort doe. Victoria is a 2 year old, 2 1/2 pound Smoke Pearl doe. Cirrus is a 2 year old, 2 1/2 pound Opal buck. None have ever been bred before. They are all pedigreed and come from show stock.
Question is this... I found a website with the following quote "The first litter must be born before the female is one year old. The reason for this is that after this age the pelvic bones fuse and she would not be able to give birth naturally."
Has anyone heard of this? If its true, then I cant breed Victoria. I also have concerns with the size of Aspen & Cirrus, is it ok to use a buck that is a pound larger than the doe? I know in animals such as dogs its important, but in other animals it isnt an issue.
Thank You
2007-03-15 21:43:19 · 4 answers · asked by cinnamon_n_spice97 2 in Pets ➔ Other - Pets
well i would check with a vet and find out how true that is , you really can't always believe what you read , the vet would know , .
2007-03-16 04:09:36 · answer #1 · answered by skye_night18blackey 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is BEST if they have the first litter before a year of age, and it is true about the pelvic bones fusing. But it's not impossible for her to have a litter after this, and there is only a very slim chance she will be completely unable to give birth naturally. It is more likely that at 2 1/2 years she just won't conceive. You can try, but I wouldn't hold your breath waiting for a litter.
It isn't a problem if your buck is a pound larger than your doe, but I would NOT recommend breeding a Tort to an Opal no matter what size they are. These two colors aren't compatible. You may get some showable colors, but they probably won't be very good quality.
I would look for a Netherland Dwarf breeder in your area who can give you some advice and maybe help you choose a new rabbit to use for breeding:
http://www.andrc.com/
2007-03-16 08:46:14 · answer #2 · answered by BB 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have heard this myth, this is believed to be true in hamsters but I've never had any evidence that this is true in rabbits. In fact my first 2 does were over a year old when first bred and they carried and gave birth to their litters easily. netherland dwarfs are known to have difficulties with birthing because of their inbred large heads, although i have not bred nethies myself a good rule of thumb with rabbits is larger doe smaller buck or equal size. In a larger breed such as a rex a pound wouldn't make much difference but for a nethie thats nearly twice the size/weight so I would suggest not breeding aspen and cirrus together but victoria and cirrus should be fine to breed together.
2007-03-16 05:17:07 · answer #3 · answered by cub_love 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
ave heard this time after time after time, and i never listen to it. i have bred does after 1 year and after 2 yrs. you just have to keep an eye on them, i wouoldn't worry about using a larger buck, since the babies will be one size in the womb no matter what. good luck -olivia
2007-03-16 07:24:07 · answer #4 · answered by Olivia W 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋