Breeding Rabbits as pets?

[FamousBunny22]

So ever since I got my bunny after the first vet visit, where they asked if we were going to neuter her and I saw an estimate and heard the statistic that they have a highth chance of uterine cancer if they aren't neutered, I started to do alot of research. What I found was alot of different opinions and some facts that said maybe neutering her right away, the 6 weeks she was at the time they were going to wait a few months. Now I had thought about breeding her before this but I didn't know what the bunny community really thought about breeding rabbits as pets. What I found was their is more than one bunny community.


There are those who believe rabbits are overpopulated and should never be bred. Those who breed for meat. Those who breed for show and only to improve the breed. Those who breed for pets. Those who just have bunnies as pets and no intention of breeding on purpose. And then those who breed to get a specific outcome. And way more, everyome had their own opinion on breeding and raising their bunnies.


I would like to breed my bunny, Dusty, she's 1 years old and she's a lionhead. The breeder I got her from said she was a Lionhead, I don't have pedigree papers. Someone said that her line is mixed meaning she's not a purebred and I shouldn't breed her. Another said she would breed her.


Let me be specific, I am not interested in showing any of my rabbits, I am not interested in a specific outcome, I am not interested in breeding for profit, I am not interested in breeding to improve the breed, I am interested in breeding her because it's a natural process and due to the fact that they are NOT overpopulated there should be no reason why I take that away from her.

What I want to know is their anything in their genetics, that would say I shouldn't breed her with another Lionhead or any other bunny? Any health concerns, disorders, anything that would harm them?

 

[BantamLover21]

I would first try to find out what the market is like for pets in your area. I am not one of the "never breed, everything is overpopulated, just get a shelter animal" people, but I have experienced the challenge of selling rabbits (even show quality ones) occasionally.

Lionheads are a pretty new breed, created by crossing other breeds together. Yours might have other breeds in her more recent background; that could be why some are saying that her lines are mixed. She does not appear particularly show-quality to me, but she is cute and it is only the pet market that you need to worry about. Lionheads should have no specific breeding problems, other than that, as a small rabbit, there is a chance that she could have trouble birthing kits. I wouldn't be too concerned about that, though. You could breed her to another lionhead or a different small, pet breed. Just make sure whatever you breed her to is healthy and has a good temperament.

 

[FamousBunny22]

I would first try to find out what the market is like for pets in your area. I am not one of the "never breed, everything is overpopulated, just get a shelter animal" people, but I have experienced the challenge of selling rabbits (even show quality ones) occasionally.

Lionheads are a pretty new breed, created by crossing other breeds together. Yours might have other breeds in her more recent background; that could be why some are saying that her lines are mixed. She does not appear particularly show-quality to me, but she is cute and it is only the pet market that you need to worry about. Lionheads should have no specific breeding problems, other than that, as a small rabbit, there is a chance that she could have trouble birthing kits. I wouldn't be too concerned about that, though. You could breed her to another lionhead or a different small, pet breed. Just make sure whatever you breed her to is healthy and has a good temperament.

I have contacted our local SPCA and PetSmart, I have also contacted our local rabbit Society to see if there is a high percentage of rabbits in shelters or rescue facilities. I won't be breeding her if there is a high percentage. Most likely I'm going to breed her with another lionhead if I do decide to breed her.

 

[Bunnylady]

I am interested in breeding her because it's a natural process and due to the fact that they are NOT overpopulated there should be no reason why I take that away from her.

Being frequently chased and eventually killed by a predator, and being eaten alive from the inside by parasites is very much a part of the natural process for a rabbit, too (most wild rabbits don't survive to breeding age), but I can't imagine you want her to experience those things, so I don't see how it being "natural" is any reason for breeding.

I also don't understand how not breeding a rabbit takes anything away from them. It's not like a rabbit will suffer deep emotional scars and feel unfulfilled as a doe if she doesn't get to starve or stomp a few babies to death raise a litter. Breeding is probably THE most stressful thing you can do to a rabbit, both physically and psychologically. When the babies are in the nest box, she is in a constant state of anxiety about anyone or anything that gets near the box. When the kits come out of the box, most does do a 180, and spend an awful lot of energy just trying to get away from the little monsters. Even though a doe only feeds the litter once or twice a day, she eats enormous amounts of food to make milk for them, and still loses condition before they are weaned. Having seen does attack youngsters that have been left in their natal cages too long past weaning age, I don't think "motherhood" is a concept that really means anything to them.

As to your rabbit being "mixed" . . . The mutation that causes the Lionhead coat only happened about 30 years ago, in Europe. Only a few Lionheads were imported into the U.S, and those who had them bred them to everything they could get their hands on (but mostly Netherland Dwarfs). The Lionhead is not just a Dwarf with a weird coat, but you can't miss the Dwarf influence in the Lionhead breed.

The Lionhead breed has one problem that (as far as I know) is pretty much unique to them - epilepsy. I don't know how common it is, I don't know that anyone really does, since it is so easy not to be around at the precise moment when a seizure happens.

it is only the pet market that you need to worry about.

Oh, yeah, there are always people who will be willing to take any rabbit off your hands if the price is right (like, maybe, free). But if you go that route, you really can't complain when you find out later that the rabbit was dumped, or maybe fed to a snake; people tend not to value things that come to them too easily.

 

[cassie]

I really don't understand why you would want to breed this rabbit at all.

 

[Susan12]

There is a risk associated with breeding, sometimes the babies get stuck, sometimes the mother rejects the babies, rarely the mother dies giving birth.im not against breeding ,if you decide to breed I suggest using a lionhead buck.

 

[azurbanclucker]

Late to this discussion, but your bun looks to be in good health and is definitely cute. Having said that, as a breeder myself, I would not breed her. I read your reason for wanting to breed, and in all honesty "because it's the natural thing to do" isn't the greatest reason to breed rabbits. They ARE overpopulated in the pet trade, lots of unscrupulous breeders flood the market at Easter and cash in on the cute factor, and then those rabbits end up in shelters or being put down, or become snake food. This is a large part of why the house rabbit society exists. They're strong proponents of rescues spay/neuter, and responsible husbandry. Most breeders are also strong proponents of responsible husbandry, and we are very meticulous about breeding schedules and breeding candidates. Breeding for a purpose (show, meat, skins), while not exactly everyone's cup of tea, IS a purpose. "because it's a natural thing" only matters if your rabbit is wild. In captivity, NOTHING about her is natural. She was selectively bred many generations ago and is now so distinctly different from the wild population that she can not even interbreed with wild North American rabbits. Were this my own rabbit, I'd pet her out to a loving home and suggest that they have her spayed for her own long term well being. You got her as a pet, keep her as a pet. Get her spayed, and let her live her live as a happy floof loaf. There are normally low cost vet services which will do rabbits for around a hundred bucks, you'll have to do a little googling in your area to find one.

If you decide to breed her, there are some risks. She's a year old, and in smaller breeds you have a risk that unless bred at 5-6 mos her hips and pelvis fused and would be too small to pass kits during birth. This is almost always fatal to the kits and the doe.

Another issue with first time moms is that they have a much higher percentage chance of losing their first litter. Instinct only goes so far, and they need to learn how to handle a litter, feed their kits, clean and groom them, etc... Be prepared for that, and make sure you have things like rabbit milk replacer on hand in case she rejects some or all of them.

Next up, what to do if she DOES reject them. How will you manage daily routine around caring for 4, 5, 6 or more kits? When they're small they only need care a couple times a day, but as they grow and become more independent, theyr'e a lot more work.

Then what are you going to do with these kits one they're weaned? Are you keeping them? You'll have to separate bucks and does if so, because "they breed like rabbits" isn't just a saying. Are you gong to sell them? Do you know enough to screen candidates and answer their questions and get these kits off to new forever homes?

Some things to consider.

 

[Bunnylady]

@azurbanclucker - generally speaking, I like your post very much. But you made a couple of statements that aren't altogether accurate, and I wanted to clear up any confusion:

She was selectively bred many generations ago and is now so distinctly different from the wild population that she can not even interbreed with wild North American rabbits.

The domestic rabbit is not closely related to the North American wild rabbits. The domestic rabbit is descended from the wild rabbit of Europe, an entirely different species, which is why they can't interbreed with any of our native rabbit species.

in smaller breeds you have a risk that unless bred at 5-6 mos her hips and pelvis fused and would be too small to pass kits during birth.

This pelvic bone fusing thing is a fallacy. Guinea pigs do this, and it is a problem for them because baby Guinea pigs are huge compared to the size of their parents. THIS IS NOT AN ISSUE IN RABBITS OF ANY BREED OR SIZE. I know, I know, this trans-species error has been knocking around on the internet for at least 10 years, but just because a misunderstanding has whiskers doesn't make it any less wrong. Rabbit kits do sometimes get stuck during the birth process, but it's because a) the kits are abnormally large (fetal giants) or b) the doe isn't pushing very hard for some reason. The babies of smaller breeds are considerably smaller at birth than those of larger breeds, and no doe in good health should ever have problems delivering a normal-sized litter for her breed. The longer a doe goes past achieving adult weight before being bred, the likelier it is that she will have been allowed to get a bit overweight and out of condition, and therefore have problems associated with that, but it won't be because her pelvic bones can't pass normal-sized kits.

 

[azurbanclucker]

@azurbanclucker
The domestic rabbit is not closely related to the North American wild rabbits. The domestic rabbit is descended from the wild rabbit of Europe, an entirely different species, which is why they can't interbreed with any of our native rabbit species.

True, and Fair.

This pelvic bone fusing thing is a fallacy. Guinea pigs do this, and it is a problem for them because baby Guinea pigs are huge compared to the size of their parents. THIS IS NOT AN ISSUE IN RABBITS OF ANY BREED OR SIZE. I know, I know, this trans-species error has been knocking around on the internet for at least 10 years, but just because a misunderstanding has whiskers doesn't make it any less wrong. Rabbit kits do sometimes get stuck during the birth process, but it's because a) the kits are abnormally large (fetal giants) or b) the doe isn't pushing very hard for some reason. The babies of smaller breeds are considerably smaller at birth than those of larger breeds, and no doe in good health should ever have problems delivering a normal-sized litter for her breed. The longer a doe goes past achieving adult weight before being bred, the likelier it is that she will have been allowed to get a bit overweight and out of condition, and therefore have problems associated with that, but it won't be because her pelvic bones can't pass normal-sized kits.

Understood. It contradicts info I was given by another breeder whom I put a lot of trust in (and she was very insistent on making sure we understood this too), and so I took it at face value. Your comments make a lot of sense, and in digging around I can verify you're correct. I should have checked sources better.