Breeding Rabbits... Good idea or not?

[brierose3]

my friend and I were talking about breeding a litter of rabbits. She got really caught up in the idea while I kind of was concerned about bringing more rabbits into this all ready rabbit populated world. Well we went to the local pet feed store and met two gorgeous lop eared bunnies that if we bought them, we would breed. I fell in love..We would only be breeding one litter and then sell the kits to loving homes while keeping the parents (also we understand that we would probably be spending more money than we make) So how hard is breeding rabbits, what are the pros and cons, what do you need? Also is there any advice you could give us?

 

[BettyBlueSilkie]

DON'T a rabbit will kill the other rabbit if they were not raised together

 

[3BirdGirlz]

You need separate cages for each. Put the female into the males cage to breed only! Females get very territorial and could hurt a male if you put him into her cage. They should be at least 6 months old before breeding...maybe older if you want.
Breeding/mating takes seconds...it's very fast. You can introduce the female a couple times in one day. 28 days later you should have kits. You will need a nest box for your doe to kindle in. She will pull her fur from under her chin to make a nest. Sometimes first time moms have a hard time and the babies can get cold and die, or she may have them in the wire and they die. This does happen, if it does you can breed her again soon after. Babies are born blind. They can leave mom at about 6 weeks. I waited to sell my bunnies at 8 weeks. Rabbits will breed ALL the time. You could potentially have babies every 6 weeks. This is NOT good for them, but that's what rabbits do. Hence why you need separate cages.
You can not put your bunnies together even to play or they will breed. You can neuter a buck.
Hope some of this helps.
I would recommend only one rabbit if you want a pet.

 

[donrae]

Why don't you buy the rabbits and just keep them a while to see if you like having them? you can't count on selling the entire litter and may wind up with more than you bargained for. Buying an animal you've never had and breeding it right away doesn't sound like a good idea at all.

 

[3BirdGirlz]

Why don't you buy the rabbits and just keep them a while to see if you like having them? you can't count on selling the entire litter and may wind up with more than you bargained for. Buying an animal you've never had and breeding it right away doesn't sound like a good idea at all.

X2

 

[brierose3]

You need separate cages for each. Put the female into the males cage to breed only! Females get very territorial and could hurt a male if you put him into her cage. They should be at least 6 months old before breeding...maybe older if you want.
Breeding/mating takes seconds...it's very fast. You can introduce the female a couple times in one day. 28 days later you should have kits. You will need a nest box for your doe to kindle in. She will pull her fur from under her chin to make a nest. Sometimes first time moms have a hard time and the babies can get cold and die, or she may have them in the wire and they die. This does happen, if it does you can breed her again soon after. Babies are born blind. They can leave mom at about 6 weeks. I waited to sell my bunnies at 8 weeks. Rabbits will breed ALL the time. You could potentially have babies every 6 weeks. This is NOT good for them, but that's what rabbits do. Hence why you need separate cages.
You can not put your bunnies together even to play or they will breed. You can neuter a buck.
Hope some of this helps.
I would recommend only one rabbit if you want a pet.

Thank you!

Why don't you buy the rabbits and just keep them a while to see if you like having them? you can't count on selling the entire litter and may wind up with more than you bargained for. Buying an animal you've never had and breeding it right away doesn't sound like a good idea at all.

I have kept rabbits before and wouldn't breed these rabbits until they are a little older. As I said we would only breed one litter and then keep the parents as pets. we also have friends that are interested and would wait to buy a a rabbit.