How to properly breed rabbits

[Lolame777]

Hi everyone,

I recently purchased pet rabbits and some for breeding and people tell me that the male rabbit should be in a small cage with the female in order for them to breed. I personally don't agree with that and don't find it fair for neither the female or the male especially being put in an uncomfortable situation. I've got a large rabbit run for all my rabbits and the male is kept with the females for 2 weeks inside the large run then is separated and put with my desexed females so he's not lonely during non breeding times. I've had 2 litters so far from my girls but amongst the 2 girls they've only has 2 and 3 baby bunnies and not sure which one of them is the mother. Is this the right way of breeding or am I being too generous with the space they are kept in and need to put them in a smaller area in order to breed more successfully or am I on the right track?

Please let me know, I want what's best for my rabbits and they come first before breeding but also wouldn't mind baby bunnies either.

My rabbit breeds are New Zealand femalen2 years old), New Zealand cross female (10 months old), Fuzzy lop male (9 months old) and desexed minilop females.

Thank you and looking forward to hearing back from you

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I always just put mine together for a few minutes than removed the male. I put him back the next day, and that was it. I never left the male in with the female because he will harass and breed her constantly if allowed. Perhaps the stress is cutting down on your litter sizes. I think condition of the doe, time of year, and genetics play into litter size.

 

[Lolame777]

Hi, thank you for your reply. The thing is that the females are quite territorial and don't accept males that quickly hence why I keep him with them for longer. They take around a couple of days to a week to adjust then they're fine and cuddly together. Yes I agree with the size factor as they are quite different in size too.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Hi, thank you for your reply. The thing is that the females are quite territorial and don't accept males that quickly hence why I keep him with them for longer. They take around a couple of days to a week to adjust then they're fine and cuddly together. Yes I agree with the size factor as they are quite different in size too.

That's generally why you put the female into the male cage when breeding. So he gets to work quicker and she's less likely to castrate him. When the male is in the female cage, he spends time investigating instead of breeding and she can become more aggressive towards him

 

[Lolame777]

Ah yes that makes so much sense! I'll do that moving forward. How about the space factor, can my females be in a large area in the male's run or do they need to be in a smaller area? Also do the females have to be with the male separately or together? Thank you

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Ah yes that makes so much sense! I'll do that moving forward. How about the space factor, can my females be in a large area in the male's run or do they need to be in a smaller area? Also do the females have to be with the male separately or together? Thank you

I always had mine in cages since they were for meat production and show, not pets, so the females were always brought to the male separately and in a small area for breeding, but my smallest litter of NZ/Satin and of NZ was 7 kits.

 

[Lolame777]

Ok so I'll definitely take the females to the males rather than bringing the males to females