# Mysteriously Bred Doe- Can this happen?



## LocoYokel (May 13, 2017)

My farmer friend, G, found a litter of kits in one of his doe cages.  She had never been bred as far as he knows... so he accused me of coming over and putting his buck in with her!    They do share a wire wall...  about 2" squares. 
I have been avidly reading all kinds of threads here at BYH and I am sure I read somewhere about rabbits breeding through a shared cage wall.  I thought it was @Pastor Dave's post but after asking him, well, it wasn't but he suggested that I make a thread.  I kinda forgot about it until the subject came up again the other day.  G's buck got out and was out for 2 days before being rounded up.  I don't want to get blamed again if there are more kits in 4 weeks!  
Can this happen?  Does anyone know the post/thread I am remembering?


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## goatgurl (May 13, 2017)

yup, where there's a will there's a way.  only had it happen once but it surely can happen.   I've since put several inches of space and a hay feeder between my buck and his doe friends


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## Ol Grey Mare (May 13, 2017)

goatgurl said:


> yup, where there's a will there's a way.  only had it happen once but it surely can happen.   I've since put several inches of space and a hay feeder between my buck and his doe friends


X2 -- it is amazing the ways they will find to mate.


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## AngieNPeeps (May 13, 2017)

Had kits born in a non-babysaver wire hutch. My  4 year old came running inside thinking she found newborn puppies under the cage (in the rain!). In our case, we had a buck that roamed freely as a pet, I was pretty sure that someone left the cage door of the doe cage open one day. He hopped in, took care of business and hopped out. There was no adjoining cage on this hutch. Scooped the kits into a nesting box and all was fine.


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## Bunnylady (May 13, 2017)

Absolutely, they can do it. I've no idea how, but I have had it happen once, as well. If I must have animals of opposite genders living next to each other, I at least make sure they are the same breed.


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## LocoYokel (May 13, 2017)

goatgurl said:


> yup, where there's a will there's a way





Ol Grey Mare said:


> it is amazing the ways they will find to mate





Bunnylady said:


> Absolutely, they can do it.


I knew I didn't do it...   Thank You so much!


AngieNPeeps said:


> In our case, we had a buck that roamed freely as a pet


Good to know! Puppies... how cute and how wonderful that you saved them!  

It will be interesting to see what, if anything, happens this time.  Just in case I will try to remind him around day 28 to put some nest boxes in.  I am going to go over and practice my 'palpating non-skills'... at the appropriate time after the Great Escape!


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## chickadoodles (May 14, 2017)

I had no idea they could breed in separate cages. Thanks that is good to know.


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## AngieNPeeps (May 14, 2017)

LocoYokel said:


> I knew I didn't do it...   Thank You so much!
> 
> Good to know! Puppies... how cute and how wonderful that you saved them!
> 
> It will be interesting to see what, if anything, happens this time.  Just in case I will try to remind him around day 28 to put some nest boxes in.  I am going to go over and practice my 'palpating non-skills'... at the appropriate time after the Great Escape!



She was adorable. The buck was a non-accepted color by ARBA as a tort for Rex. So all the babies were just for pets or meat. The mom was a show rabbit. On occasion our dog had saved some babies too. I found her licking them and protecting them.


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## AngieNPeeps (May 14, 2017)

I was supposed to be a midwife . I stopped at RN, but I've always worked on fulfilling my calling when I could .  As a child I bred everything we had (much to my parents' dismay). I had all the does bred regularly and counted the days. But I didn't admit it and one doe put her kits in the food bin before I confessed and got the nest box. They were fine, thank goodness!


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## Ol Grey Mare (May 14, 2017)

chickadoodles said:


> I had no idea they could breed in separate cages. Thanks that is good to know.


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## DutchBunny03 (May 14, 2017)

Its the wire wall. Its amazing, but it happens. Keep the cages separate by at least 1 1/2 inches, even if both are does. The can fight through the wire, too. 
@Ol Grey Mare thank you so much


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## chickadoodles (May 15, 2017)

My cages are 6" apart so I should be ok.


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## Kirsten miller (Jun 9, 2017)

I've had someone say the same thing tho however I have to admit it sounds alittle far fetched I always believed the daughter who was 12 at the time roughly put the rabbits in together to breed them and never told her mom (who believed it was an accident) but that's just me


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## Bunnylady (Jun 9, 2017)

Kirsten miller said:


> I've had someone say the same thing tho however I have to admit it sounds alittle far fetched I always believed the daughter who was 12 at the time roughly put the rabbits in together to breed them and never told her mom (who believed it was an accident) but that's just me



Any time there are kids involved, you have the possibility of the ol' "don't tell Mom" bit. But the rabbit that I had this happen with was a dragon; she'd have latched on to any kid who put their hand in her cage. I figured it was pretty unlikely that a kid would have the nerve to get her out of a cage the first time, let alone trying to grab her _again _to put her back.


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## Kirsten miller (Jun 9, 2017)

Haha yes I have a "dragon" as well we call her the witch she bit me again today.... I guess they call it breeding like rabbits for a reason


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## LocoYokel (Jun 9, 2017)

Update on the Great Escape... one new pregnancy but farmer G admits it was probably the grandkids this time and that was how the buck got out.  He has also moved the buck to a completely separate, lockable hutch on the other side of the barn after I read him this thread! 

Hi @Kirsten miller,  
I too have a dragonwitch doe, when not bred she strikes and sometimes bites, while pregnant: "Here there be Dragon"!  I swear fire comes out of her mouth...


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## Kirsten miller (Jun 9, 2017)

Lol!!! Mine is like that pregnant or not I bought her and got her bred so I thought maybe this is how you are when your bred but now her babies are 3 weeks and she's still a witch!


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