# Doe mating, but no litter (Update!)



## GD91 (Oct 11, 2014)

I have a proven doe whom is an excellent mother. She is approaching 2 years old (more or less) and I cannot understand why a few times I have witnessed her breeding with the buck, but there are no litters produced.
She has produced 2 litters this year, one litter consisted of 7 kits, the second of 5.
It is disappointing when she doesn't produce a litter and with the possibility of a hard winter ahead (blizzards, 70mph winds etc) I doubt we will get another litter until next spring.

Currently the two bucks are housed separately and the does are together in a pen (mother and daughters) for the winter.

Any idea's?


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## SA Farm (Oct 11, 2014)

Either she's gotten a little heavy (too much fat pressing on the ovaries) or the buck is shooting blanks. Have you tried her with your other buck to be sure it's not your buck who has the problem?
Otherwise, I would check her diet and keep trying until the weather prevents. If you can palpate her at 12 days or so into her potential pregnancy, you will be able to breed her back earlier if she's not bred.
It does sound like she's winding down production-wise, just from the sizes of her litters, so you may consider retiring her and replace her or something along those lines...


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## David (Oct 17, 2014)

are they the same breed of rabbit ?  who was she bred to for the other litters

im still new to the rabbit thing but I have a doe that only seems to produce when breed to a differnt breed


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## GD91 (Oct 21, 2014)

I think she is too fat. I've put her on a hay only diet. She is bigger than she was and there seems to be folds at her hips.
She was bred to the same buck that fathered the same last 3 litters and she is under the age of 2 years.


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## JakeM (Oct 21, 2014)

Sometimes rabbit just don't want to be pregnant. I am currently trying to breed four different does (2 which are proven) to four different bucks (2 which are proven). I've tried every tactic, but I've only gotten one to take. It just happens.

If she has never been bred for fall/winter babies (like mine). Her body may feel out of whack and be rejecting pregnancy due to her body needing/wanting to build up fat for winter.

You just need to keep trying. Keep them together for extended periods (an hour or so is what I do), hold the doe's rump up (or tail out of the way), or switch their cages for a little bit and switch them back before breeding again.

Hope this helps!


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## GD91 (Oct 21, 2014)

[TE="JakeM, post: 374350, member: 12092"]Sometimes rabbit just don't want to be pregnant. I am currently trying to breed four different does (2 which are proven) to four different bucks (2 which are proven). I've tried every tactic, but I've only gotten one to take. It just happens.

If she has never been bred for fall/winter babies (like mine). Her body may feel out of whack and be rejecting pregnancy due to her body needing/wanting to build up fat for winter.

You just need to keep trying. Keep them together for extended periods (an hour or so is what I do), hold the doe's rump up (or tail out of the way), or switch their cages for a little bit and switch them back before breeding again.

Hope this helps![/QUOTE]

Its not the season, she has not conceived since june, despite the fact she herself is very willing. As I said, excellent mother, loves her kits and alway wants more. Her entire first litter survived and on top of her seven she also raised another does 3 kits with them. Shes more disappointed than me, i think, when she builds her nest and nothing happens.


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## David (Oct 22, 2014)

mabey something went wrong with her last litter  pyshicaly  thats preventing more


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## Bossroo (Oct 22, 2014)

You stated that the does are together in a pen.  Does ovulate when they are stimulated and release their eggs  during the mounting act.  So the does being together they mount each other often causing ovulation.  Also, during the hot months the bucks experience temporary sterility until cool weather sets in and possibly a few weeks later.  It would be wise to seperate the does for a couple weeks,(and keep them seperated ) then re- breed. Simple management issues as well as some of the other issues that were mentioned could be the problem !


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## GD91 (Oct 24, 2014)

Already been there, they were seperated for several months and she still didn't produce any litters and I now have a skinny buck because he stopped eating, we are currently putting the weight back on him. He also became very lethargic and I was concerned he was ill. Turned out he was missing the doe. He follows her around humming and spends all of his time with her. The buck does not mount her often, they have had only two litters in the past year.
I am not pushing for fast production. I'm just wondering why.
The buck and the doe are bonded, they will not breed with other rabbits, I've tried her with another buck and she simply rejects him flat out. The buck is more interested in caring for the doe than he is breeding her and the matings occur once or twice every two to three months. The doe is the dominant rabbit. She is not eating her litters, she has been monitored by camera and has not had any.. I have moved them indoors now to see if lighting and temp could be being an issue.


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## GD91 (Oct 24, 2014)

By the way guys, please note our rabbits are also semi - pets with benefits, just incase any of this sounds strange to you. We now have 3 bucks paired with 3 does in large areas and they usually breed well, except this pair. The bucks do not harm the litters, show more attention to the kits and they share the territory with the does. The does recognise and bond with their mates, they do not kill their litters due to their bucks presence, just like they wouldn't usually kill them if their owners were present.
I used to have them caged, but I did this wacky experimental thing and well.... This was what I got. We still eat the kits, but the adults are practically pets.


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## GD91 (Oct 24, 2014)

I will try to get pictures up so you can see what I mean.


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## newbiekat (Oct 25, 2014)

I'm going through a similar situation. I wish I had answers too. My 2 yr old proven doe had a litter 5 wks before we bought her, and was bred right when we got her, but since then we've tried twice with no success. She lifts for him, the buck has had 3 successful litters with other does since then, but she's going on her 3rd try... I dont know what the answer is either. I'll be watching for advice.  Hope you find answers.


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## Citylife (Nov 15, 2014)

Overweight would be my guess in my experience.  They can be very hard to get pregnant when overweight. 
I know you don't seem to have problems with the bucks and does together but there could be problems down the road.  for example:  If the Doe gets bred 3 days in a row she will be at 3 different gestation periods which will often kill not only the kits but the Doe.  Regulating breeding is impossible as you never know when for sure they were bred and when to give a nest box to them.  Even dominant Does get bred when we least want them to.  Put her on a diet and try again soon.  Good luck to you.


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## GD91 (Nov 17, 2014)

Good news guys. I placed her on a diet and she appears to now be pregnant. She's complaining when the buck approaches, making all the right noises etc. He became rather upset at her change in behaviour. Even when he approached her to simply groom she would grunt and hop away, so we've been giving him a load of fusses and moved her outside again into a wire bottomed hutch on her own so that she can have her privacy. Her mate has been pining in the house, but what can you do? Gave him some new toys to cheer him up a bit.
I appear to have another doe showing signs of pregnancy to, so she has also been moved over to a wire bottomed hutch away from the large buck.
We have two bucks here, a mini lop and a giant mutt lop. We are hoping that the mini can be castrated next year so he can be introduced to the does without the risk of litters.
We upgraded to the larger buck, although I must say the mini lops offspring have grown larger than I was expecting and they still are not fully grown yet (around 8 months.)
Thanks for all your advice everyone.
I guess she was just too fat...


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## GD91 (Nov 30, 2014)

And we have 6 beautiful babies. Her last litter was 5.


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## frustratedearthmother (Nov 30, 2014)

Awesome, thanks for the update!


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