# Male mini Rex rabbit won’t breed



## Blessedwithpets (Oct 23, 2021)

These are my 3 pure bred mini Rex rabbits. The grey and brown harlequin and the lilac are both female and the mostly white Tri color is the male. The male is nine months old and the females are seven months old and the male has no interest in breeding and I bought them for breeding rabbits so I’m very disappointed. I’ve watched videos and I’ve tried everything to try to get them to breed but I got tired of switching them to each other’s cage and them not breeding so now they live in the same large cage together and they all get along great but they do not breed. I’ve had many rabbits before and have never had trouble with the males, They usually “breed like rabbits” but this rabbit doesn’t breed but he is so sweet and so beautiful and I don’t want to have to replace him  but I will if necessary. I am new to this forum but I’m hoping someone will give me their opinion on what I should do to get my male bunny to breed or if I should replace him.


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## Mini Horses (Oct 23, 2021)

I assume he truly is a he....

Someone who raises rabbits will offer help.  I'm just here to say they are lovely!


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## Blessedwithpets (Oct 23, 2021)

Mini Horses said:


> I assume he truly is a he....
> 
> Someone who raises rabbits will offer help.  I'm just here to say they are lovely!


I should have mentioned I have confirmed that it’s a male


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## animalmom (Oct 24, 2021)

Since all three are still relatively young, maybe the young man just doesn't have a clue what to do.  Do you, or do you know any one, have an older female who has, ahem, gone through the dance before?  Try him with an experienced doe and he may discover the joy of being a boy and what to do with a doe.


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## Blessedwithpets (Oct 24, 2021)

animalmom said:


> Since all three are still relatively young, maybe the young man just doesn't have a clue what to do.  Do you, or do you know any one, have an older female who has, ahem, gone through the dance before?  Try him with an experienced doe and he may discover the joy of being a boy and what to do with a doe.


The only person I know that has more mini Rex rabbits is the breeder I got them from and I have no personal connection to them. The only other person I know that has rabbits is my uncles friend but he has New Zealand’s and he told me I could have any rabbits I want but I don’t really want New Zealand’s. But I could contact the breeder and just ask her what I should Do. Or I could maybe try him with a New Zealand but it’s not really ideal. Do you think maybe if I separated them for a couple weeks then put them back together maybe he would have a change? He was a little underweight and had ear mites But I treated all three rabbits and they are all clear and he’s picked up his weight again and is pretty healthy. And I was gonna take him to the vet But my dad works and I have younger siblings so it’s hard to make appointments but he got better and I treated him at home. I’m 13 and even though I’m fairly young I’m still very responsible for my animals But I pay for all my animal expenses so I Bought these rabbits to breed and sell their babies for extra funds because I clearly do not have a job but I still want what’s best for them so in order To sell baby bunnies they need to breed first lol 😅 thanks for you help so far!!!


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## animalmom (Oct 24, 2021)

Big hug for wanting to do what is best for your rabbits.

How much of a size difference is there between your young man and the New Zealands you mentioned?  I mean are we talking about a 3 lb rabbit vs a 10 lb rabbit?  It is safe to breed a smaller male to a larger female, but not the other way around.

Go ahead and separate your male from the girls.  Any way you can put him in a different room, or at least far enough away that he can't see them?  Could be that absence will make the heart grow fonder.

Some guys just take longer to mature.  I certainly would not give up on him.  The trio should make some beautiful kits for you.


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## Blessedwithpets (Oct 24, 2021)

animalmom said:


> Big hug for wanting to do what is best for your rabbits.
> 
> How much of a size difference is there between your young man and the New Zealands you mentioned?  I mean are we talking about a 3 lb rabbit vs a 10 lb rabbit?  It is safe to breed a smaller male to a larger female, but not the other way around.
> 
> ...


I’m not sure exactly how much my rabbits weigh but I will check on that. Nor do I know exactly how big the other rabbits are or if they are pure bred New Zealands. I don’t really want the mixed rabbits but I just want him to eventually breed with the females that I have. I don’t like bigger rabbits because I don’t want to sell for meat I want to sell them for pet rabbits. I do know that you can’t breed a big male to a small female or it can cause some problems with birthing and can be harmful to the female. I’m definitely not giving up on him anytime soon he is my absolutely favorite rabbit. I need to buy some wood and build another cage, hutch, or tractor to put in the yard for I already have the wire. Thank you for the feedback!!!! There is a picture of their cage. 9ft by 2ft


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## Mini Horses (Oct 24, 2021)

Do you know anyone with a large dog kennel you could borrow for a short time?  Then you could move him while another set up is made.

You are sounding very responsible and caring.  I wouldn't give up on that trio either!!!  IMO it will work out as they age just a little more.  Maturity doesn't always happen when you want it.   Eventually they will give you some beautiful kits to love and sell.


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## Grizzlyhackle (Oct 24, 2021)

RABBITS UNWILLING TO BREED- Causes and Cures
					

Breeding rabbits is typically not too complicated. After all, The doe is the one that does most of the work. She gives her newborn kits all the nutrients they require by feeding them some of the ri…




					riseandshinerabbitry.com
				



Here's something to read about. This guy has lots of topics, been in rabbits a long time and knows what he's talking about. Others on here have referred to his website.
If you want to split them up quick maybe the person with the new zealands has an xtra unused cage you could borrow until your ready with yours. 
Don't give up they're all still young.


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## rachels.haven (Oct 24, 2021)

If he is indeed a he, and he is mature enough, but he is living with the girls, like the others have said he may not know what to do and the girls may not be letting him be dominant enough to try. If you give him his own suite, and take the doe you want to breed to his bachelor pad he will feel more like wooing her there in his own fluffy rabbit kingdom. He probably needs about a week on his own, followed by a date. Generally the buck does not live with the does and the mature does infact do not live together either. That can occasionally lead to sexual aggression and rabbit infanticide no matter what HRS says.


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## Blessedwithpets (Oct 25, 2021)

Mini Horses said:


> Do you know anyone with a large dog kennel you could borrow for a short time?  Then you could move him while another set up is made.
> 
> You are sounding very responsible and caring.  I wouldn't give up on that trio either!!!  IMO it will work out as they age just a little more.  Maturity doesn't always happen when you want it.   Eventually they will give you some beautiful kits to love and sell.


I have a large dog kennel but it’s pretty beat up from my goats. What I’m probably going to do is use a dog exercise pen and put a piece of horse panel on the ground so he doesn’t dig out and some sheet metal on the top in case of predators. If they do end up mating can I still keep the females together?


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## Blessedwithpets (Oct 25, 2021)

Grizzlyhackle said:


> RABBITS UNWILLING TO BREED- Causes and Cures
> 
> 
> Breeding rabbits is typically not too complicated. After all, The doe is the one that does most of the work. She gives her newborn kits all the nutrients they require by feeding them some of the ri…
> ...


Thank you!!!! I will check out the link.


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## Blessedwithpets (Oct 25, 2021)

Mini Horses said:


> Do you know anyone with a large dog kennel you could borrow for a short time?  Then you could move him while another set up is made.
> 
> You are sounding very responsible and caring.  I wouldn't give up on that trio either!!!  IMO it will work out as they age just a little more.  Maturity doesn't always happen when you want it.   Eventually they will give you some beautiful kits to love and sell.


Here’s my contraption for Kirk the bunny. It’s about 2 1/2 feet wide by 8ft. The other cage used to sit on this until I hung it with chains. So now Kirk will be there and Rory and lulu will stay in the original cages. If you’ve seen Gilmore girls that’s where I got the names lol.


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## Grizzlyhackle (Oct 25, 2021)

Blessedwithpets said:


> If they do end up mating can I still keep the females together?


No.
Was given two lop-eared does over 20 yrs ago. Didn't know to ask and wasn't told one had been bred. Three weeks after they arrived I found kits in a pile in back of the hutch chewed on. One doe had a bloody mouth. Idk who ,what or why. Boy was little they were for him I found them some place else to go.
Another thing I've read it on here " rabbits get along until they don't". Having kits is a stressor you don't need on the relationship they have. Safer to split them up then come home to find something bad happened. Its heartbreaking and you can't fix it afterwards. Don't forget you will need space to split the kits up after they're weaned. All the feel good sites on the internet make it sound like they are sweet and cuddly and need to be housed together. Its great until they fight and one gets cut up or worse. Not trying to ruin your plans just talking reality.  Its a fun hobby but it isn't cheap and some days not easy.


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## Mini Horses (Oct 25, 2021)

I especially like the "small" above his doorway.   😁


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## Cecilia's-herd (Oct 26, 2021)

Blessedwithpets said:


> I don’t like bigger rabbits because I don’t want to sell for meat I want to sell them for pet rabbits.


Kind of a niche market I wish you luck. We have sooo many rabbits in animal shelters around here it's ridiculous.


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## animalmom (Oct 26, 2021)

Kirk's new house looks like a mansion!  Nice job.

Please keep us posted with updates.


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## Larsen Poultry Ranch (Oct 28, 2021)

If all three rabbits were living together, there's a possibility he wasn't breeding because the does are already bred. The act takes less than a minute, so if they were together out of your supervision it could have happened. Or they might still be too young.


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