# Is it safe to breed a four month old rabbit?



## woodleighcreek

She is a jersey wooly.


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## Bunnylady

I wouldn't do it. A small breed like a Woolly is about as big as it will get at 6 months, but I like to let them get a bit more mature before asking a doe to be a mom (Heaven knows, there are enough mess-ups with more mature does!) I have known people that will breed their Dwarf does at 4-5 months, but I don't.


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## Ms. Research

Bunnylady said:
			
		

> I wouldn't do it. A small breed like a Woolly is about as big as it will get at 6 months, but I like to let them get a bit more mature before asking a doe to be a mom (Heaven knows, there are enough mess-ups with more mature does!) I have known people that will breed their Dwarf does at 4-5 months, but I don't.


Ditto!

K


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## Citylife

I agree with the others.....  I wait till they are at least 6 mo.


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## Caprice_Acres

There's probably no reason not to, IMO. Many commercial rabbitries breed their females at 4-5 months of age for the first time.  I've bred some that JUST hit 5 months old before, and plan on doing so again shortly here.   I breed for both show and meat, so it's important that my rabbits make standard weight - I usually wait till they do that to breed them, or by 8 months if they don't.  I currently have a 5 month old who is over 10lbs (New Zealand), and I'll be breeding her shortly.


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## 4-H forever!<3

I wouldn't attempt this mainly because it probably won't work. I didn't breed one of my rabbits till he was 6 months old and the doe did not have a liter. The rabbit might not even be sexually mature at this age. And if for some reason the rabbit did get pregnant, she probably wouldn't know how to take care of the bunnies. That's what happened to my friends 6 month old doe, she ignored the baby because she had no idea how to take care of it, and it died. The best age to breed would probably be from a year to two years. Although 9 months may be possible for some rabbits. After two years of age, a rabbit does not breed as well and will eventually not be able to breed so I would recommend a year old as the ideal breeding age. Another thing to look at is the size of the doe. A bigger doe can hold more babies and babies from a bigger doe seem to have less of a chance of early death. An ARBA judge told me I should breed my year old New Zealand because she's at the ideal age and is a little bit on the bigger side. Good luck with your wooly! (I wish I had one!)


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## Ms. Research

Why push a doe at 4 months when you can wait a little longer and try at 6-7 months?  You know an unproven doe is that unproven.  I would think to have a better success for your unproven doe you would wait until she's mature enough to be able to handle it.  

I understand that commercial rabbits must be up to snuff fast because they produce meat.  But with Woolies, they are more of a specialty rabbit (show, wool, pet) so I don't think you need to rush into something.  You want to be successful.  You want your unproven doe to be successful.  Why rush?  

K


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## oneacrefarm

Actually, there is some evidence that 4-5 mos is the ideal time to breed for the first time, and that younger does seem to get it right more often the first time than those that are older at their first litter. However, it really is up to you and your rabbit. IF the rabbit seems ready by checking the genitals, they should be bright pink to purple/red, then go for it. Your buck won't be ready at this age, they probably need to be 5-6 mos at least. I have two does right now that I bred at 16 weeks and they both built lovely nests, pulled fur, had their kits in the nest, fed them and pulled more fur to cover. Their kits are thriving. I also had two that I waited until 7 mos to breed...both kindled in box, on the hay, but did not make a nest, pull fur or feed the kits. All 14 kits died.  It is probably anecdotal so far, but I mean to keep trying this to see how it works.


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## Ms. Research

oneacrefarm said:
			
		

> Actually, there is some evidence that 4-5 mos is the ideal time to breed for the first time, and that younger does seem to get it right more often the first time than those that are older at their first litter. However, it really is up to you and your rabbit. IF the rabbit seems ready by checking the genitals, they should be bright pink to purple/red, then go for it. Your buck won't be ready at this age, they probably need to be 5-6 mos at least. I have two does right now that I bred at 16 weeks and they both built lovely nests, pulled fur, had their kits in the nest, fed them and pulled more fur to cover. Their kits are thriving. I also had two that I waited until 7 mos to breed...both kindled in box, on the hay, but did not make a nest, pull fur or feed the kits. All 14 kits died.  It is probably anecdotal so far, but I mean to keep trying this to see how it works.


So smaller rabbits do mature faster, but it depends on the individual rabbit?  Is that what you are saying?  

As I will be breeding small rabbits (Lionheads), and seeing how fast at 4 months my Polish matured, I am kind of seeing the logic of starting does that early.  But I can't wrap my head around that 4 month though.  I still considered them babies.  

K


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## oneacrefarm

Ms. Research said:
			
		

> oneacrefarm said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Actually, there is some evidence that 4-5 mos is the ideal time to breed for the first time, and that younger does seem to get it right more often the first time than those that are older at their first litter. However, it really is up to you and your rabbit. IF the rabbit seems ready by checking the genitals, they should be bright pink to purple/red, then go for it. Your buck won't be ready at this age, they probably need to be 5-6 mos at least. I have two does right now that I bred at 16 weeks and they both built lovely nests, pulled fur, had their kits in the nest, fed them and pulled more fur to cover. Their kits are thriving. I also had two that I waited until 7 mos to breed...both kindled in box, on the hay, but did not make a nest, pull fur or feed the kits. All 14 kits died.  It is probably anecdotal so far, but I mean to keep trying this to see how it works.
> 
> 
> 
> So smaller rabbits do mature faster, but it depends on the individual rabbit?  Is that what you are saying?
> 
> As I will be breeding small rabbits (Lionheads), and seeing how fast at 4 months my Polish matured, I am kind of seeing the logic of starting does that early.  But I can't wrap my head around that 4 month though.  I still considered them babies.
> 
> K
Click to expand...

Not necessarily smaller, no. I raise Cali's and now Standard Rex as well. As I said, this is only what I have observed with my own rabbits. If they seem ready, I breed them at 17wks. If not, I wait until I see signs of readiness, ie. pink/purple vulva, "riding" on their cage mate, irritability, etc. 

If you think about the speed with which they gestate, and the average life expectancy, 4 months is more like an older teenager than a baby for a rabbit.


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## Ms. Research

oneacrefarm said:
			
		

> Ms. Research said:
> 
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> 
> 
> 
> oneacrefarm said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Actually, there is some evidence that 4-5 mos is the ideal time to breed for the first time, and that younger does seem to get it right more often the first time than those that are older at their first litter. However, it really is up to you and your rabbit. IF the rabbit seems ready by checking the genitals, they should be bright pink to purple/red, then go for it. Your buck won't be ready at this age, they probably need to be 5-6 mos at least. I have two does right now that I bred at 16 weeks and they both built lovely nests, pulled fur, had their kits in the nest, fed them and pulled more fur to cover. Their kits are thriving. I also had two that I waited until 7 mos to breed...both kindled in box, on the hay, but did not make a nest, pull fur or feed the kits. All 14 kits died.  It is probably anecdotal so far, but I mean to keep trying this to see how it works.
> 
> 
> 
> So smaller rabbits do mature faster, but it depends on the individual rabbit?  Is that what you are saying?
> 
> As I will be breeding small rabbits (Lionheads), and seeing how fast at 4 months my Polish matured, I am kind of seeing the logic of starting does that early.  But I can't wrap my head around that 4 month though.  I still considered them babies.
> 
> K
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Not necessarily smaller, no. I raise Cali's and now Standard Rex as well. As I said, this is only what I have observed with my own rabbits. If they seem ready, I breed them at 17wks. If not, I wait until I see* signs of readiness, ie. pink/purple vulva, "riding" on their cage mate, irritability, etc.
> *
> If you think about the speed with which they gestate, and the average life expectancy, 4 months is more like an older teenager than a baby for a rabbit.
Click to expand...

Gotcha.  Thanks, your reply really makes sense.  Helps unwrap the brain and see what I witnessed with my own bucks.   And understand that 4 months, if any breed doe is ready, it would be safe to try for a litter.  

K


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## Lionheadlover21

Actually it's better to breed your does young so that when she's a little older she'll know what to do majority of does don't know what they are doing anyway with their first litter it doesn't matter how old as long as an appropriate breeding age im actually gonna wait until my doe is 5 months my buck is a month older than her.


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## Bunnylady

Wow. 5-year-old zombie thread.


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## Lionheadlover21

Lol yeah I know I'm late but just like I had the question and looked for answers some one else can do the same times have changed back then you couldn't wean kits til 8 weeks now it's 4-8


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## Bunnylady

Commercial breeders have weaned around 4 weeks for_ decades _(maybe even centuries), because they are breeding their does back within a short time of giving birth, and they need the older litter out of the way so the doe can prepare for the next litter. They also expect some losses at weaning, something that a pet/show breeder finds really painful to deal with. Because young rabbits never have and still don't deal with stress very well, it is now illegal in a lot of states (mine included) to sell a rabbit less than 8 weeks old, whatever age it may have been at weaning.

I have been keeping/breeding rabbits since the mid-80's. If I had a nickel for every time over the years that someone has told me "we bought a bunny at the pet shop, but it died," I could probably pay off my mortgage. I can just about guarantee you that what killed the vast majority of those rabbits was stress, even if indirectly. Whether it is nursing or not, a young rabbit that hasn't been removed from its mother's cage still has the same sights and smells and sounds and routine that it has always experienced, so has minimal amounts of stress to deal with. That's what the "don't wean 'til 8 weeks" thing is really about - minimizing stress.

Rabbits haven't changed that much, the only thing that has really changed is what people are saying on the internet . . . . and that is kind of a "flavor of the month" thing.


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## Bossroo

Female Rabbits have been bred at first oportunity for millions of years before man got involved.  The offspring have been weaned suddently at an early age when their mother has fallen to a predator and somehow many managed to survive in spite of the presence of predators in their home range or chased out of it to face realities of their new territory.


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## babsbag

We have a baby Jack Rabbit that has taken up residence in my yard. He can't be more than 4 weeks old, tiniest little guy but I guess he figured out where to find food (all the alfalfa he can eat) and water so as long as he stays away from the dogs (and my garden) he should be safe.  Smart thinking for a young kit.


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