Doe bred yesterday - funny story/question

[trcarlton]

I'm a complete newb with rabbits, I have a decent setup (4 hole hutch, single hutch, total of 5 rabbits - 2 does, 3 bucks to start), and will be raising some pet rabbits for sale. I bred my doe Ruby to my smaller buck Char yesterday. She seemed very accepting of him, laid out, tail up, hindquarters raised. They bred once, rested, then he approached her from the wrong side, climbed on her head, and after a few seconds she got fed up of him not changing position, darted out from under him, and then she mounted him, hip thrusts and all. I didn't know whether to laugh or be worried, so I did a little of both. Is this normal behavior, the doe showing the buck how it's supposed to be done, or is this an indication that she's a really dominant girl, or? Thanks!

 

[CochinBrahmaLover=)]

I know nothing bout rabbits, but i know that 99.9999999999999% when the GIRL mounts A) a girl or B) a boy, its a dominance thing. Males tend to do it to each other, and
females to each other, not too common that a female mounts a male

Best of luck, and sorry if this is incorrrect

 

[trcarlton]

Thanks, CochinBrahmaLover - that's kind of what I was thinking too; I've worked with dogs a lot, and that's something they do a lot too. It just bemused me that she was doing that to him, and HE WAS LETTING HER! lol maybe he was too tired to resist?

 

[CochinBrahmaLover=)]

Ya, heard stories of goats, sheep, etc. Ya our female does it al the time to our male ! (dogs)

He could just have been submissive?

 

[manybirds]

doe's will mount the bucks, its not uncomon its just dominance

 

[trcarlton]

Good to have it confirmed, thank you manybirds

 

[manybirds]

Good to have it confirmed, thank you manybirds

no problem! we raise lots of rabbits, doe's (especially first time doe's) will. i've had stuborn doe's attack and mount the buck. breeding can be made easier by putting the 2 rabbits cages close togeather so they can learn each other's scents (we don't do this because we have alot of rabbits and alot of stacked cages so its difficult) and always put the doe in the bucks cage not vice versa

 

[trcarlton]

Thanks so much, manybirds - I'm having a lot of fun with rabbits, but there's so much to learn. There's only 1 cage between Ruby and the buck I bred her to (and yes, she went to his cage). I tried to breed her to the Mini Rex buck last month, but she was having NONE of it. This time was completely different; she just stretched out for him and hiked up her rear, cracked me up . I'm trying not to get my hopes up for her first litter, though, since I've heard a lot about first time moms usually being poor moms. She's in an outdoor hutch, and I'm tempted to put her in an inside hutch so I can keep a closer eye on her about a week prior to her kindle date. Have you ever done that/heard of anyone doing that, or should I just leave her in the outdoor hutch?

 

[manybirds]

Thanks so much, manybirds - I'm having a lot of fun with rabbits, but there's so much to learn. There's only 1 cage between Ruby and the buck I bred her to (and yes, she went to his cage). I tried to breed her to the Mini Rex buck last month, but she was having NONE of it. This time was completely different; she just stretched out for him and hiked up her rear, cracked me up . I'm trying not to get my hopes up for her first litter, though, since I've heard a lot about first time moms usually being poor moms. She's in an outdoor hutch, and I'm tempted to put her in an inside hutch so I can keep a closer eye on her about a week prior to her kindle date. Have you ever done that/heard of anyone doing that, or should I just leave her in the outdoor hutch?

i know, watching them breed i always try not to laugh because i know i shouldn't (and fail), some of the antics (especially in my english spots) are just to much! First time moms arn't normally bad, how old is she? if you wait until there older to breed them sometimes they can be a little stupider about it, if she's under 1 1/2 years you should be good. i would just leave her outside, just make sure her hutch is nice and clean and give her a rabbit nesting box, i like the metal ones with the bottoms best, and lots of soft hay. the biggest problem with first time moms is not normally the moms not taking care of them but that they'll have them on the wire because they won't know what to do with them and they'll freeze (once again not always don't get to worried). If you want to you can give her half a tums a few days before she kindles (i can't remember the name for it but somthing drops low before the kindle that a tums replaces). put the nest box in at 28 days, if you put it in too soon she'll use it as a litter box. keep it really quiet and calm around her a week before and after kindling. also if you feed alot of treats to her i would stop giving her those for the first 1-2 weeks of the babies life, we found we'de loose litters when moms milk was to rich, we feed supplements because we show and we stop feeding these around kindling times because like i said it was making the milk to rich

 

[trcarlton]

She's about 5-6 months (ish) lol she was a craigslist bunny. Very sweet girl, curious and cuddly, she's taken a nap in my arms before. I will deny it if you tell on me, but she's my favorite lol I have hutch boxes in each of the rabbits' hutch, but she will need a bigger one as an actual nest box. I can make one no biggie though - they seem pretty straightforward to make, and we have plenty of extra wood and wire. I'm thinking I will make a wire one first, for summer use. The rabbits are kept with the chickens in their own private fenced yard - the chickens have a coop, the buns are in their raised hutches so the chickens can look but not touch, and have full access to any fallen bunny treats and can keep the manure turned. The kids go in sometimes with me, but near kindling time they will be kept out, the dog has NO access, so it's usually pretty quiet in there anyway. I go in daily to check food/water, talk to and pet everyone, and fetch the eggs. I'm sure she will be fine, and I will keep my fingers crossed for her kits and just check in often so if they are born on the wire I can hopefully get them in the kindling box in time For making the kindling box, how much bigger than her should it be?