Rabbits questions...?

[Nao57]

So I'm new to rabbits, but not new to other things like chickens.

Today I bought 2 silver fox rabbits from a local classified ad.

When I picked them up, the lady said something about them being together, I didn't get what she said and I didn't hear her well. I didn't stay long because she was trying to hit me up for extra cash also. (I didn't give in but I was polite.)

When I got home I realized that the boy rabbit is much bigger than the doe. But they are supposed to be both 3 months old.

Does this mean he's not really the same age? How could he be that much bigger than she is?

And I wondered also... if they are really 3 months then at what point do they have to be separated before the doe can get pregnant?

I want to have them breed so I can have meat. But I don't want it to be sporadic and unorganized. I'm also confused also... will they be able to get pregnant before 6 months old? (Google says they can't until 6 months.)

And does this mean they can be together until 6 months?

And what confused me also is that already it appears like the buck is trying to figure out how to mate with the doe. This started even before I had them in the car. (Yet they aren't supposed to be six months yet?) I don't think he was successful yet, but I'm not entirely sure.

Also, I wanted to check what the minimum size of a cage/hutch has to be in order for them to grow healthy?

This doesn't mean I want to have the smallest cage either. Just that I want to have a good idea how big a hutch should be for me to build one, but have enough stalls for more than one rabbit.


Thanks.

 

[Bunnylady]

Rabbits shouldn't be bred until they are about 6 months of age, to be sure they have reached their mature size (with some giant breeds, this may be more like 8 months or so). Rabbits hit puberty at approximately 12 weeks, so most breeders separate the girls from the boys at 10 weeks. A lot of rabbits won't breed until they are older, but many people have been surprised by 4-5 month old does giving birth when they weren't separated from their male littermates soon enough. If your two rabbits have been together for even a few seconds, depending on just how mature they are, your doe may already be pregnant.

As far as size - young rabbits grow fast. Even within a litter, there can be a bit of a size difference, though one would hope it would only be a matter of ounces in rabbits that are 12 weeks or so. If these two rabbits are from different litters, and the doe is just barely 12 weeks while the buck is, like, 15 weeks (and maybe there were a lot of kits in her litter but only a few in his), yes, there could be a fair amount of difference, but it's also quite possible that the buck is a good bit older than the doe. In any case, they need separate housing at this age.

Commercial breeders would keep rabbits of this size in cages that were about 24" x 30" x 18" high, with maybe a 30" x 36" x 18" for a doe with a litter. Some people, especially pet bunny people, would consider that small. What I tell people is that's the minimum size; a cage can't be too big for the rabbit, but it can be too big for you if you need to get hold of the rabbit for some reason and you simply can't reach it.

 

[Nao57]

Rabbits shouldn't be bred until they are about 6 months of age, to be sure they have reached their mature size (with some giant breeds, this may be more like 8 months or so). Rabbits hit puberty at approximately 12 weeks, so most breeders separate the girls from the boys at 10 weeks. A lot of rabbits won't breed until they are older, but many people have been surprised by 4-5 month old does giving birth when they weren't separated from their male littermates soon enough. If your two rabbits have been together for even a few seconds, depending on just how mature they are, your doe may already be pregnant.

As far as size - young rabbits grow fast. Even within a litter, there can be a bit of a size difference, though one would hope it would only be a matter of ounces in rabbits that are 12 weeks or so. If these two rabbits are from different litters, and the doe is just barely 12 weeks while the buck is, like, 15 weeks (and maybe there were a lot of kits in her litter but only a few in his), yes, there could be a fair amount of difference, but it's also quite possible that the buck is a good bit older than the doe. In any case, they need separate housing at this age.

Commercial breeders would keep rabbits of this size in cages that were about 24" x 30" x 18" high, with maybe a 30" x 36" x 18" for a doe with a litter. Some people, especially pet bunny people, would consider that small. What I tell people is that's the minimum size; a cage can't be too big for the rabbit, but it can be too big for you if you need to get hold of the rabbit for some reason and you simply can't reach it.

Wow. Thanks so much. And also looking forward to making new friends here.

Although I probably never even had a chance for this to go right. The one I bought the two rabbits from had them together for about an hour or more before I even got there. So I'm guessing she is pregnant.

Does that mean she and the kits will be all screwed up then because she's a bit young and smaller than she would be?

Thanks a bunch again.

I think its really fun to learn about sustainable living.

The idea that you can grow rabbits off grass and have almost (but not quite) free food is very interesting to me. And my little niece and nephew both have been greatly enhanced in the mind and spirit by seeing backyard educational agriculture.

This makes all of this quite fun.

 

[Nao57]

Since the person I got these from didn't separate them, and had the doe with the buck for awhile even before I got there....

Does this mean I should just start all over with a different doe?

An educational video I was looking at was saying if the doe gets pregnant really young, it will kill the litter sizes with her. (Which means MUCH less meat. :S )

Kind of looks like I'm screwed now.

 

[Jennbramlett]

So I'm new to rabbits, but not new to other things like chickens.

Today I bought 2 silver fox rabbits from a local classified ad.

When I picked them up, the lady said something about them being together, I didn't get what she said and I didn't hear her well. I didn't stay long because she was trying to hit me up for extra cash also. (I didn't give in but I was polite.)

When I got home I realized that the boy rabbit is much bigger than the doe. But they are supposed to be both 3 months old.

Does this mean he's not really the same age? How could he be that much bigger than she is?

And I wondered also... if they are really 3 months then at what point do they have to be separated before the doe can get pregnant?

I want to have them breed so I can have meat. But I don't want it to be sporadic and unorganized. I'm also confused also... will they be able to get pregnant before 6 months old? (Google says they can't until 6 months.)

And does this mean they can be together until 6 months?

And what confused me also is that already it appears like the buck is trying to figure out how to mate with the doe. This started even before I had them in the car. (Yet they aren't supposed to be six months yet?) I don't think he was successful yet, but I'm not entirely sure.

Also, I wanted to check what the minimum size of a cage/hutch has to be in order for them to grow healthy?

This doesn't mean I want to have the smallest cage either. Just that I want to have a good idea how big a hutch should be for me to build one, but have enough stalls for more than one rabbit.


Thanks.

Watch out. If not separated by the time she gives birth, she will have 2 litters.
Rabbits can give birth and while still pregnant with a 2nd litter!

 

[Larsen Poultry Ranch]

I would wait at least 35 days before deciding to give up on your doe as a lost cause. Pregnancy usually goes between 28-35 days from date of breeding. Since you don't know if the doe is pregnant, you need to count out at least 35 days after the date you separate them and treat her as if she could be pregnant that whole time.

If she doesn't give birth after 35-40 days, she wasn't pregnant or has absorbed the pregnancy. If she gives birth, then you hopefully have healthy baby bunnies. First time moms aren't always the best, even when they are the right age. You will probably lose some, it happens to everyone and the only thing you can do is analyze why they didn't make it and try to prevent that issue in future litters. I have a 3 strike rule, because sometimes it's not the doe's fault the litter is small or doesn't make it. If she's a bad mom or fails 3 times, then I get rid of her and get a different doe.

A lot of folks breed 2 or more does to have similar due dates, so if they can foster babies between the does if needed. I don't know how much meat you are looking to raise, but you might benefit from having a second doe in this regard. It's really hard to bottle feed baby rabbits and actually have them live.

 

[messybun]

So I'm new to rabbits, but not new to other things like chickens.

Today I bought 2 silver fox rabbits from a local classified ad.

When I picked them up, the lady said something about them being together, I didn't get what she said and I didn't hear her well. I didn't stay long because she was trying to hit me up for extra cash also. (I didn't give in but I was polite.)

When I got home I realized that the boy rabbit is much bigger than the doe. But they are supposed to be both 3 months old.

Does this mean he's not really the same age? How could he be that much bigger than she is?

And I wondered also... if they are really 3 months then at what point do they have to be separated before the doe can get pregnant?

I want to have them breed so I can have meat. But I don't want it to be sporadic and unorganized. I'm also confused also... will they be able to get pregnant before 6 months old? (Google says they can't until 6 months.)

And does this mean they can be together until 6 months?

And what confused me also is that already it appears like the buck is trying to figure out how to mate with the doe. This started even before I had them in the car. (Yet they aren't supposed to be six months yet?) I don't think he was successful yet, but I'm not entirely sure.

Also, I wanted to check what the minimum size of a cage/hutch has to be in order for them to grow healthy?

This doesn't mean I want to have the smallest cage either. Just that I want to have a good idea how big a hutch should be for me to build one, but have enough stalls for more than one rabbit.


Thanks.

I got a rabbit who was three months old and the next morning she had eight living babies... Google lies lol. Definitely separate them right away! If she start to pull hair off of her stomach give her a nesting box. By the way, rabbits do fight and will try to kill each other when left together and a male will eat the babies. It is a VERY rare thing to have a bonded pair and even rarer that you can keep them together at birthing time. About mating, if he was successful the males usually scream and fall over backwards. Since it seems like you are new to buns here are some myths that I started with and wish I’d know better lol. Any male and female will mate, they have no problem with incest and it doesn’t matter who says they do...because they don’t. Rabbits are not always loving fluffy Easter bunny creatures, I love them, but you will run across a little brat every now and then. Rabbits cannot live on wire alone and NEED a resting pad for their feet. Rabbits do not like heat, but they thrive in the cold. It’s true you shouldn’t mix a blue eyed and a red eyed white rabbit because you will find genetic problems. Sometimes rabbits hump each other to show dominance and fight, watch out because they can bite each other. Some rabbits like hay, but they can survive on only good pellets, I’ve had several who refused to eat hay and they were beautiful and healthy without it. All in all, welcome to rabbits and I hope you love them!

 

[Nao57]

I would wait at least 35 days before deciding to give up on your doe as a lost cause. Pregnancy usually goes between 28-35 days from date of breeding. Since you don't know if the doe is pregnant, you need to count out at least 35 days after the date you separate them and treat her as if she could be pregnant that whole time.

If she doesn't give birth after 35-40 days, she wasn't pregnant or has absorbed the pregnancy. If she gives birth, then you hopefully have healthy baby bunnies. First time moms aren't always the best, even when they are the right age. You will probably lose some, it happens to everyone and the only thing you can do is analyze why they didn't make it and try to prevent that issue in future litters. I have a 3 strike rule, because sometimes it's not the doe's fault the litter is small or doesn't make it. If she's a bad mom or fails 3 times, then I get rid of her and get a different doe.

A lot of folks breed 2 or more does to have similar due dates, so if they can foster babies between the does if needed. I don't know how much meat you are looking to raise, but you might benefit from having a second doe in this regard. It's really hard to bottle feed baby rabbits and actually have them live.

Thank you very much!

I like the idea of a tracking system like you are doing to watch for which will be good moms.

Quick question regarding your comment, do you also give a strike if the litter sizes are too small? (I guess technically the moms could pass a small litter size gene to her offspring right? So I get why someone could do that and have good intentions.)

 

[Nao57]

I got a rabbit who was three months old and the next morning she had eight living babies... Google lies lol. Definitely separate them right away! If she start to pull hair off of her stomach give her a nesting box. By the way, rabbits do fight and will try to kill each other when left together and a male will eat the babies. It is a VERY rare thing to have a bonded pair and even rarer that you can keep them together at birthing time. About mating, if he was successful the males usually scream and fall over backwards. Since it seems like you are new to buns here are some myths that I started with and wish I’d know better lol. Any male and female will mate, they have no problem with incest and it doesn’t matter who says they do...because they don’t. Rabbits are not always loving fluffy Easter bunny creatures, I love them, but you will run across a little brat every now and then. Rabbits cannot live on wire alone and NEED a resting pad for their feet. Rabbits do not like heat, but they thrive in the cold. It’s true you shouldn’t mix a blue eyed and a red eyed white rabbit because you will find genetic problems. Sometimes rabbits hump each other to show dominance and fight, watch out because they can bite each other. Some rabbits like hay, but they can survive on only good pellets, I’ve had several who refused to eat hay and they were beautiful and healthy without it. All in all, welcome to rabbits and I hope you love them!

I'll watch for this behavior. Thank you.

Will brat behavior be passed to offspring if you don't cull them?

I never would have known about that eye color mixing. :O wow.

Thanks!

Already I was like 'wow, their fur is so silky and soft', that was the first thing I noticed bringing them home.

How do you keep them from tipping their water bowl over?

 

[Larsen Poultry Ranch]

Thank you very much!

I like the idea of a tracking system like you are doing to watch for which will be good moms.

Quick question regarding your comment, do you also give a strike if the litter sizes are too small? (I guess technically the moms could pass a small litter size gene to her offspring right? So I get why someone could do that and have good intentions.)

I recommend you create a journal or spreadsheet for each doe you have, in order to track all the info you swear you'll be able to remember without writing it down. You won't remember. Seriously. Write down: breeding date, which male bred to, kindle date, # born, # alive, # doa, # alive to weaning, date weaned, weights of kits at various ages. There's probably more I'm forgetting. But, you want some sort of record so you have hard #s to compare.

I kept three daughters from my first pair I bred. I used the same buck on all three. The first doe had 7 kits, 2 died before weaning. The second doe had 4 kits and 2 were doa, the others survived to weaning. The third doe had 7 kits and all survived to weaning. I will be breeding them all again once the weather cools down. The second doe has 1.5 strikes against her in my book, the .5 for the small litter and the 1 for aggression. None of my other rabbits have attempted to bite me, she has. I don't need to deal with a mean rabbit. The small litter I can argue was because it was her first or she wasn't at the right time in her cycle. Losing kits is normal for a first time mom, it happened with all my does except that third doe, so I don't count it as a strike against her. If it's after the second litter I would count it as a strike if it was her fault: she wasn't feeding them or stepped on them. I have lost litters due to the heat and that's not the mom's fault. If the second doe has a small litter again, or continues to be aggressive I will cull from my herd.

Come up with some guidelines or goals for your rabbitry and write them down. Then figure out how to work toward those goals. After a few months or a few litters, go over the numbers and see if there are changes you need to make to your rabbitry to move toward the goals, and also evaluate if the goals are still reasonable.