THE RABBIT AND RODENT WEB BOOK

Sometimes due to lack of experience, or being given the wrong information on getting a rabbit, pet owners come across a situation where their rabbits are different sexes when they were told they were the same sex, and they end up with a litter of kits. Due to this situation I am including a section on understanding breeding and caring for the parents and the young.

Shall I breed from my rabbits?

Breeding is not a thing to be taken lightly. It should not be used to settle a mature doe down or to avoid the costs of neutering.

This is not a solution to getting your animal neutered and stopping aggression. You will be occurring more cost in looking after the doe and the young, i.e. food and veterinary bills and also using up a lot of your time in rabbit care and finding new homes for the kits.

If they are re-homed and you are not knowledgeable of breeding and Rabbit Husbandry, there is no reassurance that the home they are going to is loving, and they could end up in a sanctuary, ill, or even starved to death through neglect, inexperience and lack of knowledge from yourself.

By breeding without in depth research you may be adding to the population of homeless rabbits stuck in sanctuaries, do you really want your rabbit to be one of them?

To want to breed rabbits you have to be very dedicated and have the time and the money to spend on them. You will also have to come to terms that there are complications sometimes that you may have to deal with. Also, do not think that by breeding you will make a big profit. This is a hobby and must be done for the love of the animal and pleasure rather than the money. You will also need a lot of knowledge of breeding and rabbit husbandry to be able to pass on the care information to potential buyers, making sure that they are really wanting to give the Rabbit a good home and that it is not going to be neglected, due to you not giving them the correct information. You must also find out about what they have done in the ways of research in keeping a pet Rabbit.

At what age are rabbits mature enough to breed?

Rabbits over 12 weeks of age are at a risk of breeding but the smallest of breeds should not be mated until the doe is 5-6 months old. The buck can be mated from 6 months old onwards. The bigger breeds may have to wait until the doe is 8 months and the buck is 9 months, as they take longer to develop internally.

I am interesting in breeding where do I find information on breeds, breeding and shows?

Contact you Rabbit Club/Society. You will be able to search the Internet to find out the clubs or societies in your area. Please take into account the information I have given above on breeding though. You have to have a huge dedication towards Rabbits to start breeding. Also find a good book on breeding rabbits and gain knowledge of Rabbit genetics.

What facilities do I need to house the rabbits?

Does and bucks should be housed and exercise individually. The cage should be roomy and adequate for the breed of Rabbit you are keeping, but also comfortable and draft and damp free. It is therefore essential to house the hutches in an air-conditioned weatherproof shed with adequate lighting. Does and bucks should both be allowed adequate amounts of exercise in runs before and after breeding and kindling to stop stress to the doe and to prepare the buck for another mating cycle. Both sexes should be handled on a regular basis to check for health, to provide companionship as they are being housed singly and also to gain the trust of the rabbits during mating and kindling.

You must also have a Rabbit log where you can write down Rabbit activities and any problems that may appearing the breeding process. This is important to eliminate bad stock.

Adequate amounts of food and bedding, rabbit bottles, grooming and nail clipping facilities. carrying boxes, nesting boxes, hand rearing milk for emergency intervention and syringes and vet details in case of an emergency. You may have to research a good rabbit vet as some vets are more cat and dog orientated.

How do I select my stock?

Do not use Brother and sisters to breed, or any other relations of the litter for that matter. In breeding can end up in disastrous results. Select stock from a club breeder who is known for good production of stock and good genetics. Ask to see the breeding generations line. A good breeder will keep records of mating, kindling and winning lines.

How do I introduce the mating couple?

Make sure both sexes are healthy. Do not mate thin, overweight, moulting and ill looking Rabbits. Put the doe to the bucks hutch, not the other way round, as the doe may become aggressive and the buck less interested in the doe. You will be able to tell if the doe is ready to breed, as she will have pink genitalia, this is known as being in the pink. If she is not ready she will become grumpy and want to get away. If she is ready to mate she will lay down lifting her back end to the buck so he can mate her. After mating the buck will let out a squeal and fall to her side at which point the doe may mount the buck in return or they will circle each other in excitement.

How Many times can I put the Doe to the Buck and how long for?

The buck should be left with the doe until he mounts her (that’s if she is willing). Once mating has taken place, you can remove the doe from the hutch and put her back into her own hutch and introduce him again within the same day at least a few more times throughout the day. This will give her more chance of conceiving. Make a note of the date of mating.

How can I tell if my rabbit is pregnant?

Between the 10th and 14th day place her on a table, tummy downward, put one hand on her upper back/shoulders and feel her lower abdomen in the pelvic region. Push up wards gently. You should be able to feel round embryos with the pinch of your thumb and forefinger if she is pregnant. These are usually the size of a olive or grape.

Do not mate her again if you are not sure if she is pregnant. Mating her during pregnancy can cause complications. The Doe does have facilities for carrying two lots of babies, but if it happens that both lots try to develop at the same time, the doe’s hormones will cause the babies not to develop properly causing a risk of death to the doe at birth and the babies to be born deformed or mummified.

How long is the Doe pregnant for?

The gestation period is 28-31 days. Kindling depends on the individual and I have seen does kindle at 32 days.

My doe has not made her nest yet, when will this happen?

A doe can leave her nesting up to a few days before she gives birth. Help by providing a nesting box with dry moss and soft, finely chopped hay 28 days into the pregnancy. Do not provide long strands of hay or straw or j-cloth bedding as the kits could get tangled up in it. Nesting boxes are essential to stop the kits wandering outside the nest and to keep them warm in a draught free environment. The box should be roomy enough for the doe and her kits to fit in comfortably but not oversized.

Giving birth.

Giving birth to kits takes around 15 minutes and must be done in a quiet environment. The doe must be left alone to give birth. She will also eat the placenta and wash the babies after birth.

After she has left the nest box, and using latex gloves, check the doe for excessive bleeding or abnormalities in her vent area. If there is anything amiss contact your vet.

Keeping the gloves on you have used to check the doe, check the nest to make sure the kits are all healthy, do not touch them with bare hands. Remove any dead kits.

You must not get any of your scent on the nest. If you have not witnessed the birth, and the kits tummies are round and full the doe is doing her job of feeding them and she must be left alone. She will only feed once a day, sometimes she will give a second feed at her convenience, but once is usually adequate enough to ensure the kits survival.

Sometimes the doe will not feed the kits for a few hours. Leave her undisturbed for 7-8 hours and check on the progress without touching the nest. Some does milk will not flow for the first 24 hours. The best time to check the kits is when you are feeding the doe as a distraction.

Litter rejection.

It is not unusual for a doe to reject her litter if there is disturbance during or after she has given birth by interference, the kits are unhealthy, the doe is unhealthy, or she is an un-experienced doe. In the case with an in-experienced doe, in final attempt to get her to nurse her young lay the doe with back against you on your lap and wearing gloves, attach the kits to the doe to suckle. If this does not work you may have to hand rear the kits.

My doe has had her litter (kindled), how do I look after the doe and the kits?

The new family must be left alone for at lease 5 days in which time you must make sure the doe has plenty of food. It is normal for her appetite to increase. Feed the doe a good-pelleted diet along with plenty of vegetables and hay, and provide Rabbit multivitamins in her water bottle to make sure she is not missing out on anything. If she does not get enough food she will become thin and will not be able to feed her kits. At the end of the 5 days look in the nest to see that the kits are still looking plump and moving around. If all is well leave her to nurse the kits again for another 5 days.

At 10 days of age you can start handling the kits. This is important as socialising improves their chance of being less fearful of humans. Using latex Gloves, rub you hands in the does fur and pick the kits up out of the nest. The Doe will not reject the litter if you do this.

Soon the kits eyes will start to open and they will have full fur coats. They will start to venture around the nest more and by 14 days will eat hay and small bits of dry food, which should be encouraged as they are on their way to being weaned. At this stage they still rely on mums milk though for nutritious benefits.

By four weeks of age most Rabbit kits are eating solid food and drinking water. The doe should be getting exercise away from the kits by now as the cage can become very stressful. There are acceptations to weaning age depending on the size of the rabbit. There are also acceptations to what you should feed the kits at this age. Please see the general feeding Guide for more information on what to feed young rabbits between weaning and 14 weeks of age.

At 8 weeks of age sexing can be done and the young can be separated, as they are old enough to look after themselves. If you are in-experienced at sexing and you have had an accident litter, see your vet who can determine the sex for you.

Selecting rabbits for further breeding and Finding homes for the Young

To select a rabbit for further breeding the rabbit should be in top condition, healthy and have no deformities. You are best to speak to a reputable breeder that is listed with the local rabbit society in your area. Your doe’s should have the right maternal instincts, of good size and preferably larger than the buck and the bucks should be producing good sized litters to carry on breeding from him. It is a good idea to keep both a doe and buck of the same breed but never related because deformities can occur in the young.

All kits that are sold should be checked by a vet for health and deformities, good weight and should be on a good diet.

Homing unwanted kits can be a bit frustrating and you will come across time wasters sometimes. Make sure you have plenty of extra hutches for the young until you can re home them. Remember you will have to get an extra supply of food and bedding in to house the young while they wait for new homes and to offer a feeding/bedding package to new owners.

Rehoming can take time and as a caring breeder it is vital that you make sure that the rabbits go to responsible owners. You must also make sure that the new owner has all the information needed to care for the rabbit and at least 2 weeks supply of food. It is a good idea to design and provide a leaflet with all the items needed for keeping the rabbit as well as giving information on what your rabbits are fed on.

It is also a good idea to make sure that the potential owner has everything set up before they take their rabbit(s) home.

The good thing about selling direct to a potential owner is that if you are not happy with the person wanting a rabbit you can always turn them away.

The same is not said if you decide to send the rabbits to pet shops. You cannot select whom you are going to sell the rabbit to. The pet shop may also feed a different diet to what you have fed and the rabbits can be stressed out by being over handled by potential buyers and by the general noise/environment which they are being kept in. This is something that can also be controlled in you own home. Rabbits from pet stores are forever being sold to customers that do not know what they are doing and there is not always come back for pet shop customers if they have a problem with health or general husbandry. There are good pet shops around who do offer after care advice but just be cautious.

Rabbits that you breed should never end up in a sanctuary just because you cannot re home them. A good breeder/rabbit keeper should take full responsibility for the rehoming of the off spring. It would also be a good idea to offer the potential new owner after sales advice. Give a contact number to the buyer so that he/she can contact you if any problems occur with health or if general advice is needed.

Some people may contact you as potential new breeders. In these cases make sure that the potential breeders have the information required to start breeding. Selling to anyone who wants to breed can end up in disaster due to the ignorance of some people just wanting to breed one litter for their children to observe grow or breeding related rabbits for instance. This again is another responsibility to make sure breeding for the sake of it does not occur and is done with the rabbit’s welfare in mind.

Feeding orphans

If you really have to intervene and syringe feed the rabbit by hand it is best to contact a vet for the best formula in your area to give to the kit(s). Sometimes the vet will recommend an addition to the milk formula to help the rabbits to grow healthily.

Feeding orphans can be demanding as the its need feeding a little more than if it was with the doe as the does milk is much richer and has more nutrients. It is best to feed once every few hours. The rabbit’s tummies should feel full and round. If they are not feed them a bit more often. By 10 days the kits may need a little more milk. When their eyes are open milk can be put into a water bottle and they can be show how to feed from it. Change the milk on a regular basis so it does not go off.

Make sure all you feeding equipment is sterilised daily to prevent illnesses in the kits and if you are worried about the progress of the kits or if they stop feeding consult your vet.

Copyright © K L Gardner all rights reserved

Please note that all wording, design and illustrations in this Guide, remain the property of Kay Gardner and should not be photocopied by anyone else or resold.

This guide is not for photocopying to give to potential new rabbit keepers by breeders or pet shops.

The finished document and photos should not be used for commercial purposes. This Guide can only be sold by the Author.

Please visit http://www.freewebs.com/tillysburrows to obtain your copy of this document