Little help please?

Hello not sure if this is the right place for this but here goes
I will be breeding my buns soon and would like so info before I start
The mothers will be two Rex sisters I got they are 6 months now and I won't be breeding till the end of August.
First I would like to know if they are mini or standard Rex.
Second I would like to know what you would call their colouring

Mocka is 5.4 Lbs



Tiger is 5.3 Lbs



And this is going to be daddy

Charcoal aka Coal

By the weight, I'm thinking they're full rex but I'll wait for someone who knows more to chime in.

What is the buck? His fur didn't look rex to me....is he another breed?

I don't think this is a good match color-wise because I'm thinking your rabbits are harlequin or tri-color (broken harlequin) and they'll mess up the coloring of your dad's coloring (which is the dominant coloring of the pairs).

I am not sure what coal is I was told he was a dwarf when I bought him and he is now 5.7 lbs so he is bit a mini and they never said a breed. I was going to breed them with yuki my white lionhead but I had to put him down I don't have any other rabbits to chose from I will be selling the babies at a pet store and the money I make from the babies will pay for the parents to be fixed I would like to keep the moms colours but I don't have a choose in daddys unless someone that lives around here would stud but I would need a vet check first I have done a vet check on my three and they said breeding would be fine since they are all healthy

The does look like mini-rex without the dwarfing gene and the buck looks like maybe a mini-rex netherland cross. You are going to get some funky colors crossing harlequin/tri and silver marten.

Is that a bad thing?

Koumyou_69 wrote:

Is that a bad thing?

Click to expand...

I don't know that it is a "bad" thing - but I'm not sure how many people will be interested in them.

I understand that you're planning on selling them to the pet store - have you talked to the pet store to see if they'll buy them and how much they'll pay?

I know people who sell their pedigreed "culls" (meaning the purebreds that they don't want to keep for their breeding program) and they only get $10 or so for them at most. I've heard of offers as low as $5.

Is it really worth risking your does' health to make that small amount of money?

One thing I learned years ago is to not breed a rabbit that is a "pet" in my heart. If something goes wrong - you regret it. In my case, my doe did ok with labor and delivery and the first few weeks of the babies' lives...but then her immune system started having problems and she died about a year later after several illnesses. To this day, I believe it was due to her pregnancy.

I wouldn't recommend breeding them as the babies will not be purebred and the parents are not pedigreed so you do not know their genetic history. It's up to you though Do you know the pet store will buy them? Most pet stores only buy from their suppliers.

If you have never bred before prepare yourself as the first litter can be rough. I have had all 6 babies die within the first few days, mothers can reject them. It is not easy but if you know what you are doing and research it can be rewarding.

Best of luck.

When I did talk to the pet store they were saying they would sell them for either 40 or 60 and I was looking qt about 25 to 30 a baby I will be checking up on that before I breed but as I am on a fixed income that money would help greatly on getting the parents fixed I understand the risks and I am lucky to have a great vet who is helping me through this I don't want to be scared about breeding it is a natural thing and I am sure if I had not bought the girls a breeder would have >< I hope I don't seem rude or upset

I completely agrees Tinysmom: When I was younger we used to breed our pet bunnies but now as a young adult I would only breed Purebred pedigreed bunnies and only to forever families. Anything else is too risky and comes with too much heartache.

I don't want you to be scared but vets cost a lot of money too and in the end you will probably not make much money.
You will need to buy nest boxes, extra food for the babies plus be at home to ensure the babies are okay.
I just want you to be prepared because many mothers have complications and many babies die.
Do a lot of research first. As a breeder, I don't breed to make money, I rarely break even. I do it because it is a passion.
Good luck and I hope everything goes well

I have the vet covered my grandmother is helping there and I buy the food in bulk from a friend same wit the hay so food is not an issue I want to try breeding I would love to breed for show in the future but right now I just want one litter each and put the money from the babies into paying part of the bills to get moms and dads fixed I knew when I posted some people would be against mix breeding but honestly that's not a concern of mine I just want a healthy litter that will be well mannered and litter trained before they go to the store all the parents have a good temperament and litter trained so it should go well I would just like some helpful tips from people that breed for a living\passion so hopefully I am prepared invade anything goes wrong and that is also why I am waiting till August the girls will be about 9 1/2 months and I will be home full time to take care of moms and babies

That is good. I would be able to help you out if you ever need it, I have raised bunnies my whole life pretty much. Let me know when you are going to breed them and I can give you advice if you do go through with it.
Did you ever consider selling them yourself? You could probably get more money plus you would know where they are going and could keep in touch with them.
I have heard of people buying bunnies for snake food. Or they could neglect it. It is more work but you would feel better your little babies are going to good homes!

Ok thankyou I would love the help and advice my dad bred rabbits years ago so he is helping a bit bit all the help I can get is appreciated I love my bunnies to much to do things that will hurt them but I think having one litter will be nice for them and me so I have the experience if I want to do this in the future again

Koumyou_69 wrote:

I am sure if I had not bought the girls a breeder would have

Click to expand...

As a breeder who knows many breeders of many different breeds - I can tell you almost definitely that I know of NO breeder that would buy rabbits from a pet store to breed.

I'm not criticizing you - your does are pretty - but breeders buy from other breeders usually so they can see what the parents are like and they have pedigrees, etc. and they know what colors, etc to breed together and so they're usually looking for certain things.

Am I saying that what you're doing is wrong?

That isn't what I'm trying to say - I'm simply trying to point out that breeders would do things very differently.

As far as helping you - that is what we're here for. When you get ready to breed - make sure to take the doe to the buck's cage and not vice versa. On day 28 of the pregnancy (which is normally 31 days) you will need to put in a nestbox (they run about $20 or so unless you make them yourself out of wood).

Finally - I am serious about checking with the pet stores - the people I knew who would sell rabbits to a pet store and only sold them for $10 would see the rabbits sometimes get sold for $50 and up. Don't expect the store to give you half the price that they sell for.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

well i will be making the nest boxes my dad and grandpa are both good at wood working and i took shop in school so i would like to make one for each girl that will fix the cage with no gaps that the babies could get in and hurt them selves in i will most likely fallow a pattern i can find but does it have to be made of wood? or could i use plumber?(plastic lumber) if i can use the plumber it would be easier to clean and no splinters and not as easlily stained any ideas on that?

Your girls are Tricolor mini rex and your buck looks like some kind of dwarf cross.

Do you have any specific questions or concerns that you want to know about before you start breeding?
It will make it much easier for us to help you if we know what you are looking for rather than just asking for the general how to breed.

One thing to do, try to find people who might be interested in having one of your bunnies BEFORE you breed them! You can teach them/give them info on litterbox training, care, etc. And that way, your little bunnies won't have to stay in a petstore... alot of people do buy little bunnies from pet stores for snake food, especially little mixed bunnies(they usually sell for cheaper)

I have a couple litters coming up and have people who were interested before I even bred them. This way, I have a pretty good chance of knowing that most or all of my little bunnies have a good home BEFORE I even breed for them... and if it turns out that I have some that don't go to new homes, I am prepared to keep them for as long as it takes to find them a new home.

Pet stores rarely produce good homes.... the people who buy from there are typically impulse buyers and end up selling their rabbits shortly after...

Koumyou_69, Make sure you talk to the pet store about how much they will give you and get it in writing.
I see no reason you cannot breed these bunnies, they will be mixed pets, like dogs sometimes the crossbreds are better than the purebreds. Do not expect the all babies to have the rex fur as it is highly unlikely.
You could use Plumber but remember it contains chemicals that are not good for your rabbit, I use plywood(the glue is non toxic) just make sure it is not treated plywood for use outdoors, that has a chemical on it that is poisonous.

Ok I will look kore jnyo the plumber to see if it is safe and u will look into the plywood as well and many a 1/4 inch boras as well just to see what will be better.
What signs do I look for that the does are ready to be breed is there a certain age I should wait for or is 9 to 10 months ok?
Should I separate the girls after breeding of wait till closer to the birth?
After the babies are weened should I put all the babies together and put the moms back in one cage? (they share a cage now since they are sisters they don't like being separated)
When the babies are born do I have to clean the umbilical cords with hydrogen proxcide? (this is what we did to baby lambs born on the farm I worked at it was a purple colour so we knew who we had cleaned already)
Should I let the buck see the babies at all?

Koumyou_69 wrote:

Ok I will look kore jnyo the plumber to see if it is safe and u will look into the plywood as well and many a 1/4 inch boras as well just to see what will be better.
What signs do I look for that the does are ready to be breed is there a certain age I should wait for or is 9 to 10 months ok?

When you look at the does' genitals they should be a bright red - almost a purple color. That will mean they're ready to breed (or at least more likely to want to breed).
Should I separate the girls after breeding of wait till closer to the birth?
I would separate them by day 20 at least...to give them time to be in their "new" cages and mark them and stuff.
After the babies are weened should I put all the babies together and put the moms back in one cage? (they share a cage now since they are sisters they don't like being separated)
I doubt the moms will go back together - it is possible but yoiu will have broken their bond by separating them and it may take time to rebond them.
When the babies are born do I have to clean the umbilical cords with hydrogen proxcide? (this is what we did to baby lambs born on the farm I worked at it was a purple colour so we knew who we had cleaned already)

You don't need to do anything to the umbilical cords.
Should I let the buck see the babies at all?

Why? I mean - he isn't going to be thinking, "Oh they're mine..".

Rabbits don't have "paternal" feelings that much - although I did have a flemish giant buck who would babysit my lionhead babies when they were playing on the floor and they would crawl all over him, etc. But they weren't "his" and he was just such a unique rabbit...he'd rather be with the babies than take his playtime outside!

Click to expand...