Buying unneutered brother and sister rabbits, should they be separated immediately? When is the earliest time the doe can get pregnant?

[Barush]

Hi,

As the title says, we are thinking about getting a doe and buck from the same litter. We thought about keeping them both in the same cage and spay the buck immediately after his testicles drop, at about 12 weeks. Of course, we don't want any funny business to happen, so when is the earliest time a doe can get pregnant and is it safe for them to share the cage for now?

 

[zuppa]

Hi,

As the title says, we are thinking about getting a doe and buck from the same litter. We thought about keeping them both in the same cage and spay the buck immediately after his testicles drop, at about 12 weeks. Of course, we don't want any funny business to happen, so when is the earliest time a doe can get pregnant and is it safe for them to share the cage for now?

Hi, what breed are they? Dwarf breeds tend to mature earlier but it also depends on personal development of your individual rabbits. Generally, boys are fertile from 10-12 weeks, I've heard of dwarfs sexually active at 9 weeks, however girl would be able to get pregnant at around 14 weeks (which would be a disaster for her since she is still a baby herself) so it is generally safe to keep them together until 10-12 weeks, after that I would suggest separating them. Large breeds mature later.

Also bear in mind that after neutering surgery males still keep some sperm and are able to impregnate a female up to 4 weeks after neutering so you will have to keep him separately for min 4 weeks (suggested 6-8 weeks after neutering, because male is still humping and spraying urine and a female can get annoyed of this and they can go into a fight, after that bonding can be problematic).

Males can be neutered as soon as testicles drop (around 3-4,5 months, sometimes up to 6 months) and also depending on how experienced is your vet. Also in different countries can be a bit different policies on that so contact a few vet clinics what they say, try finding exotic vet or keep asking if they have experience with rabbits. It is very important since rabbits are different than cats and dogs especially when it comes to anaesthetics unfortunately sometimes rabbits die during neutering just because they overdose them.

Feel free to ask any more questions and do some research based on keywords from suggestions. We are quite nice community but be aware this is an internet forum and we are not vets (most of us) and take our advice with cautions

 

[Diane R]

Your plan can work but make sure to have the boy neutered as soon as testicles descend AND have the doe spayed at 16 weeks. Check that there is a good rabbit vet who will do this. That way you don't have to separate them. Are there no rescue centres in Finland?