Pros and Cons of breeding rabbits

[Julie_in_PA]

As I mentioned in my introduction ~ I'm new to rabbit care and am trying to do as much research as possible before purchasing my bunnies.

I am interested in learning about breeding rabbits. I want to learn what I can about the pros and cons of breeding before deciding what breed to get, how many, how I need to build my pens, etc.

So first I'm going to tackle the idea of breeding ...

1.Can I have 2 does together in a pen ?

2.Will the buck get lonely being by himself in a seperate pen (until breeding time)

3.Do I need a seperate pen for the birthing/nesting process ?

Ok, those are my main breeding questions (for now ... lol).

Here's what I would LIKE to do (if it would work out good this way) ... I would like to have anice pen (ground pen) with a rabbit "house" and have my two females in that pen. Then have a seperate penwhere I would have my buck. I would prefer to have a buddy for him- but am under the impression that if I have a buck (not fixed) that I can't have another bunny in with him because he would get aggressive with it (is this true?). So if that would be the case, then I would just make sure his pen is in sight of the female bunny pen - so he can atleast SEE the other bunnies, and perhaps wouldn't belonely.

Would two females get along ok in the same pen ?? Please excuse my "ignorance" on the subject, but I'm new at this (don't even have my bunnies yet) and just trying to learn whatcan or can't be done.

 

[Spring]

Just moving this to the rabbitry area for you, for one of our very experienced breeders to help you out!

 

[Julie_in_PA]

Ok ... thanks

 

[tamsin]

I get asked about breeding quite a lot so I asked an experienced breeder to put together a list of points to consider before breeding, you might find reading that helpful: http://www.rabbitrehome.org.uk/care/breedingrabbits.asp


2. Two adult bucks will general fight if unneutered particularly when their are females around they can smell. Obviously you wouldn't want to put a neutered female in with an unneutered buck as he'd never leave her alone.


CAn I ask why you want to breed? Are you interested in showing etc. or just enjoy the company of baby bunnies? If it's the second have you thought about fostering? Thats a great way way to have baby bunnies without some of the downsides

 

[fld20]

For your first ? I would say definatelly no brood does should not be housed together there going to fight eventually I had a pair of sisters that lived happily together until about 6 monthes (breeding age)and then they started fightingwhen they havelitters you wont know which doe is the mother if they dont eat there babies in an effort to protect them from the other doe .? 2 your buck wont be lonelly living by himself my bucks all live alone and are perfectlly fine . Your does will not need a differnt cage for nesting( as long as they have their own cage to start with).. You will also need plenty of cages for weaning and holding any ones you cant sell . I also wonder as did the previous poster why are you wanting to breed ? I breed for show when I got into it I knew all the risks and costs involved ( rabbit raising is expensive it's not a money maker as of last week I'm over $1,500 in the hole and that's just since January) Just a few things to think about .

fallon

 

[BlueGiants]

You've gotten good advice. Don't keep two intact bucks together... Will he be lonely, maybe, maybe not, buthe will kill another buck if put in with him. Don't keep two intact does together, even sisters will reach an age when they want their own territory.If the girls are in seperate pens, you do not need a seperate kindling area.

Keep in mind, if you keep them in pens on the ground, you will need to treat more often for parasites. Kept in pens, Does will tend to make their nets underground as opposed to in a nest box. You will have no control over the babies health until they emerge with eyes open after 2 weeks of age. So you'll never know if a baby has a problem opening it's eyes or if any die in the nest. Both situations (eye infections or dead kits in the nest) leave the babies vulnerable to infections that can wipe out the entire litter. And you'll never know...

Make sure you are going into this with both eyes open. Know what you are geting into. 2-3 rabbits can be bred intoan awful lot of rabbitsin less than a year. Are you prepared to care for that many?

Raising rabbits is not a money making proposition. Feed is very expensive, especially once you havelitters. Now you are feeding15 instead of 3... Vet care is never cheap. Medications can be expensive. Cages cost $$ to build.(You'll need to seperate babiesby sex at12 weeks of age. You'll need to give them their own cages by16 weeks.) Not to mention you will need to care for them, your time, everyday, at least twice a day. (And if you go away, you have to find a responsible person, willing to take care of them for you.)

You have a very narrow window of opportunity to find homes for the babies. Wean them at 6 weeks, start sending them to new homes at 8 weeks (State law), and if you have any left when they are12 weeksold, no one wants them... they are too "old". It's not easy finding good homes for the babies.

If you are going to show and breed purebred rabbits, (to improve the breed, keep a rare breed going, etc.) you'll need to start with good stock. Pick a breed you're interested in and talk to a good breeder, ask them to mentor you. It helps to have someone there to keep you from repeating the same mistakes others have made.

It's good that you want to do your research and ask questions before you get into it. Know what you're getting into. It's not easy.

 

[Julie_in_PA]

CAn I ask why you want to breed? Are you interested in showing etc. or just enjoy the company of baby bunnies? If it's the second have you thought about fostering? Thats a great way way to have baby bunnies without some of the downsides

It's not that I want to breed ... I just wanted to "explore" that option to know if I should or not. To be honest, I think I would be better off just to have a couple of pet only buns. If I have a couple of buns that are fixed - can I keep them all together in the same pen ? Will they get along then ?

 

[BlueGiants]

Two spayed/neutered bunnies can get along just fine. A spayed doe and a neutered buck usually do the best together. But bonding two does or two bucks isn't impossible... just may require a little more effort.

I think you're very wise to consider getting a pair of neutered Companion bunnies, instead of breeding.

 

[MsBinky]

One thingI would like to add is, since you are new to rabbit care, I would take the time to learn more about them and really get to know them before considering breeding. They are great animals and they are my favorite but I also know they aren't for everyone. Another thing to consider is already having a good rabbit-savvy vet available as not every vet treats them and you need to find a good one even amongst those that do. You might also want to take a peek at local shelters to see if many rabbits are there. I am not against breeding, but those are some things you may want to consider :rose:

 

[SkyGal]

1.Can I have 2 does together in a pen ?

2.Will the buck get lonely being by himself in a seperate pen (until breeding time)

3.Do I need a seperate pen for the birthing/nesting process ?

Ok, those are my main breeding questions (for now ... lol).

****

1.Sometimes. I have never done it because once my does got into a fight and I have been so terrified so I dont do that anymore.

2.No, a buck would most likely fight with another male and breed with another females. So it is best to let him stay alone.

3.YES! If a female knows a male is there... she could possibly kill her kits but I am not sure. I would not try it.

 

[Jenson]

You've had some great answers so far. The cost of keeping a rabbitry can be a lot, mine is certainly a huge drain on my finances, I don't think I have even been able to cover my feed and bedding costs by selling rabbits, it's not a money making business. However I think the biggest con to rabbit breeding for me is the heartbreak when something goes wrong. It's much harder to manage a herd than one or two pet rabbits and of course the more rabbits you have the more chance of something going wrong. From losing a day old kit to some illness spreading through your herd it can be very hard. There have been a few times when I've wanted to give up breeding all together.

On the flip side there is nothing better than watching lovely, healthy babies grow into beautiful rabbits whether it's with you or with their new family. You have to prepared to take the heartbreak with the joy I guess.

 

[gentle giants]

Here's my two cents. Something I didn't realize before getting into breeding is the enormous commitment, as far as time and money, that it takes. I have a small rabbit rescue, and I have (right now) 22 rabbits. I spend about $40 a month on feed, and it would be more if I didn't have a friend that gets me cheap prices on hay. And of course, that doesn't count bedding, cleaning supplies, any vet bills, etc.

You have to have plenty of extra cages for weanling litters, it takes at least two large cages per litter, one for bucks and one for does. And if you can't find homes for the litters, what will you do with them?

One more thing, then I will quit, LOL. Before you get started, you have to have breeding stock, and it is always best to get the best. Which can be expensive. When I was looking around for Mini Rex breeding stock, the two best breeders that I talked to wanted over $100 each for young rabbits.

Like Jenson said, it can be a lot of fun, finding a nestbox full of little wiggly kits and watching them grow up, mabye winning ribbons. You just have to be sure you can handle all the rest first. I started out breeding, then I decided it wasn't for me and somehow wound up rescueing instead.