Should i get a friend for my bunny?

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Tahlia.Evans wrote:
well i got told shes a netherland dwaf but a lot of other people think shes a holland lop, and at the moment shes only about 2 months so i still have a while to wait before i can breed with her, and i wont for a while anyway
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Breeding should NOT be done willy-nilly. If she is your avatar, she is clearly not a Netherland Dwarf, and if you can't tell what breed she is, you certainly don't know the breed standard. I strongly discourage you from breeding, especially if you are so undereducated - not to be rude, but I don't know how else to put it.

Many bad things can come from breeding - stillborn babies, babies that die within weeks, your rabbit could have trouble with the birth and could die during it, she could reject the whole litter especially if it's her first and the whole litter could die... etc etc etc. If she is a pet to you and you would be upset if something happend to her, she should not be bred.

In addition to this, there are genetic problems that can occur that you may not even know about, assuming your rabbit did not come from a responsible breeder. For example, if your rabbit has malocclusion (which you may need to take her to a vet after she's 6 months to know for sure), she should not be bred.

Breeding should be done responsibley. If you're interested in breeding, it would be wise to do your research, find a breed you're interested in, find a couple of unrelated does and a buck with papers from a responsible breeder, and get started that way. And that is only if you are prepared to go through some heartache and hard decisions. It can be a great hobby if you're prepared.But if you want to breed even just one litter because you'd like to have cute babies... well, that's not really a responsible reason to breed.

Having said all of that, if you decide to get her a friend, she should likely be spayed and I recommend bonding her to a neutered male. That is the easiest combination to bond. If you don't plan on having her spayed, she may still bond nicely to a neuterd male, assuming she is not an overly dominent female, but she'll still be at high risk of reproductive cancers by the age of 4. So really, it's wise to spay her no matter what you decide to do.
 
plasticbunny wrote:
Breeding should NOT be done willy-nilly.  If she is your avatar, she is clearly not a Netherland Dwarf, and if you can't tell what breed she is, you certainly don't know the breed standard.  I strongly discourage you from breeding, especially if you are so undereducated - not to be rude, but I don't know how else to put it.

Many bad things can come from breeding - stillborn babies, babies that die within weeks, your rabbit could have trouble with the birth and could die during it, she could reject the whole litter especially if it's her first and the whole litter could die... etc etc etc.  If she is a pet to you and you would be upset if something happend to her, she should not be bred.

In addition to this, there are genetic problems that can occur that you may not even know about, assuming your rabbit did not come from a responsible breeder.  For example, if your rabbit has malocclusion (which you may need to take her to a vet after she's 6 months to know for sure), she should not be bred.

Breeding should be done responsibley.  If you're interested in breeding, it would be wise to do your research, find a breed you're interested in, find a couple of unrelated does and a buck with papers from a responsible breeder, and get started that way.  And that is only if you are prepared to go through some heartache and hard decisions. It can be a great hobby if you're prepared.But if you want to breed even just one litter because you'd like to have cute babies...  well, that's not really a responsible reason to breed.

Having said all of that, if you decide to get her a friend, she should likely be spayed and I recommend bonding her to a neutered male.  That is the easiest combination to bond.  If you don't plan on having her spayed, she may still bond nicely to a neuterd male, assuming she is not an overly dominent female, but she'll still be at high risk of reproductive cancers by the age of 4.  So really, it's wise to spay her no matter what you decide to do.
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^THIS^
I wasn't sure how to put it into words, but plasticbunny did great on putting it into words.
 
Just because i dont know what type of rabbit she is doesnt mean i a- cant find out and b- cant breed with her, and im not breeding with her for a long time yet so by then i will have found all that out, and found a nice male to breed her with
 
Then no, I wouldn't find her a friend, unless it's one that can live in a cage next to her. She would have to be repeatedly separated from this bunny every time she was pregnant/nursing, and separation from a bondmate can be stressful and traumatic for both rabbits.

Get her spayed when she's done breeding, and then get her a friend.
 
Is your male neutered? If he isnt he should not have contact with your female at all. She is still a baby and an early pregnacy will do so much harm too her growing body. Rabbits do not go into "heats" like cats and dogs. As soon as a buck hops on she can get pregnate. Dwarf breeds can get pregnant as early as 14 weeks.

Where did you get her from? If she is from a breeder did they say she was a brood quality doe or pet quality?
 
Unfortunately, pet store rabbits are usually the cast-offs of other breeders, so they're not really worthy of breeding. I actually work in a pet store, so I know the quality of animal they generally get. Even though your bunny is very cute, she may not unfortunately be of breeding quality.

You would be wise to pick up a fresh trio, as I recommended. That way you'll know just what you're getting, have papers to prove it, etc.
 
I don't know much about breeding but my first bunny Benji (he is a rescue) initially came from a pet shop. He has had genetic teeth problems for about a year now, maybe longer. Every 2-3 weeks I take him for a teeth trim. I get discount. So it costs me at least £30 every month, not to mention the stress it causes him (luckily this appears to be minimal, otherwise I would have had to rethink the situation long ago. But if you have a bunny that is shy/scared of vets or doesn't like being handled then this would NOT be good). If this doesn't clear up I am going to have to have his incisors removed. As your Mum is a vet nurse I'm sure she'd understand not only the HIGH cost of this, but the risks involved and also the fact that they may even grow back. And of course the stress to a hugely loved pet.

And this is all down to his genetics, and him being bred from two rabbits who probably weren't breeding quality. This is so the vet says, not my speculation- that it is gene-related, not diet.

And say you can't find homes for any of these lil mutt bunnies which will be what they are as you have no papers....and it's entirely possible you won't....can you afford the money to keep them..especially if they have 'problems'?

Just stuff to think about.

Cute bunny btw :)

Jen
 
Recommending breeding age is around 6 months old. You dont want to breed over a year,

So if she's already over 6 months old, You dont got much time until she's a year old. And I would find a good (trio) and breed them. Maybe you can get some buns from your mother, Since she raises them..
 
I only guessed that she was about 6 months, but mum thinks shes only about 2 so still have a while yet.

Yes i know there can be problems passed down from mother and father to their litters but that is something that i would have to wait and see, and i have pleanty of money to be able to help the bun if something does go wrong.
 
The sad part is most animals bred for petshops are mass bred, litter after litter until they die. This makes weaker and sicker animals. I strongly recomend that people do not breed animals they buy in petshops, you do not know anything about her back ground, she could be the results of very tight inbreeding and could possibly carry some genetic problem that could affect her or her litters. How heart broken would you be if her litters where all deformed or had severe issues, like bad teeth? It's not really worth it in the end.
Baby bunnies are cute and all, but that doesnt mean every cute bunny should make more.
What is your breeding goal? Do you plan to show? Breeding is a hobby, good breeders loose money and breed for the love of the breed. To improve their lines, to win shows etc.
 
I am a breeder and would never breed a rabbit that does not have a full 4 generation pedigree. Also they must be from a reputable breeder I know and trust.
Obviously no matter what people say you are going to breed this rabbit. Your rabbit is not a 'breed' she is a mix as you do not have papers for her and she is a pet shop bunny. You will just be adding to the many mix breed bunnies out there. Also I can almost guarantee these babies will have some sort of issue. It sounds like you are young and don't want any advice so I really hope your bunny is okay and the babies find homes that will care for them.
 
well im sorry but its my choice and she will be having tests before i breed with her, and as for being young but im not stupid like you just insinuated, and as for the whole shes not got papers so dont breed with her but im sorry thats bull, not all breeding rabbits have papers, how do you think the breeds started in the first place
 
Nope never said stupid. Just young and inexperienced as all young people are. I am young too, 21. Yes it is your choice and like I said good luck. This is a forum and I stated my opinion. Also of course all rabbits aren't bred with pedigrees, that is why there are so many unwanted rabbits out there. I said personally I only do this as I then know the history of my rabbit.
Sorry if you took my posy as an insult but you came here for advice and that was mine.
 
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