What am i doing wrong?!

[CalifornianKit]

I have tried breeding my rabbits 4 TIMES. FOUR! And i havent had a litter YET. Ive gota proven pair and im expecting babies friday but all 3 of the does bred to him have either a) eaten ALL the hay in their boxes, or B) pooped in their boxes. Does that mean none of my 3 does are pregnant. I replaced the hay and im just hoping they have babies. Its REALLY frustrating.

 

[mistyjr]

I am also having no luck on babies either! I haven't had a litter since March. I just now breed 9 doe's.
You should put straw in the nesting boxes. And put the nesting boxes 2 days before they are due.
What color are they? Sometimes not enough lighting can do with it. I heard even giving the rabbits a car ride can help. I bought home 2 new doe's and the ride was an hour long and by the time we got home. They were ready..

 

[CalifornianKit]

My last litter was in May. One of my does is actually the same does we bred to the same buck last time. Today is actually 2 days from when they should have them, and we had to drive them to the person who owned the bucks house to breed them =(

 

[mistyjr]

Weather changing can also not help much either.! And if she's not ready.

I hope the best for you.

 

[RAL Rabbitry]

Have you palped your does to see if they are bred? Putting a box in too early can lead to the doe using the box for a litterbox and eating the hay. Take the boxes out and give them a good cleaning with a mild bleach solution and let them dry in the sun. Refill and give them back to them. I have one doe that will use a box I give her for a litter box every time but I just give her a crappy old box for the first box and she does what she wants with it and two days before she is due I give her a second box and she only uses it for her kits.

Are you does in good breeding weight and not too fat? Do they get enough light? They require 14 -16 hours of light a day. Are you sure the buck is fertile? This was a very hot summer and my older bucks were not producing, onlymy younger bucks were settling does. Do your does feel safe where they live? Predators and lots of commotion can bother them and they are capable of absorbing the fetuses. Are their vents dark purple or light pink when you try and breed them? Does are induced ovulators but they do have times when they are more receptive and in my experience if they are not in the mood they rarely become pregnant.

 

[FogCity]

Have they produced before? If not, and they are not proven, I would guess that either the doe is barren or the buck is sterile. Four times is a lot...was this continious or at differnt times of the year? What are the ages of the rabbits, breed, did the buck fall off and make a sound when he was done. More info would be helpful.

 

[GorbyJobRabbits]

Straw, is for nesting. They won't eat it like they do hay.


also, try breeding them now. Everyone seemed to have some trouble this year. If its been really hot, that will do it. Bunny testicles arn't like humans where they can move from the body and cool themselves. So in the summer males can go steril.

If you don't have a litter in the next few days. Try again. Since the temps have dropped it may have been the case.

 

[CalifornianKit]

FogCity wrote:

Have they produced before? If not, and they are not proven, I would guess that either the doe is barren or the buck is sterile. Four times is a lot...was this continious or at differnt times of the year? What are the ages of the rabbits, breed, did the buck fall off and make a sound when he was done. More info would be helpful.

One of the does have. She and the buck have had a litter before together. The other 2 have never had litters. I think the first couple of times was because i tried to breed them in the summer and with an unproved buck. I bred them 3 times in 3 months to see if they would produce then i changed the buck to see if he would work. It wasnt hot at all when they were bred with the new buck and yes he did breed with all 3 does multiple times

 

[TCRabbitry]

I don't like to use straw for nest boxes.... It is too stiff... The rabbits will eat it just like they will hay....

Grass hay is the best, because it is soft, which will cause less injuries to the babies....

 

[CalifornianKit]

Someone told me that if you feel the rabbits bellies around their due date and their bellies are very stiff and their fur around their dewlap and hindquarters pull off easily then they are pregnant. Does anyone else see this to be true as i dont know how to palpate yet.

 

[RAL Rabbitry]

Their bellies will feel tight especially if they have a bunch of kits. If you gently press with your hand from both sides you will be able to feel the kits.

 

[CalifornianKit]

Thank you i will definitally try that. But for a quick update, the first doe bred had her babies today =) the other two were bred a day later so maybe they will both pop in the morning. Thank yall dor all your help