Age

[Rememberthedeer]

Hi, does anybody know how long a flemish giant rabbit will live? I have three, two does (at the ages of 2 and 3 yrs) and one buck (5 to 6 yrs old. I don't know his exact age because I bought him from a butcher shop). And I breed these rabbits, and over the past couple years my does have always given birth to exactly 10 bunnies, every single time. But this year they are only having batches of 4 and 6 and I'm wondering if it's because my buck is getting old. Is 5 to 6 years old for a flemish giant? Should I expect to find him dead soon or does he still have a few years yet. Please answer asap.

 

[Bunnylady]

Your reduced numbers could be age related. Does often start dropping in number as they get past the age of 2; most does are effectively sterile by the time they are 4 (this is in reference to most rabbit breeds, not Flemish in particular).

Buck production numbers often decline after about age 4; a lot of 6 year old bucks are effectively "shooting blanks." But just because an animal is no longer reproductively viable doesn't mean he's likely to keel over any day; I've had several bucks live to be 10 years+.