Breeding rabbits, which do you prefer?

[shelleyd2008]

I've been told to put the doe in the buck's cage overnight. Then I've been told to put her in there for a little while, take her out, and put her back in there 6-8 hours later. So which 'method' do you prefer when breeding your rabbits?

ETA: How long is too long to leave them together?

 

[Jacklynn]

You should never leave the buck & doe together over night, unsupervised.
The doe could attack the buck & seriously injure him.

In some cases, the buck may even attack the doe.

So I think the 2nd method is the most practical method.

 

[josh]

You put the doe in the bucks cage. You watch, when they breed take her out repeat later that day. Never leave them un attended you wont know if they breed. If they don't breed take her out and try again later. You will know if they mate because the buck will fall over. If he dosent fall over it didn't happen.

 

[dewey]

I prefer table breeding, bred 2 times, about an hour apart. They're never left alone together.

 

[josh]

Should look like this

 

[popcornpuppy]

I have to agree with the other posters. Put the doe in for a few minutes and take her out to avoid injury in either rabbit. The buck will emit a hormone to get the doe to drop eggs so if they don't mate durring their first encounter, you will have a higher chance of success with a repeat mating several hours later. This will also increase the chances of larger litters. We mate our does 3 times at 8 to 10 hour intervals over a 24 hour period and remove them promptly if she tries to run from the buck. One would think that girl bunnies and boy bunnies would "breed like rabbits" but sometimes the doe is just not in the mood

 

[Jesse L]

I also agree with everyone else - they should never be left alone together unsupervised.

Bring the doe the bucks cage and watch. Let him get her about 2 - 3 times and you can take her out. If you want you can put her back in a few hours later. I just do it once and get large litters.

 

[Akane]

Depends on the rabbits and the size of the cages. If you are using the minimum size cage for your breed then I would not leave them in there longer than it takes for a few successful matings. If you have 2x4' cages for a mini rex like I have then it's not as big of deal. They can get away from each other and the doe can tell the buck off. I still would not leave a virgin doe or overly dominant one in with the buck. My more laid back does I have left overnight in the 2x4' cages with a buck with no issues. I also had a buck living with a doe in a 3x6' cage for 3 weeks without any fighting. I removed him before kits were born to lessen stress and avoid back to back breeding.

 

[Bunnylady]

Quote:
The doe herself produces this hormone, not the buck. That is why you can get does that experience false pregnancies if they get "ridden" by other does in the same cage.

But I agree, do not leave them together unsupervised. A friend's Fuzzy Lop buck was "Bobbited" by a hostile doe - a dreadful fate for a nice buck!

 

[RabbitMage]

In an ideal situation I bring the doe to the buck's cage and then remove her immediately after breeding, then repeat one and twelve hours after the first breeding. But there have been cases where the magic hasn't happened, and sometimes we DO let the doe live with the buck overnight, or even for several days to a week.

If you're going to do this, you HAVE to watch them at first, and you HAVE to know the personality of your rabbits. We've never had even a minor injury doing this, but I think that's in large part because we're very, very careful about who we leave together.