Housing male and female rabbits in adjoining cages?

aislingchef

In the Brooder
5 Years
Jul 14, 2014
14
0
24
Hiya guys
I got a New Zealand buck and two does to raise for breeding for meat and I was keeping them in sheltered hutches outside, letting them out (individually) for exercise weather permitting. Last month we made a big barn for our ever increasing flock of chickens and, as the weather in the north west of Ireland is pretty grim, decided to take Harvey Ussery's advice and house the rabbits in cages hung on the walls of the barn so the chickens can work the droppings into manure and the rabbits have more shelter. Everyone is happy with this arrangement (we still let the rabbits out when we can), but last month we mated the rabbits. We have the buck in the middle cage with the does on both ends and there is a wooden partition separating everybody. Now Scotty too Hotty and Violet (who became a mother last night!) keep poking their noses through the tiny gap in the partition to snuggle each other and I want to know if this will cause any distress to the rabbits? Should we put Scotty somewhere else?
 
I don't think it should cause any issues as long as they are not close enough to fight or mate through the cages (yes, rabbits can mate even through wire! Rofl!) Otherwise, they should be ok. If you notice any signs of stress, you could always put some cardboard or wood between the cages.
 
Congrats on your new litter!

As Chickerdoodle said, rabbits can breed through wire. Right now, Violet is all hormones; she could get bred again right now and she and the buck know it! If you have mostly solid dividers between the cages, I don't think there would be too much risk of Scotty spraying urine on Violet and her litter. If they can't get to each other, a little sniff shouldn't be a problem.
 
Thanks guys!
There doesn't seem to be any stress and there's no attempt by anyone to force through the gap at all; they just sit with each others noses touching and don't move for ages so it's a bit heart wrenching! We decided to mate them four times a year so everyone stays healthy
 

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