"Rabbit breeding - is biting normal?"

[featheredfriendlover]

i was breeding my rabbits this morning and i think he bred her. anyway during breeding she didnt want any of it. what i want to know is:

1. she was jumping around the cage not wanting bred. do does usually not want to be bred?
2. once he was (humping) on her he bit her in the neck when he was still on her and she squealed. is that ok or is something wrong?
3. will her hurt her if i try a second time to see if she is bred? does the biting hurt the does????


thanks. thats my first time breeding rabbits and i am so worried something went wrong!!!

please help me!!!!

 

[Southernbelle]

I've never had a buck bite a doe. Usually she'll flatten out and lift her tail, if she's receptive. You'll know he bred her if he kinda abruptly curled up and fell off to the side, sometimes with a little squeak.

If she wasn't ready, give her a day or so and try again. You can check her to see if she's in heat. That usually makes them more receptive

You may want to change your title to "Rabbit breeding - is biting normal?" You'll catch the attention of more rabbit people.

 

[featheredfriendlover]

thanks southernbelle.

 

[texasgal]

I have a few bucks that will latch onto a doe and won't let go! They never bite hard enough to break the skin, they just are holding on .. some more agressively than others.

The squeal/squeek you heard was probably the buck when he, um, finished.

I sometimes have to hold a doe still when I'm first breeding. It wont' hurt to breed her for several days in a row. I will sometimes breed everyday until the doe won't breed anymore .. she'll get real grumpy and "growl" .. it's been a pretty good indicator that she's pg for me.

These are just my experiences and you'll learn to recognize your rabbit's habits ..

Have fun!

 

[Georgia Rose]

Sounds like a good breeding session to me. My does all hop around before finally lifting thier tails. And as far as I know grabbing a mouthful of hair while trying to finish is normal, as well as the buck squealing as he falls over.

As for time between breeding sessions, I tell my 4-H kids not to breed a second time after 12 hours. Some people breed after that, but it sometimes leads to stillborns and I'd rather not have the kids have to go through that.

It's pretty hard to mess up, if both are interested and willing.

 

[featheredfriendlover]

HORRAY!!! I THINK I MAY BE GETTING SOME BABY RABBITS THEN. 31 DAYS RIGHT? HEYYY THEY WILL BE BORN ON MY BIRTHDAY!!!

 

[texasgal]

I usually count 4 weeks .. or 28 days and make sure my box is in there in plenty of time .. I've missed a few!!

Have fun ..

 

[featheredfriendlover]

ok i have another question....

do you have to breed the female twice to make sure she is bred or can you just breed her once. the first time i checked her private area and it was wet. does that mean she was bred successfully?

another question.

what should i do to prepare for the babies? how soon should i prepare? do i need to feed her more? do i need to give her more water?

thanks again.

 

[miss_thenorth]

Quote:
last winter, my one doe wouldn't breed readily, so i left her in with the buck for a few days. That litter came premature, so I did some reading on the net and I found something that said if you breed outside of a 12 hour period, it can cause hormonal issues that can casue the doe to either abort, or go premature. I'll see if I can find that paper, and I'll add it. But becasue of that, I would NOT recommend leaving her with the buck for longer than 12 hours.

here's one, I think I have another paper that says it too.

http://www.mybunnyfarm.com/breeding/

 

[gaited horse]

Quote:
are those dutch babies