Rabbit breeding questions

[M-H-Fielding]

Hi, I have a friend who is interested in breeding Rabbits. She has two black mini rexes.
She was wondering if there was anything she should know about setting up a breeding facility. She has several cages, and a few questions:
First, what kind of hay or straw does a mother rabbit need?
Second, is there anything else that a first time rabbit breeder should know before she starts?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Compost King]

I can only tell you the basics. Keep the males and females in their own cages, 1 adult rabbit per cage. Females need larger cages because they are going to give birth. Always bring the female to the males cage for breeding. Do not breed when temps are over 85 degrees. When the female is pregnant and nursing be prepared to constantly fill feeders and waterers because nursing or pregnant rabbits eat and drink much more than a rabbit that is not. There is more to it than that but I am a novice at this myself. I am breeding Rex Rabbits myself. I love their fur.

 

[EverythingDucks]

Has she kept rabbits before?

 

[NatJ]

First, what kind of hay or straw does a mother rabbit need?

Clean, dry, not moldy or otherwise spoiled.

 

[swampfox440]

Do you have a nest box ? I raised New Zealand whites and always kept a nest box for the mother to put her nest in . She would pull her dewlap hair out to line the nest . Our boxes were built to the standard we were given in 4-H the hole was at the top about 4
' by 4" square hole .This served the purpose of scraping the babies off the mothers breasts when she left the box to eat and such . If it wasn't done like that the babies would stay latched on and die from being chilled and walked on . You can go to your local County Extension service and tell them you would like any information they have on raising rabbits and they will give you quite a selection of paperback booklets that have all kinds of information in them including nest box plans and dimensions . Rex are small if I am not mistaken been a long time .

 

[swampfox440]

Has she kept rabbits before?

Got to love the mallard ducks !

 

[M-H-Fielding]

Has she kept rabbits before?

Yes, she as kept some holand lop females I believe.

 

[M-H-Fielding]

Thanks all for the advice! Will pass the info along!!!
I knew you I could count on y'all!

 

[M-H-Fielding]

Thanks again for the advice, my friend was very grateful!

 

[EverythingDucks]

The bigger the cages the better. They need space to move around and stay healthy. I would not use wire bottom, it really hurts their hocks. They dont have paw pad like dogs and cats, it's just a thin layer of fur. Especially with rex rabbits. @Compost King knows what wire is best should she use wire.
Though they will live out in the weather ots best they are protected from it. If it's hot they should have lots of shade, fresh water, and a fan (though a fan is not a necessity). In cold weather (which they can tolerate much better) heated dog bowls to keep water from freezing is important. They drink as much water as a large dog. Water bottles dont provide enough and they will freeze. Fleece blankets are great all times of the year. They love to dig in them and it's safe to chew.

Of course they'll need unlimited high quality hay all the time. Space to move around, at least stand up, and jump at least across two sides. Good nesting boxes. And lots of things to chew on. I'm going to make a thread with DIY rabbit toys ideas all out of cardboard, twine, paper rolls, and paper bags.

Other than that they'll need regular grooming and check ups. It would be great if they had a playpen that they could exercise in.
And a lot of people keep the babies inside. If that's possible that would be great bit a lot of people say they do fine outside. It's kind of a controversial topic, but in my opinion it's better to be safe than sorry, so I would keep the babies inside until they're healthy and strong.

Are these going to be for meat?