Rabbit Breeding

Perry17

Songster
Sep 17, 2017
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Anyone out there have any experience raising rabbits?

I had them as kids and from what I remember it was easy. And they literally bred like rabbits. Great mamas, easy to breed, never lost any babies, very little care needed.

Last year around this time I bought a pair that was just weaned, planning to have them as pets. We're told they were both girls, so we left them together.

At about 7 months we found a dead litter scattered around the cage. I just assumed the male killed them. Very unexpected and sad. We split the pair up after that, but didn't do it fast enough because she had already been bred back that same day.

We didn't know at the time they could breed back the same day after giving birth. We just assumed there was a very small chance. So again we were not expecting babies. And she ended up doing the same thing again. Found a dead litter spread out. The dad wasn't in the same area, so I then just assumed she was a new mom and didn't know how to make a nest.

Waited a few months to give mama a break. And decided to try to breed her for an expected litter. Put them together, counted the days and watched for her due date. She made a nest this time, had the kits in it. They were all alive and doing great.

From that litter, there were a few that were big and healthy. And a few that were falling behind. So we would hold her and let the little ones eat. After that they all caught up and were doing great.

Opened their eyes, started running around and eating. Had a Alfalfa/Timothy hay mix out for them. Along with rabbit pellets. They were doing great, a few weeks left until they would be weaned.

And we went out one morning and found the mama had killed and eatan one. No idea why, they all seemed active and healthy. Thought she must have culled him for some reason. She then stopped feeding them, and would try to hurt them. So I separated them.

A few days later another died randomly. And we would have them randomly die throughout a week until they had all died. No symptoms, they would be happy healthy and playing, then I would go back out and find them dead.

I did some research and I feel like they died of something like collic. From not being ready to eat feed yet.

Went another few months to give mama a break, then tried one more time to successfully raise babies. Put the pair together, and no sign of breeding. Tried for 2 weeks straight, putting them together a few times a day, and they had no interest.

So I finally just left them together. It has been 3 months with the pair together, and no signs of breeding and no babies. They have alfalfa pellets, hay, and rabbit pellets out. Always have clean water and clean cage. But nothing. I don't understand what could be wrong, both are healthy.

I had no idea raising a healthy litter would be this stressful. I was going to give up and just sale them both. But I hate giving up, and I love having them.

Any ideas what could be wrong?
 
You have a bad doe. I wouldn't be breeding her again. It also sounds like something could be wrong inside with her if she isn't pregnant again, though I have read that they take a few months off from breeding in November and December.

I am a novice owner with one accidental litter under my belt. My doe was a wonderful mother and all kits are fine at almost 3 months of age.

It's possible your doe isn't comfortable in her housing or the arrangement or placement of it. Did you give her a nestbox of some type? I would be housing them separately. Rabbits can fight to the death.

@21hens-incharge
 
OK. so to go on with what @oldhenlikesdogs has said, rabbits need to have their own cage. Where is this located? Can dogs or cats or raccoons etc. get near the cages? Rabbit moms will kill their litters if there is a predator roaming nearby. They have no other way to save the nest site... They can't pick the kits up and move them or anything. So having a predatory animal such as a dog or a cat walking on the cages or walking near the cages can cause this.

Again: rabbits are territorial. They need to have their own cage. When your doe had her first litter, the buck was RIGHT THERE. She had no choice (in her bunny mind) but to kill the litter. The second time she had nowhere at all to kindle. Well, now you've got yourself a doe that has had two bad experiences. That third time she may have been trying to drive the kits away, but could not (because they were all in a cage) and so she killed one. In my rabbitry it was "three strikes and you are out" so for me, this doe would be out, even though these things were not necessarily her fault.

Sell these rabbits. Get some different rabbits from a reputable breeder, one who will mentor you and help you. Start again, but this time, EACH RABBIT TO ITS OWN CAGE. I can't stress that enough. When you want to breed, put the doe in the buck's cage. As soon as she is bred (generally within minutes) take her out and put her in her own cage. Prepare for the coming litter. Give her somewhere comfortable and safe to have her litter, give her nesting material and make CERTAIN that all predators are kept away. This way you will have a far better chance of success. Sure, things can still happen. But if you stack the deck in your favor you stand a better chance.
 
I told myself the third time would be the last breeding if they died again, but since she raised them so well that last time when everything was set up right, I just wanted to give her one more chance. I am hoping to try this last time, and if not I will just get a new pair.

Those first two bad breedings I blame myself completely. I think she was just too young, a new mama, and stressed with that male in there the first time.

The 3rd semi-successful litter she did great, up until about 6-7 weeks when everything started messing up. The picture is them at a few weeks old, they were old enough to hop around out of the nest. And we're napping outside the hutch. I assist fed them the second week, but after that she kept them well fed by herself. She has 6 kits each time.

IMG_1978.PNG
 
The pair was great together when we first got them. They are from separate unrelated litters, but they were raised together. Would sit and groom and lick each other and always cuddling. Back when we thought they were both girls.

And both are still great together, no fighting or aggressive behavior. Always together and still best buds even after being separated for all this time, then put back together. They still lick each other's ears and are good together, so that's the main reason I didn't worry about leaving them together the past few months. Just no breeding that I know of.

IMG_1980.PNG
 
If they died at 6-7 weeks I would wonder if there was something wrong in the weaning process. They can be extremely sensitive to food quality and changes in the diet. I'm sorry you lost them. They were adorable. My doe had her litter at about 7-8 months of age. She was a perfect mom from the start.
 
The area they are in is a 12X14 dirt/hay floor stall in my barn, all 4 walls are covered completely. They have a 4X2 (maybe a little bigger) rabbit hutch type thing that is wire on one side, and is covered on all sides with plywood on the other, has a door that separates the two sides that is left open. The hutch is off the ground, and has a ramp/door that goes into the stall. They just like to climb up and lay in the hutch.

The first two unexpected litters, she had in the wire floor of the hutch.

The third good litter, I blocked off the stall when her due date was getting close. And kept her just in the hutch, for that litter she made a good nest of hay and hair. And had them in the completely covered side of the hutch. And I had a nest box that took up half the covered side, she made the nest in that. So I was happy she tried to care for them that time and did really well.
 
Sorry for the long posts. I am just confused so trying to through out all the details I can think of.

This is them the week before they started dying randomly. Right when they really started eating solid food. And mama was starting to wean them. After reading, I saw where they can get colic and hard stomachs and die during the weaning process if not done right.

Maybe the first kit died on its own from that, and mama just tried to get rid of the body like rabbits do. I am thinking I just made a mistake of taking her out, thinking she killed them on purpose. And that messed the whole weaning process up, rushed them to eat only solids too soon, and in turn caused them all to die from the colic (might have a different name but it was pretty much described as rabbit colic).

Maybe she just ran out of milk, and didn't have a choice but to stop feeding?

I even thought it might be a disease, so I bleached and cleaned everything.

If it was the case that weaning issues killed them, what process do y'all follow to wean your baby rabbits? I never had the issue when I raised them years ago, must have just had some amazing mamas that I took for granted. The only thing I can think of was to only have hay out for them, and no pellets until they are older?
 
Forgot to add the picture. They were all beautiful kits, don't know where all the colors came from. Not sure the breed mix, they are just pets. But I really wanted to keep a few. Just hate that I was so close to raising them fully, then have them die after all that.

IMG_1979.jpg
 
And then the question I am going through now. Why won't they breed again?

The only thing I can come up with, is maybe she does have some internal stuff going on that is causing it. Maybe something else?

I am going to separate them again back into their separate stalls. Then try reintroducing them after a few weeks? I love having them as pets, it's just odd not to have babies after months of being together.
 

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