Rabbit Breeding

[KittyKatMe]

For the beginner, you can't go wrong with Mini Rex. They are sweet, smart, small, and soft. The 4 Ss that everyone wants in a rabbit. They also are fairly easy to breed and come in a wide array of colors. Holland Lops are also good breeds to start with, but have smaller litters. But they are very sweet and docile. Netherland Dwarfs are also good as they also have a huge amount of varities, are very small, and are sweet and have that babyish appearance. But they are probably the most difficult one to breed, as they have extremely small litters and most litters have stillborns and peanuts. I have also heard that Mini Lops and Dutch are good breeds, but I have no experience with them. Whatever you do, make sure to buy pedigreed stock from a reputable breeder. Good luck; I'm sure you'll have a blast!

 

[Celie]

This is not what I experienced. I bought 2 does and 2 bucks, neither pair would mate. I lost 1 doe a couple of weeks after getting them and when I inspected the remains, one lung was extremely large( 3 to 4 X) and completely white. The other doe would not mate with either buck. Not knowing if the bucks or the doe were sterile, I mated them with the only other rabbits I had, New Zealand. Both MR bucks were successful impregnating the NZWs with 12 bunnies each. The doe never produced any. I put her, thinking she must be sterile and needing the cage space, back with one of the MR bucks, until I gave her to a friend for a pet for her grand daughter. The day after My friend got her, she brought her to her vet, to have her nails done, general check-up and asked the vet, if the doe could be pregnant, since she had gained weight over the last month? The vet told her the rabbit was in good health and definitely NOT pregnant ! The next day, she gave the rabbit to her grand daughter. 8 hours later, the rabbit gave birth to 2 bunnies, but one was a peanut and only lived 3 days, in spite of her best effort to save it. Since I had also gave her the smallest of the MR/NZW cross, to keep her company, she then had a total of 3 rabbits. The MR mama did not have enough milk for the one bunny that survived and my friend had to feed it with a bottle. The MR doe became so grouchy, she would not let anyone hold or pet her without fussing. She kept the bunny, who is very soft, cuddly, small and so far, normal acting and asked me to take back the grouchy doe. I have her back for almost a month now and she will let me pet her, but doesn't like to be held or brushed. She is in a cage along with the MR buck and they are finally starting to get along great. She may be pregnant, IDK

but is definitely a good PET rabbit. If she does have bunnies, I hope they make better pets. The lady in Clinton, LA that I bought her from, said she had several litters with 10 to a litter and she sold them for $25 to $35 each. I am so sorry that I bought these Mini Rex. I can't even give her away and don't want to just kill her, so I am stuck with a grouchy doe with a fertility problem! LOL