The Bunny Chat Thread - For Bunny Owners

[A Peacock called Penelope]

Still waiting for a response from the place with the rabbits. We emailed them a while ago.
I think we'll just go there and give it to them.

Did u make new toys to donate to a shelter? Idk about wht ur talking about. If u did make new toys do share with me. I love to make toys for bugs. It makes me happy

 

[Birdie mom]

Sure, there's lots of reasons for this. It's a pretty common problem.
Age (too old, too young), hormone fluctuations, weather, weight, proximity of does to bucks, experience of the rabbits involved, predators harassing the bunnies, genetics, injury, stress, not enough space, sad rabbits, or just being moody....
So to narrow it down;
How old are they?
What environment are they being kept in?
Are they healthy and not overweight?
Have they been bred before?
What's your local weather like?

My experience is the best way to handle it is to feed the doe a little extra for a day or two, bring the doe to the buck and give them about 15-20 minutes together at around midday and watch them... And then repeat until you actually see a successful breeding happen.

They are 6 months old,
They live in their cages (I used to let them run around in their enclosure but Lily recently escaped so they are cage confined until further notice),
They seem healthy and the right weight to me,
They have never been bred before (not from lack of trying...),
Our weather has been a bit weird recently, today its raining, it can get in the 40-50 range at night and in the early mornings but it is usually in the 60-70 at around noon.

 

[EverythingDucks]

Did u make new toys to donate to a shelter? Idk about wht ur talking about. If u did make new toys do share with me. I love to make toys for bugs. It makes me happy

I've made a few more. I dont have pics right now but I'll take some when I get back home.

I was talking about emailing the animal sanctuary so we could give them the toys and talk with them about building a place for the rabbits.
I want it to look something like these

 

[A Peacock called Penelope]

I've made a few more. I dont have pics right now but I'll take some when I get back home.

I was talking about emailing the animal sanctuary so we could give them the toys and talk with them about building a place for the rabbits.
I want it to look something like these
View attachment 2395251View attachment 2395253

Okieee. These are some really pretty houses. That's so kind of u tho.

 

[ChocolateMouse]

They are 6 months old,
They live in their cages (I used to let them run around in their enclosure but Lily recently escaped so they are cage confined until further notice),
They seem healthy and the right weight to me,
They have never been bred before (not from lack of trying...),
Our weather has been a bit weird recently, today its raining, it can get in the 40-50 range at night and in the early mornings but it is usually in the 60-70 at around noon.

6mo but you've been trying for a while? They probably haven't been old enough to breed properly until recently and might not even be there yet. I start trying to breed at 6mo and don't really expect a good litter until 8mo on NZW and Rex. If they haven't given me a litter by 1 year there's a problem. So give it some time.

If they're all that young it might help to bring in an older doe or buck to kind of "teach" the young'n's the ropes. Older, experienced does and bucks tend to be more pushy.

Try on a sunny day with lots of sunshine if you can. They may also need time to get used to their new confinement.

 

[Skye'sDucks]

I love raising chickens for meat. Butchering can be tough sometimes, but I get it done. I’m going to try quail sometime this week. I have about 30 that need to be done.

Oh wow that's a lot! And yeah, I feel like if I start raising certain animals for meat, I'd learn to get it done too.

Still waiting for a response from the place with the rabbits. We emailed them a while ago.
I think we'll just go there and give it to them.

Ah yea, that sounds like a good idea. I can't imagine they wouldn't want them--I'm sure they'd love some fun stuff for the rabbits. They always seemed so nice there when we've gone.

 

[Birdie mom]

6mo but you've been trying for a while? They probably haven't been old enough to breed properly until recently and might not even be there yet. I start trying to breed at 6mo and don't really expect a good litter until 8mo on NZW and Rex. If they haven't given me a litter by 1 year there's a problem. So give it some time.

If they're all that young it might help to bring in an older doe or buck to kind of "teach" the young'n's the ropes. Older, experienced does and bucks tend to be more pushy.

Try on a sunny day with lots of sunshine if you can. They may also need time to get used to their new confinement.

I looked it up and it says that NZR have to be 5-8 months old to be safely bred. We don't have any friends that have an older rabbit to teach them. their "confinement" isn't really a new thing. we used to just let them out every few days, right now they haven't really been stuck inside for that long. Our friends have a NZR buck and a doe Lily and Buck's age that have the same problem, do you think it would be worth trying to switch bucks and see if that works?

 

[ChocolateMouse]

I looked it up and it says that NZR have to be 5-8 months old to be safely bred. We don't have any friends that have an older rabbit to teach them. their "confinement" isn't really a new thing. we used to just let them out every few days, right now they haven't really been stuck inside for that long. Our friends have a NZR buck and a doe Lily and Buck's age that have the same problem, do you think it would be worth trying to switch bucks and see if that works?

Yes, well, they say chickens should start laying at 16 weeks-6 months but I have six pullets that are seven months old that haven't layed a single egg. It's funny how often animals refuse to read the books about what they're "supposed" to be doing. "Safely" is different than "easily" or "willingly" as well. In my experience, 6 months is the minimum age I can get a rabbit to have a successful litter. In my years I have gotten one litter to take at 5 months and 1 week and she lost the whole litter in a week. And never before 6mo aside from that one time. So now I don't even try breeding before 6mo and I don't expect success until 8mo and I give rabbits a whole year until they're on the chopping block.

If you completely trust your friends rabbits are disease free, you could try that. Fresh smells of new bucks and does mixes things up. Personally, I would give it a month, try once a week and see if things improve before switching bucks. Your rabbits are young still and have some time before they're totally mature.

 

[drstratton]

Good morning everyone! The babies are 8 weeks old today! We finally moved them over into the grow out hutch! Daphne's cage is pretty good sized, but it was getting crowded as the babies are growing so fast! This was our rabbit tractor...it's a great size and gives them a lot of room!

 

[Birdie mom]

Good morning everyone! The babies are 8 weeks old today! We finally moved them over into the grow out hutch! Daphne's cage is pretty good sized, but it was getting crowded as the babies are growing so fast! This was our rabbit tractor...it's a great size and gives them a lot of room!
View attachment 2396648View attachment 2396649

Cuties!!!!