Which Rabbits Are Easiest To Breed? I Need Advice!

[Bunnylady]

Do mini rex rabbits carry the dwarf gene?

Yes

They seem to average seven kits each pregnancy.

Don't bank on this. I joke that my rabbits put their heads together at night and ask, "how can we drive her crazy today?" Does fail to conceive, lose part (or all) of the litter, only give birth to a couple of babies which then develop problems because they grow too fast - the list of crazy-making tricks they come up with boggles the mind. Anyone who believes in the expression "breed like rabbits" has never tried it; not seriously, anyway.

A doe shouldn't be bred before she's 6 months old. Most does' litter numbers begin declining sometime after the doe gets to be 2 years old, with the doe becoming essentially sterile by the time she's 4 (if she lives that long). Fancy breeds aren't meant to crank litters out month after month; 3 to 4 litters per year is actually pushing it (heat goes hard on rabbits. Most breeders won't risk losing a doe to heatstroke, so they don't even try to breed during the summer. The short days of winter may make rabbits reluctant to breed, and even if they do, the cooler temperatures go hard on the babies. I have lost entire litters when the temps were in the 40's). If you get a doe to raise 20 babies in a year, you will be doing very well indeed.

The Mini Lop, the approximately 6 lb animal that appears on show tables, is a handsome little beast. Unfortunately, for many years, it seems like people have been calling anything with ears that don't go up a Mini Lop. Honestly, if I had a dollar for every time someone has told me "we got a Mini Lop for the kids, and it grew to be like, 12 pounds," I could probably pay my feed bill for a month. Because of this, people are a bit leery of "Mini Lops," and you should be, too. Unless you are buying from someone who keeps pedigrees and is working toward the breed standard, there is no telling what you are getting when you buy a "Mini Lop." If you do buy from a show breeder, be prepared to pay a hefty price; they are trying to pay their feed bill, too. You probably won't be able to charge anywhere near that price for the babies, if you are selling them as pets.

 

[4 Georgia Hens]

Yes



Don't bank on this. I joke that my rabbits put their heads together at night and ask, "how can we drive her crazy today?" Does fail to conceive, lose part (or all) of the litter, only give birth to a couple of babies which then develop problems because they grow too fast - the list of crazy-making tricks they come up with boggles the mind. Anyone who believes in the expression "breed like rabbits" has never tried it; not seriously, anyway.

A doe shouldn't be bred before she's 6 months old. Most does' litter numbers begin declining sometime after the doe gets to be 2 years old, with the doe becoming essentially sterile by the time she's 4 (if she lives that long). Fancy breeds aren't meant to crank litters out month after month; 3 to 4 litters per year is actually pushing it (heat goes hard on rabbits. Most breeders won't risk losing a doe to heatstroke, so they don't even try to breed during the summer. The short days of winter may make rabbits reluctant to breed, and even if they do, the cooler temperatures go hard on the babies. I have lost entire litters when the temps were in the 40's). If you get a doe to raise 20 babies in a year, you will be doing very well indeed.

The Mini Lop, the approximately 6 lb animal that appears on show tables, is a handsome little beast. Unfortunately, for many years, it seems like people have been calling anything with ears that don't go up a Mini Lop. Honestly, if I had a dollar for every time someone has told me "we got a Mini Lop for the kids, and it grew to be like, 12 pounds," I could probably pay my feed bill for a month. Because of this, people are a bit leery of "Mini Lops," and you should be, too. Unless you are buying from someone who keeps pedigrees and is working toward the breed standard, there is no telling what you are getting when you buy a "Mini Lop." If you do buy from a show breeder, be prepared to pay a hefty price; they are trying to pay their feed bill, too. You probably won't be able to charge anywhere near that price for the babies, if you are selling them as pets.

I really appreciate this information! I am trying to learn as much as possible before I take the plunge and I'm really thankful for everyone's opinions. Is there a particular breed of rabbit that you would recommend? Luckily, my heart is not set on any specific breed so I am open to further suggestions.

 

[4 Georgia Hens]

Hey @Bunnylady and @AltonaAcres, what are y'all's opinions on Himalayan rabbits?

 

[AltonaAcres]

Great! I've always wanted some Cool looking rabbits

 

[FolkSonginC]

I don't know if you've decided on anything yet but I'm a big fan of mini rex. I just got a breeding pair recently and so far they are very friendly and docile even though I don't think they were socialized much. Not to mention that they have the SOFTEST fur. I swear, it's like velvet.

They do carry the dwarf gene but it's not really that complicated or too much to deal with. True dwarfs each have one copy of the dwarf gene and fit within the ideal weight range, which is about 4ish pounds, as opposed to false dwarfs, which have no copies of the dwarf gene and weigh a few pounds more. If you breed two true dwarfs there's a small chance a baby will get a copy from both parents, and two copies of the gene is lethal so it will die a few days after birth. It's sad but I don't think it should put you off the breed. Also, I'm definitely biased, but I think the mini rexes are the most beautiful breed.

They also have pretty good litter sizes, as opposed to other dwarf breeds like holland lops. I think the average is around 6-8.

 

[FolkSonginC]

oh, and they also have curly whiskers. it's so cute!