Rabbit Breeding

There are a number of wild rabbit species in the United States and some are faring far worse than others. One of the most endangered is the Pygmy rabbit. Once upon a time an abundance of these tiny creatures (on average they weigh under a pound) lived in the Great Basin of the United States, but now they have all but disappeared.

Unique and Intelligent but Running out of Food.

The Pygmy rabbit has a couple of traits that set them apart from other wild rabbits in America such as the cottontail or the jack rabbit other than being the smallest. They are the only species who dig and live in burrows and they have been observed to be very vocal, giving out what seem to be alarm calls to one another.

90% of the Pygmy rabbit’s diet consists of sagebrush leaves and they use the bushes as cover from predators. The destruction of large tracts of sagebrush is what most animal conservationists blame for the Pygmy rabbits decline.

Trying to Restore a Wild Species in Captivity

The Oregon Zoo has for the past several years been the home of a program that is trying to breed Pygmy rabbits in captivity, in the hop that they can eventually be returned to the wild. They have had some successes and a number of pygmy rabbits have been returned to the wild in Central Washington. The programs funding may be cut at the end of the year however, and some zoo personnel fear that should that happen there are still far from enough pygmy rabbits back out among the remaining sagebrushes for their species to survive,

For the inexperienced, the way a mother rabbit behaves around her kits may seem unusual, and they believe there is a problem. However, in most cases this is not true.

The concern usually arises from the fact that the mother rabbit is rarely to be seen with her babies, so the observer may conclude that she is rejecting them, and they are not being fed properly.

Unlike other animals, the mother rabbit does not naturally spend a lot of time with her offspring. This behavior can probably be attributed to the domestic mamma bunny’s genetic instincts. If she were in the wild with her brood, staying with them at all times would endanger them. Adult rabbits have a scent that can be tracked by predators, kits do not. By staying away except to provide necessities, the wild female rabbit is doing her babies a favor.

What is “normal” behavior for a new rabbit mother?

Rabbit mothers will not normally visit the nest box to check on her offspring during the day, but she does keep watch, just from a distance. Rabbits only need to be fed by their mother once or twice a day, and the mother will only allow the kits to nurse when she feels it is safe, usually just before dawn, and just after dusk. If there is a continual crowd of humans (especially children) around the cage, the rabbit mother may become too stressed to nurse, so make sure to give her plenty of privacy in the weeks after giving birth.

But how can you tell if the babies are well fed?

A well nourished baby bunny will have quite a distended tummy, looking a little like a “Pillsbury Dough Bunny” If the kits are not being fed well they will have tummies with a sunken appearance, their skin will be wrinkled, and their response to being handled will be weak or nonexistent.

If your baby bunnies are displaying these symptoms professional help is called for. If the baby seems very sick place a drop of honey or a fruit jelly in their mouth until you can get them to a vet.

The Amami is hardly a recognizable rabbit breed. Even many expert rabbit fanciers do not know it exists. Sadly they may never get the chance to learn about these unusual Japanese rabbits, as they are almost extinct, with less than 5,000 remaining. However, scientists in Osaka are trying to make sure that the Amami survives, with the help of cloning.

Struggling to Survive in a Changing World.
The Amami can only be found on two isolated Japanese islands, and have lived happily in dense wooded areas surviving on bamboo shots, berries and other local vegetation. They are sometimes called “living fossils” as they are the last remaining descendants of ancient wild rabbits that once roamed the whole of the Asian continent. They weigh an average of 5 to 6 pounds, and are usually a dark grey in color. Their dwindling numbers have come about mainly as a result of human interference in their lives. Up until the 1920’s they were hunted for both meat and medical purposes, then heavy logging in the
Amami Oshima and Tokunoshima Islands where they live all but destroyed their habitat. The fact that a healthy Amami doe only usually produces two small litters per year meant that natural restocking could not keep up with decimation being caused by the modern world and its’ people.

Using Science to Save a Species.
The Osaka geneticists, from the noted Kiki University, took cells from the ear of a dead Amami rabbit, and introduced them to an unfertilized egg from a lab rabbit. They did manage to create a viable embryo that was successfully re implanted. Although the scientists have yet to publically release the results of this first pregnancy, they do intend to continue their work until they are successful. The same team did successfully clone and restore a species of wild rat, so they believe that saving the ancient Amami is a real possibility.

Do’s and Don’ts of Rabbit Breeding Genetics

Genetics play a huge part in the production of healthy, attractive rabbit lines that appeal to both breeder and potential owners alike.

Rabbit genetics is a science unto itself, and a good rabbit breeder will take the time to educate themselves in a little depth in the subject. However there are a few basic dos and don’ts that should be followed, whatever breed you are trying to raise.

Do:

• Make sure you begin your breeding program with the healthiest, quality specimens you can afford. Read more…

Responsible Rabbit Breeding – What Every Beginner Needs to Know

Rabbit breeding is something not to be taken lightly. Unfortunately there are thousands of rabbits to be found in animal shelters worldwide, mainly as a result of irresponsible “back yard breeders”. These people mean well, but fail to consider the overall outcome, a number of rabbits looking for a good home.

If you have however decided to begin breeding rabbits, and have a reasonable plan for their life beyond babyhood, there are basic equipment and environmental concerns that must be taken care of before a breeding program is started.

Housing and Space Concerns

Adequate cage space is essential. You will need cages for the parents, one each, Read more…

Why Should I Spay or Neuter my Pet Bunny? Why not Breed?

It may be an attractive idea. Breeding your cute pet bunny, to produce a few more cute bunnies that you could put into a show or sell to the local pet store.

However, rabbit breeding is a serious business, and thousands of rabbits are left homeless every year as a result of a “back yard breeding” experiment gone wrong.

Get Rich with Rabbits?

Most serious rabbit breeders will tell you, if you think you will become wealthy breeding bunnies, think again. If you are willing to breed rabbits for the love of it, and have the considerable resources and available space to do so successfully, it can be incredibly rewarding.

Experienced rabbit breeders take great pride in the development of new colors Read more…

Choosing the Right Rabbits for First Time Breeding

Choosing the right rabbits to begin a new breeding line is essential to its success or failure. Finding healthy, physically sound specimens is the first step for any breeder just starting out.

Making Sure Your Bunnies are Ready to Mate

When selecting rabbits for breeding the animals should be thoroughly checked for disease, preferably by a good vet.

Many does suffer from uterine and ovarian cancers at an early age, and to attempt to breed them could prove disastrous for all involved.Bucks should also be checked too, just to make sure they are disease free and ready to mate.

Inexperienced breeders may consider Read more…

Breeding the Holland Lop, a Beginner’s Guide

For Holland Lop Rabbit Breeding you’ll need separate cages for the buck and the doe. They will happily breed unsupervised if they’re caged together.

You will also need a different cage for the offspring, and a lot of cages if you care to acquire them up for meat or appearance.

This can be quite a considerable financial investment to start with…feeders, trays, water bottles etc. You’ll also need a nestbox for the doe.

Make a sure your rabbits are free of diseases. Rabbit VD can cause the doe to lose her fur. Make certain your chosen rabbits are well conditioned and in good shape. Overweight does have a difficult time giving birth. Read more…

9 Tips for Better Breeding

1. Both the buck and doe should be appropriate breeding age, in most cases they should be at least six months old. Many does will be unable to breed if not first bred by nine months, due to pelvic bone fusion, so the ideal age is somewhere in between.
2. Ideally, both rabbits should be of same breed, unless you’re breeding purely as pets.
3. The buck should be somewhat smaller than the doe.
4. They should both be as healthy as possible and free from any major genetic defects that could be passed on to potential offspring. Read more…

How to Tell When Your Doe is Ready to Breed

OK folks, here’s some basic rabbit breeding information that should help you understand the mysteries of rabbit love.

One of the reasons that rabbits have a (deserved) reputation for constant breeding is that the doe (female) rabbit does not have a true estrous cycle.

In layman’s terms that means she does not have a set time in “heat” like dogs or cats. Instead the female rabbit is what is known as an “induced ovulator” in that no egg is released until after mating with a buck. So in all likelihood a female rabbit can be bred at any given time. Read more…