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Rabbit breeding

Hi :wave:
Just wondering if anybody on here has done bun breeding?
And if so can you give me alot of tips please?
My mum said that if I get ennough info about it Gucci might be able to have a litter.
I have gone on websites and watched videos on youtube and asked the opinion of Louis's breeder.
I am not going to go into if I am not ready and dont feel its right so please can everyboy give me tips and advice!

Emma X
 
My only advice is, Dont.
My personal opinon is that when bunnies breed, this makes more bunnies, that go into rescues.

Jack:)
 
Over 30,000 bunnies are handed into rescues every year, please don't add to that number by breeding your rabbits..
 
I don't think you should breed unless you already have homes lined up for all the young. My bunnies Winnie and Roo had accidental litters in June and i'm still struggling to find homes for the babies :(
I know it seems exciting the thought of baby bunnies, but you get so attached to them over there first few weeks then they have to leave and its heart breaking
 
please don't breed..you'll only be addding to the problem of the number of rabbits that exist without enough homes for them
 
You would need to speak to the breeders of both mum and dad to see if they were suitable to breed from and to breed with each other.

You obviously need seperate accommodation for mum and dad, plus two sets of seperate accommodation (for the male babies and female babies when they are separated).

You need to have a solid plan for finding homes, at least twice as many potential homes as you expect babies and a backup plan for keeping the litter if homes fall through.

You need to be aware that death of the mum is not an uncommon possibility when breeding, as is the babies being still born or killed by the mum. So you need the emotional strength to deal with cleaning out the hutch if she kills and eats the litter - they usually just leave the heads for you to clean up.

Even babies born healthy don't always make it so you need to be aware you may loose youngsters and a few weeks old.

You need a pot of cash to deal with medical complications for example if a baby gets stuck and she needs an emergency op you could be looking at £100-£200. Other things like the mum collapsing, an injury to a baby etc. can also mean medical bills.

You also need time, if the mum rejects the babies, presuming you decide to intervene not let them die, then you'll need to handrear which is several feeding's taking several hours per day. Even in normal circumstances ou'll need to be available all day for several days before/after the due date so you can keep an eye on mum and identify any difficulties.

If you have the time, space, cash and emotional strength you still need to consider whether you morally want to breed just because it seems like a fun thing to do.

There are more points to consider here: http://www.rabbitrehome.org.uk/care/breedingrabbits.asp
 
Im a Breeder i would advice you not to breed, as so many things can go wrong if you have little/no experiance i recently had to help a doe deliver her 3 kits due to her being a first time mummy as she was disorentated about what was going on.
 
its obviously a personal choice but id really listen to what others are saying.

i bred my rabbit crystal because the thought of baby bunnies was exciting and new but because i didnt know to much about rescues back then i automatically thought anyone would give a baby bun a good home so handed the babies to the first person who came along, i regret it now because i always think, how r they? r they ok? r they being looked after etc. so many rabbits are bought for children and dumped in 3ft hutches with no excersice and thrown a bowl of food a day (if there lucky) into there hutch why bring babies into the world through selfishness to live a life like that?

also if you look in the rabbits in need section you will see that baby bunnies find homes quickly unlike the adults why take a possible home for a rescue bun for a baby? its selfish and wrong in my opinion but because this is a forum for everyone i cant critisize your decision in anyway

i would talk to you breeder and get a full history of you bun (in writing) of at least 4 generations, you never know your rabbit may hold an unknown health problem (crystal did) and it will pass onto the babies meaning they WILL be unrehomeable if you have the money, space and time to keep them all then i cant comment any further.
 
just thought id copy and post this read through it carefully its sad but this poem is really true this poem probably goes for most rabbits in the uk every day!

Remember me? To the Irresponsible Breeder.

Remember me, though I know that you won't
I'm the rabbit you bred, I'm the soul that you owned

Remember my mum, though you'll just get confused
She's the doe that you broke, she's the womb that you used

Remember the vet that you didn't call
When the blood ran so dark in the middle of fall

Remember how cruelly you shoved me away
When I dared nip your hand - I just wanted to play

Remember the age that you wrenched me from mum
With my hold on life fragile and my weaning not done

Remember the home that you didn't check
That kept me confined, picked me up by the neck

You'll remember the blood money you exchanged for my life
You'll remember the goodies it bought you and the wife

Now imagine my fate and cringe with your shame
See my sad lifeless eyes and my skeletal frame

I've known neglect and abuse I feared never would end
and when Death came for me, it came as a friend

There are thousands just like me in the yard, street and pound
And whilst bad breeders breed this grim cycle goes round

You failed in your duty though I was born at your will
Now I'm your fatal shadow that walks by you still

I hope, my cruel breeder, that your guilt's worth your gain
You filled your car with my fear, bought your beer with my pain

But no act goes unnoticed and no sin goes unpaid
You'll account for my life at the end of your days

I'll be right there beside you when at your Reckoning you stand
You'll remember me then - it's my blood on your hands .


Adapted from a poem by Trudie James
 
its obviously a personal choice but id really listen to what others are saying.

i bred my rabbit crystal because the thought of baby bunnies was exciting and new but because i didnt know to much about rescues back then i automatically thought anyone would give a baby bun a good home so handed the babies to the first person who came along, i regret it now because i always think, how r they? r they ok? r they being looked after etc. so many rabbits are bought for children and dumped in 3ft hutches with no excersice and thrown a bowl of food a day (if there lucky) into there hutch why bring babies into the world through selfishness to live a life like that?

also if you look in the rabbits in need section you will see that baby bunnies find homes quickly unlike the adults why take a possible home for a rescue bun for a baby? its selfish and wrong in my opinion but because this is a forum for everyone i cant critisize your decision in anyway

i would talk to you breeder and get a full history of you bun (in writing) of at least 4 generations, you never know your rabbit may hold an unknown health problem (crystal did) and it will pass onto the babies meaning they WILL be unrehomeable if you have the money, space and time to keep them all then i cant comment any further.

Well said :thumb:

Unless you're going to improve a breed and then show (i.e at a BRC show) the improvements why bother? As everyone else has already said you're just taking the place of a rescue rabbit that's already alive and needs a loving home.
 
just thought id copy and post this read through it carefully its sad but this poem is really true this poem probably goes for most rabbits in the uk every day!

Remember me? To the Irresponsible Breeder.

Remember me, though I know that you won't
I'm the rabbit you bred, I'm the soul that you owned

Remember my mum, though you'll just get confused
She's the doe that you broke, she's the womb that you used

Remember the vet that you didn't call
When the blood ran so dark in the middle of fall

Remember how cruelly you shoved me away
When I dared nip your hand - I just wanted to play

Remember the age that you wrenched me from mum
With my hold on life fragile and my weaning not done

Remember the home that you didn't check
That kept me confined, picked me up by the neck

You'll remember the blood money you exchanged for my life
You'll remember the goodies it bought you and the wife

Now imagine my fate and cringe with your shame
See my sad lifeless eyes and my skeletal frame

I've known neglect and abuse I feared never would end
and when Death came for me, it came as a friend

There are thousands just like me in the yard, street and pound
And whilst bad breeders breed this grim cycle goes round

You failed in your duty though I was born at your will
Now I'm your fatal shadow that walks by you still

I hope, my cruel breeder, that your guilt's worth your gain
You filled your car with my fear, bought your beer with my pain

But no act goes unnoticed and no sin goes unpaid
You'll account for my life at the end of your days

I'll be right there beside you when at your Reckoning you stand
You'll remember me then - it's my blood on your hands .


Adapted from a poem by Trudie James


Oh my goodness thats so sad.:cry:
 
I mated my much loved buck to a doe before I knew about the 30,000 buns in rescue :oops: Fortunately she delivered without any complications but I put her at risk esp as she had 10 in the litter!! It was through web searching to find info to help her that I found this site. I felt so ashamed once i had.
It was very difficult finding them all homes and to limit (hopefully) the number of unwanted litters arising from them I neutered all the boys before they went to new homes. There were 6 boys! 6x£45!!!
2 of the boys that went, their owner phoned on their birthday and the others, well, I did what I could to make sure they had correct housing etc in their new home but I still can't be sure that they are well and happy now. This is something I am always aware of and given the time over again I wouldn't have bred them.
So my advice would be don't breed. There are enough wonderful bunnies in rescue up and down the country looking for homes through no fault of their own. If you can afford, accomodate and have more time for more bunnies, rescue one or two and give them a happy forever home. Don't potentially add to the problem x x x
 
Do be careful. I had TWO accidental litters :)oops:). I have only emotionally been able to rehome one (to a dear friend who I visit often and I have told her i'm having him back if either of us is unhappy). The fear of the babies going to bad homes has meant I have chosen to keep them all.
 
So my advice would be don't breed. There are enough wonderful bunnies in rescue up and down the country looking for homes through no fault of their own. If you can afford, accomodate and have more time for more bunnies, rescue one or two and give them a happy forever home. Don't potentially add to the problem x x x

Ditto. :) Please don't breed from your bunnies when there are so many bunnies in rescue that need a home. Even if you plan to keep all the babies, that's still a missed opportunity for you to offer a rescue bunny or two a home instead.
 
Hi again :wave:
Thank for all your advice!
I didnt really want to breed but I just thought I would get everybodys opinion and make a final choice. I am not going to breed :)
I was 80% no and 10% maybe and 10% yes but now Im 100% no.

Thanks again,
Emma x
 
It's just a thought but my friend wanted to look after some baby bunnies without breeding herself and she is now fostering a mum and five kits for me. Baby buns are really hard on a rescue as they take up space for so long while we wait for them to mature. Is there a rescue near you you could possibly look at helping out by fostering for if you have all the hutch run etc in place?
 
Hi again :wave:
Thank for all your advice!
I didnt really want to breed but I just thought I would get everybodys opinion and make a final choice. I am not going to breed :)
I was 80% no and 10% maybe and 10% yes but now Im 100% no.

Thanks again,
Emma x

That's good news. :)
 
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