• Forum/Server Upgrade If you are reading this you have made it to the upgraded forum. Posts made on the old forum after 26th October 2023 have not been transfered. Everything else should be here. If you find any issues please let us know.

Breeding?

MiniAndrew

New Kit
I would love to breed bunnies (I would probably sell some, maybe keep one or two ;))
Maybe in the future? What does it take to breed? I have friends who own bunnies, I thought it would be cool to breed one of hers with mine but she has an old lop and Angoras, (don't think any of those would be OK for a mini Rex) but has anyone had experience with breeding? At what age should a buck be bred? And can a mini Rex be bred with and breed? (I know not mini lops, because of the shape of their skull)
 
This is the wrong place to come for advice on breeding. It is predominantly a rescue forum and as such most people on here are against breeding :wave:
 
Your best option would be to find a breeder based forum, as mentioned there isn't many breeders on this forum due to the huge amount of rabbits which end up in rescues here in the UK. The majority of members here own spayed and neutered rabbits as there is so many already out there needing homes and they can be very frustrated when left entire and prone to health problems, particularly females. However feel free to post any queries you may have on their care, such as housing, diet etc. Why is it you would like to get into breeding them rather than just having a bonded pair may I ask? :)
 
I would love to breed bunnies (I would probably sell some, maybe keep one or two ;))
Maybe in the future? What does it take to breed? I have friends who own bunnies, I thought it would be cool to breed one of hers with mine but she has an old lop and Angoras, (don't think any of those would be OK for a mini Rex) but has anyone had experience with breeding? At what age should a buck be bred? And can a mini Rex be bred with and breed? (I know not mini lops, because of the shape of their skull)

You are in the wrong place here :wave:

This Forum is primarily dedicated to RESCUE RABBITS, because there are (in the UK) 67,000 unwanted each year ....

I hope you find some place that can help you, and good luck xx
 
As you have been a member before, under another name, I'm surprised you don't remember that most people here aren't really interested in breeding so would be unable to give you much advice.
 
Your best option would be to find a breeder based forum, as mentioned there isn't many breeders on this forum due to the huge amount of rabbits which end up in rescues here in the UK. The majority of members here own spayed and neutered rabbits as there is so many already out there needing homes and they can be very frustrated when left entire and prone to health problems, particularly females. However feel free to post any queries you may have on their care, such as housing, diet etc. Why is it you would like to get into breeding them rather than just having a bonded pair may I ask? :)

I don't know just curious. Also I can't really afford to neuter him, my family breeds dogs, I guess I just like breeding, I understand many are being left in shelters. I'll find some breed forum, thanks anyways! :)
 
I don't know just curious. Also I can't really afford to neuter him, my family breeds dogs, I guess I just like breeding, I understand many are being left in shelters. I'll find some breed forum, thanks anyways! :)

I'm afraid I can't understand your mind-set at all: you had him knowing you couldn't afford to neuter him; you can't afford the cost of neutering and yet you are considering breeding and keeping some of the babies; you know about the. numberr in shelters and yet are still considering breeding.
 
Definitely not the place for breeding talk. But if you were going to go ahead with it anyway - you need to know the full family history of your rabbit and the rabbit that's being bred with it. Crossbreeding and mixing up genetics is not recommended at all. If you don't know the full family history of your buck going back several generations, you can't breed from him. So much can be hidden. Rexes in particular are prone to heart problems - which can often only show as the rabbit ages, hence knowing the fate of his siblings and parents/grandparents.
 
Can we keep the tone polite please guys.

While most of us don't want to encourage breeding when there are so many rabbits in rescue, we don't want to scare people away either. With some non-aggressive discussion, we might just persuade some of those who are pondering the idea of breeding that it's not such a good idea after all. Even if they do go ahead and breed, then we can still advise on the general welfare of all the rabbits. If we tell them to find another forum, then we can't do any of that.

To the OP, you might want to have a read of this thread. http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/s...re-considering-breeding-then-please-read-this

As it explains, we don't want to encourage breeding and so there is no detail regarding mating, choosing suitable rabbits for breeding etc but it does give a lot of food for thought. Either way, please do stick around and have a browse of the care sections - there's lot of useful welfare info even if we can't really help with the breeding side of things.
 
I really don't see the need to neuter him!? Never mind guys.

As with many companion animals neutering/spaying stops them becoming so sexually driven and so allows them a chance to lead a more calm and contented life. It also makes litter training and bonding a lot easier.
 
Bunnies that are un-neutered can become very depressed, frustrated,aggressive not to mention probably not living past 6 yr old due to cancers. Can you imagine having a constant itch and not been able to scratch it? 24/7 all of your life? .... itd be pretty grim. This is how a rabbit thats not neutered must feel like his/her hormones are screaming to breed but it cant be done...neutering kills those hormones thus gettting rid of the itch. With all due respect if you cant afford to neuter him you really shudnt own him. What if he gets ill n vet bills run into hundreds/thousends? And breeding really is not fair unless you want to add to the millions of rabbits shoved in someones yard in a3ft hutch.... :( Please consider neutering your bun n getting him a female friend.
 
I wouldn't have started this a thread if I had known I was gonna be overloaded with all the comments about how terrible I am for considering to breed my bunny! Also many male bunnies live fine without being neutered! I have seen male bunnies live just as long as people say their neutered bunnies live, and as for happier life being, I guess my bunny is just "pretending" to be happy, cause I don't have to be an expert to see he is bynkying, flopping, loves to be cuddled and jumps in circles a when ever he sees me, I know he is still young and that may change but right now he's happy (also he has a stuffed bunny that he licks and snuggles with) also I read that someone thinks it helps with litter training, my bunny poops and pees in his litter box just fine, he has never peed outside of it, even on his first day here!
Also I read that someone says its grim not being neutered, it wouldn't be so grim if he actually did mate, also that I don't have the right to own him? Sorry that I don't get the most expensive toys that are 10 bucks instead of the 3 $ ones, he is not ill! If he is ill OF COURSE I would bring him to the vet! But he's not ill!!!!! If a non neutered rabbit can live just as happy as a neutered bunny then why should I spend a 100 bucks to neuter him? Also guys do you really think I would just stick to random rabbits together and mate them without doing a little research? I love rabbits as much as any of you, do you really think I'm some crazy could-care-less person and just have a rabbit just to play with it when I'm bored and got nothing else to do?
I didn't know when I had my old account that it was a crime to ask about breeding bunnies. also I'll take your advice and go to a different forum, one that doesn't make you feel like a horrible pet owner for just saying something.
 
Last edited:
MiniAndrew,

Not one single person said you were terrible and it was never even implied. Trust me, I've been on many forums and this place is really great about being respectful and caring towards others. Your bunny probably is happy, and you are not wrong when you say intact rabbits can live long lives too. However, reproductive cancer is VERY common in rabbits. If I could spare my fur-kids the misery of falling ill from cancer, or at least minimize the risks, I totally would! Which is what spaying and neutering does.

I see you live in the USA; I do as well. Do you know that Rabbits are the 3rd most surrendered and euthanized animals in shelters? Cats and Dogs take the top places. Why are they so high on the list? You can thank backyard breeders and irresponsible pet owners for that. Even if you are responsible in your breeding, you do realize that the people who take the babies might not be? There is a very real possibility that at least one of the babies will end up in a shelter or rescue in their lifetime. Unfortunately, no matter how well you screen a potential new home, you can never be sure what they will do in a tough situation.

We can either be part of the problem, or part of the solution. If more people stopped needlessly breeding their animals and more people adopted pets instead of purchasing them, there would be a lot less animals killed in shelters. Food for thought is all. :wave:
 
I think what people are trying to say is would you consider not breeding because we are informing you of the mass amount of bunnies that go into rescue each year. (around 67,000 in the UK) so there's no need to add to the amount of rabbits in the world at the moment. So many here do not support it because they see the amount of unwanted rabbits in rescues and on gumtree/preloved etc every day! Some even work for rescues and its frustrating for them to see people wanting to breed when there are already so many needing homes. Perhaps consider adopting some if you want more rabbits?

With regards to neutering, people would argue that a non-neutered rabbit isn't as happy as a neutered rabbit because they are frustrated by their hormones once mature. Also, non-neutered rabbits have a huge risk of getting some form of cancer down there, neutering eliminates this, its generally accepted that neutered rabbits live longer, healthier lives.

For me, neutering is a no brainer. :)
 
Last edited:
Today I had news about one of my rabbits that I took into the rescue late last year. He had not been neutered and is middle aged. I found out that despite my neutering him as soon as he came to me, he has testicular cancer. Neutering when he was younger may well have prevented it - had his previous owner bothered.

Just one of the many reasons to neuter rabbits. Not adding to the huge rabbit welfare crisis by breeding more rabbits when thousands die every day due to neglect or being euthanized as the rescues are full is another.

I'm sorry you aren't happy with some of the comments, but I feelings are strong when it comes to the thought of more poor babies being born
 
Back
Top