could a netherland dwarf get pregnant at just turned 12 weeks

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It isn't impossible but highly unlikely. Did you see a mating when he mounted her? I mean, if she has got pregnant there isn't anything you can do. So start counting 31 days from today and fingers crossed she isn't.

no offence meant here - but a vet OR nurse who advises "supervised play sessions" isn't a vet practice you want to trust as far as I am concerned.

bucks have been known to get does pregnant from 10 weeks on, does I am not sure but I am sure it is possible. it is why when rabbits are 8 weeks old they are separated as they start to sexually mature. and it should stay that way. they should not be kept together at all.

rabbits can mate in a split second, no matter how "vigilant" you are.

I would be concerned for the does health as if she is pregnant, I do wonder how damaging this will be for her being so young and barely even being mature herself. many have stillborn litters when bred so early.

bottom line - find a new vet. I am sorry but no vet who suggests "supervised play sessions" when rabbits can mate in seconds, and become pregnant from that, is no vet I would trust with my rabbits. the moment any vet makes such a mistake with my animals I no longer trust them. if they are telling you this, how many more are they telling and causing accidental pregnancies?

inbreeding isn't good either, while in rabbits its not a huge issue, its still an issue especially among brother x sister as the genes are so close together.

I am sorry - things like this make me irate as the ignorance of vets is beyond me sometimes.

Lily Bobtail said:

Hi all I've posted before regarding my male and female Netherland dwarfs which have been separated for a while, there are no signs of anything descending on the boy, they were 12 weeks yesterday. I was told by the vet nurse they could have supervised play but the little boy was on the girl this morning only very very briefly as I then separated, so supervised play is now not an option. My worry is could she have got pregnant in that split second bearing in mind I can not see anything descending on the male and surely she is too young.

Thank you all for your help

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It's unlikely, but not impossible:

http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?351531-Can-rabbits-mate-before-testis-have-dropped

I have to agree with binkyCodie - it's bizarre that a vet nurse should suggest this!

As tonibun says, count the days and pray (unless you want babies!)

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when seeing a RWAF approved practice, you MUST see the rabbit vet and not any vet. a vet who is approved is listed on there, they are rabbit savvy. the RWAF doesn't approve an entire practice, just one vet within the practice. anybody else's opinion be it vet nurse, vet or receptionist's opinion doesn't matter & shouldn't be taken. only the listed rabbit savvy vet.

the easiest way to find a rabbit savvy vet is the RWAF, and only see the vet listed as rabbit savvy.

its an easy mistake to make but rabbits can mate in seconds.

I think the one takeaway is that you are realising your mistake & don't want it to happen. I have bumped into many others who refuse to listen to advice I give them and happily breed siblings, or even "I didn't think siblings would breed", its ignorance either through choice or they really don't know.

I wouldn't say you are a bad owner, you are willing to learn and listen. that is what counts.

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Lily Bobtail said:

Thanks and I really do hope that everything is ok as the suggestion I had from someone at the vet earlier (receptionist went off to speak to someone else) was the little girl may need neutering soon. Well I don't know if that would be more traumatic for her than having babies what do you think?. The rabbit savvy vet is on holiday and so is my usual vet hence why I've been given stupid information. I am going to look for a different vet as I travel out of my way to go here thinking they were the best and they certainly don't seem to be.

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female rabbits should always be spayed. the surgery imho is far less traumatic and stressful than having to have a litter and live her life a hormonal mess.

for a start, uterine cancer is rife within female rabbits. most rabbits I have heard of that haven't been spayed it was due to uterine cancer or infection.

female rabbits, does, are known for being grumpy and territorial, due to hormones. its almost impossible to bond rabbits that aren't neutered or one isn't, due to the hormones. even if they are bonded, they're likely to be aggressive or have the bond even break due to the hormones.

they also then do not live their life having phantom pregnancies (stressful) and panicking about passing on their genes. animals do not share human traits. they do not think "oh how lovely it is to have a family" or "oh my what wonderful children" - they do it for survival of their species. they do not share any sort of happiness or enjoyment from having a litter. its painful, stressful and tiring.

a spay however is a one time stressful event, and then they're free & happy without their hormones running rife and making them feel angry and aggressive towards their partner or you.

you should only ever see the rabbit savvy listed vet and not take advice from anybody else. if they are on holiday, I wouldn't use them unless an emergency and even so, proceed with caution.

Lily Bobtail said:

I've just been reading the online and if this is the case I feel certainly numbers 4 and 5 below never happened, number 3 he got behind her and there were a couple of movements then I got him off.

The Mating Process
Once you have completed the pre-mating examination for both rabbits and determined that they are able to breed, the mating process can begin. Make sure to use your record book to record which animals were mated and when the event occurred.
The doe is ALWAYS placed into the buck’s cage. This minimizes the distraction of the buck being moved to a new location. This, in turn, makes the mating act more effective.
When the female is placed in the cage they may either both choose to play, the male may chase the doe around the cage while sniffing at her, or the doe may simply lay still.
3.The male will then mount the doe from behind and proceed to make rapid pelvic thrusts.
4. If the female is receptive, she will raise her hindquarters in response.
5. The buck will violently thrust his hindquarters forward, pick up his front limbs and will throw himself backwards off the doe.
NOTE: Mating HAS NOT OCCURRED, UNLESS the male throws himself off. Most bucks will also proceed to thump their hind feet after the act is complete.

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likely because you pulled him off, if you hadn't, he likely would have gone onto do so. what you have copied is for breeders, hence why they say breeding has not occurred as they are looking for a successful breeding method & steps. conception could have occurred if he ejaculated inside of her, which is possible. the above is the full mating process of what would usually happen.

Advice!

Hi, I have 2 Netherland Dwarf rabbit, one male and one female. The male is 7 weeks old and female is 6 weeks old. They are half brother and sister and today I have seen them standing next to each other each facing the others bum and turning fast in a circle. Is this a sign of trying to mate. I thought they would be too young for this and are not matured yet? any advise would be great thank you x

saraxo said:

Hi, I have 2 Netherland Dwarf rabbit, one male and one female. The male is 7 weeks old and female is 6 weeks old. They are half brother and sister and today I have seen them standing next to each other each facing the others bum and turning fast in a circle. Is this a sign of trying to mate. I thought they would be too young for this and are not matured yet? any advise would be great thank you x

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They are too young to be fertile and too young to be away from their Mother

Even as early as 7 weeks there is a chance they might fight. Circling can lead to fighting. I would check that they are boys/girls and in any case you will most likely have to separate them at around 12 weeks old.