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Breeding Tips

olelopears

New Kit
My doe Flops tends to be very aggressive. She is currently pregnant and due sometime next week, its her first litter. She lives in my room in one of those rabbit condos.

My dad thinks I should move her to the hutch outside to have him

Up Sides: Less noise, less stress, more privacy, Straw to dig in, a little more space.

Down Sides: Less bonding time to have her become less aggressive, much cooler temperatures (its snowing outside), Slightly more difficult to check on the kits.

We do have a heat lamp that would make the pen warmer though. Im just afraid if I move her outside she'll grow even wilder (She and another were won at a fair game ( I hate those!!!) to a family with no decent housing and a cat, she was the only survivor and I adopted her), yet being her first litter, I heard chances tend to be slim, and I waqnt as healthy of a lot as posssible!
 
first of all I don't agree with breeding the amount of unwanted rabbits that come into rescues and trying to find homes is a nightmare

To be honest she would be better in a hutch as the babies need to be left totally alone and not touched you could cover the hutch with sheets etc to keep them warm and also put her in a shed. She will need lost of bedding as well
 
I already have nearly 6 people who would be willing to take in a new member to their family :) I thought about that before we bred her and didnt plan to go thru with it If I couldnt find homes. Just incase, my friend has a farm and promised if there were any without homes they were more than welcomed to settle there as non meat-stock.

K, I believe that is what I may do then, Thank you very much on the input! Much appriciated!
 
I don't know if it was an accidental litter or not, but if you intend to breed her again, I would definately reconsider.
As Elaine said, there are so many buns in rescues already that the amount doesn't need to be added to.
You also don't know her background, her ancestors could have had all sorts of health problems that babies could inherit. You've also said that she's aggressive, which could be passed onto the babies and they could end up in rescues if their new owners can't deal with an aggressive bunny.

For now I would probably leave her as she is to stop her getting stressed out. Also, I know you're American so I'm not sure what the weather is like there as you're in a colder area that's been getting snow lately it may be too cold for the babies.
Perhaps you could adapt her indoor enclosure to get all the 'up sides' she'd have moving outside?
 
well whenever anyone on the forum asks about moving their rabbits outdoors from the warm, they are advised to wait until springtime, and we don't even have cold winters in the UK!

Her babies will be better off in the warm, and she will find it hard to cope going from a warm house to outside - It's also much easier for you to look after her indoors surely? And like Karly says - she'll get stressed being moved and may kill the babies anyway.

Hope she's OK, will you be getting her spayed after they are weaned? If she's aggressive that should calm her down, but make sure to find a vet that specialises in rabbits/exotics - some haven't a clue :?

I feel sorry for these poor babies - it's not a rabbit friendly world out there and I wouldn't like to bring a baby into it - I would worry about where will they be 10yrs from now - rabbits can live 15yrs!
 
Yes I do, and There is a vet down my street who I have always gone to and hasnt let us down yet.

Yes I know, where I live, rabbits are not very popular pets and I have never seen an adoption place for rabbits around here (Flops privius owners were neibors of my aunt's) The owners I have found are all close friends of mine, many who have or had rabbits aswell.

Yep! My rabbit Sunflower was nearly 9, In fact she would have been this March! I really miss her, she was always me lil Irish bunny (or so I called her) Her birthday was the day after St. Patrick's.
 
If this rabbit is aggressive it would be best to get her neutered as soon as the babies are old enough to be weaned at around 8 - 10 weeks of age. This will more than likely calm her down and sort out the old hormones.

Janice
 
If its snowing then i would advise you keep her inside. Give her a big box with a half door cut out of the top of one side, so she can jump in the box but the babys will not be able to. Give her plenty of bedding in the box. Either hay or straw. Shes not going to disturb you any more than at the moment. Has she always been a bit fisty?, some does are only like that when there pregnant. When she has the babys take a look in and she that thers no dead babys, otherwise leave her to it. She will only feed them for a very short time once a day. Give her add lib feeding untill the babys are weaned. They can leave mum at 6 weeks but dont rehome them untill they are 8 weeks. Once the babys are gone i would advise you to get her done, after this it may well help her to be calmer. val :D
 
Unless she's usually an outdoor bunny she has to stay inside. Rabbits moult and get thicker coats when the weather gets cold outside so they can cope. As she's been inside she'll still have a summer coat and that won't be enough to cope with snow!

In fact you'll need to think about bringing the hutch inside... or arranging another cage to house the babies ready for when they need to be seperated as they won't be able to cope with the cold either.

Tam
 
and like Sue was advised - before looking in the nest put a plastic bag over your hand and rub it in Flops wee corner, so it smells of her and won't endanger the babies with your smell being on them :)

Also, I thought it was best to leave babies with mum till 8 weeks as she teaches them to be sociable, even though they are weaned?
 
:D Thank you all so much for all of your help! Im going to discuss all of these with me dad and I will definatly write back and let you all know if all goes well ^^

-Diana
 
Six weeks is the recomended cut of point , mum has had enough by then . After taking the kits away from mum they should be kept for another 2weeks so as to check there ok before rehoming at 8 weeks.Ive been breeding for ten yrs now as well as running a rescue and i must say that ive never lost a litter because i checked them.There will always be the odd one that would rearly resent you looking but ive never had a problem. After there born i just open the nest giving mum something tasty to kep her busy and look at the kits to check there alive and well and check all limbs are present,then cover then back up. In sum cases a look will save lives if there not all in the nest. If you carnt distract her then take her out while you check.Its one of those myths thats been about forever, but it dosent rearly apply to rabbits more to hamsters. val
 
Also if shes agressive its not good to breed from her,especially if the father is of same temperment,as this will be inherited into the babys,then it will be a case of who evers took them wont want them after a while :(
There are so many bunnys in rescue waiting for homes,I would never go out of my way to breed a rabbit.
 
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