Dwarf Rabbit Pregnancy

Hi there,

We've just purchased 2 new dwarf rabbits, one male and one female.

They are from the same litter and are currently 12 weeks old and we're keeping them together in the same two storey hutch.

I'm receiving conflicting advice regarding keeping them separate due to potential breeding.

Is it too early for them to breed or does anyone have any experience of dwarf rabbits becoming pregnant this young ?

They're both booked into the vets for vaccinations on Saturday and to check for neutering.

Don't really want to invest in another hutch to keep them separate but if there is a high risk of pregnancy I guess I will need to (or block off the ramp so they stay on separate stories in the hutch).

Advice from experienced dwarf rabbit breeders appreciated

Thanks

Hello there. It is recommended that Rabbits are separated at 12 weeks of age due to the possibility of the female getting pregnant. She is very young to become pregnant and the babies could be born dead so it is fairly easy to divide the hutch into 2. Sorry to have to tell you this but it is a fact of life with Bunnies. They will be fine with this arrangement and I would get the Vet to check their sex again, just to make sure as it is easy to mis-sex them when young. When you say Dwarf, do you mean Dwarf Lop or Netherland Dwarf? Not that this makes any difference of course.

They are getting too near adolescence to remain together. Your boy may be just about ready for neutering - ask the vet how soon it can be done. You need a gap of a couple of weeks between vaccinations and neutering - to allow the body's immune system to deal with the vaccination. He will still be fertile for a few weeks after neutering, so they still need to be kept separate. Girs can be neutered at around 6 months old.

Splitting the hutch into 2 seems a sensible option for the short term. Make sure you use something to block the access point that won't get moved by an enthusiastic rabbit.

Most persons on RU do not breed rabbits; though several have experience with accidental litters.
My late dwarf Princess was less than 6 months old when she got pregnant. Two of her babies got stuck and in the struggle to give birth to them she accidentally stomped on the first two babies and they also died. One stuck baby arrived dead on the way to the vet and the other stuck baby was also born dead. Princess did survive.
Pregnancy and babies also take a lot of energy from a mom who is still growing. My recommendation is to separate them now.
Over decades I have had the pleasure of caring for several dwarf bunnies. I am sure you will also enjoy your new arrivals.
I currently have one dwarf bunny and one mini rex. My dwarf, Raven, has a lot of energy in such a small package.

Advice Please x

Hi, I have 2 Netherland Dwarf rabbits, 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 rabbits, 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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not sure.
I guess it could be sexual behaviour or possibly pre-fighting.
they do need to be neutered. the male to cut down on attempted mating, the female for that too & also to avoid uterine cancer which is a high probability with unsprayed females.

mikek said:

not sure.
I guess it could be sexual behaviour or possibly pre-fighting.
they do need to be neutered. the male to cut down on attempted mating, the female for that too & also to avoid uterine cancer which is a high probability with unsprayed females.

Click to expand...

Gave me a giggle - do you want to amend to ‘unspayed’