Doe not taking

[Jaelyn]

Hi, I have bred my NZ doe 2 times and she didn't take both times, I bred her again and am waiting. And the thing is I bred her to different bucks every time! Also, she has this weird lump by her shoulder, when I went to go feel for it I couldn't find it but when she lies down it's quite noticeable. Any help, advice or anything? I have been talking about it with someone that knows a lot about rabbits lately but we don't really know. Thank you!

 

[a reader of books]

I realise this isn't the answer you're looking for, but I'm going to recommend you stop attempting to breed her. There are many, many more bunnies than there are good homes for them already, so the fewer new bunnies being born the better It'll be nicer for your girl, too, to not have to get pregnant. It takes quite a toll on their bodies.

The lump sounds concerning. I think it'd be good if you took her to the vet to have it checked out.

 

[tonibun]

Although I agree with a Reader of Books just like to say that a Rabbit has to be very happy with her environment before she will have Kits an also maybe if she is not feeling well this could be a reason.

 

[Jaelyn]

I realise this isn't the answer you're looking for, but I'm going to recommend you stop attempting to breed her. There are many, many more bunnies than there are good homes for them already, so the fewer new bunnies being born the better It'll be nicer for your girl, too, to not have to get pregnant. It takes quite a toll on their bodies.

The lump sounds concerning. I think it'd be good if you took her to the vet to have it checked out.

yes, the main reason I bred her was so it would calm her down, she is a little crazy and breeding her should calm her down, if she doesnt take this time I won't breed her anymore and let her be.
the lump, she doesn't seem to notice it or care about it although earlier this summer it was like she kept fainting! I don't know how to put it into words. If it gets worst i will think about taking her to a vet

 

[Jaelyn]

Although I agree with a Reader of Books just like to say that a Rabbit has to be very happy with her environment before she will have Kits an also maybe if she is not feeling well this could be a re

 

[Jaelyn]

BTW she is a bottle baby

 

[FireRose]

Breeding bunnies isn’t going to change her personality/calm her down.

You would be better to have her neutered as hormones play a big part and affects their moods.

It also reduces the chances of cancer in female rabbits too.

If she isn’t well and in pain with this lump then perhaps I would be looking to getting this sorted first rather than breeding her.

 

[Jaelyn]

Breeding bunnies isn’t going to change her personality/calm her down.

You would be better to have her neutered as hormones play a big part and affects their moods.

It also reduces the chances of cancer in female rabbits too.

If she isn’t well and in pain with this lump then perhaps I would be looking to getting this sorted first rather than breeding her.

ok, thank you!

 

[William]

Her not becoming pregnant could be a sign of ill health. Hopefully the lump and the previous fainting episodes you described aren't anything serious but I would be concerned enough to have it checked out.

Spaying her will fix the issues with her behavior and it'll also be a lot easier/cheaper than having to deal with a litter of baby rabbits, and potentially issues with her pregnancy/labor, which doesn't come without risks. Of course, she needs a full health check from a rabbit savvy vet before she's spayed.

 

[Shimmer]

I wouldn’t be breeding from any animal with known health issues or possible congenital issues. I’ve never heard of a rabbit ‘fainting’ before. With that and a visible mass, I would get her checked out by a vet before putting any more stress on her by trying to mate her. Mothers need to be in the best condition they can be in order to raise any young successfully.

Neutering will sort out her behaviour - it sounds like it it hormonally driven. Pregnancy is only a temporary fix, and she’s likely to remain grumpy in between, while she is still entire. It can also become a learned behaviour over time.

 

[Jaelyn]

thank you for all your advice, it seems all of you are telling me to neuter her, but it isn't that cheap is it?

 

[Preitler]

It really depends on how you want to keep rabbits.
Or how you want to live with rabbits.

I had an intact doe as free range indoor rabbit for 8 months due to Myxo quarantine once, she pretty much wrecked my apartment and almost succeeded in killing me twice. Quite the character, made it to age 11 as an outdoor bunny, being a breeding doe up to age 7. no way she would have made a good indoor pet, best rabbit I ever had, bold, fierce and determined.

Now, her granddaughter, spayed, is my free roam house bunny, with her second mate Pacino (neutered), for me that's the best combination when it's about pets.

I've had an intact buck as house bunny - which worked perfectly as long as there wasn't another rabbit, but a single intact doe, well, that didn't work out. Never had a single spayed doe, so I can't comment on that.

 

[Cinnabun14]

I had an intact doe as free range indoor rabbit for 8 months due to Myxo quarantine once, she pretty much wrecked my apartment and almost succeeded in killing me twice.

Oh my gosh, she sounds like a terror! Rabbit on steroids, good grief. I hope you came out it okay?

 

[Preitler]

Well, Fury earned her name, and she was my absolute favorite rabbit ever , quite the character. One that could not be trusted around power cords though
Her spayed granddaughter Dotty is a more laid back character. There are several good reasons to spay pet does, for me the marking behaviour was the biggest one.

Breeding doesn't calm them down, I reckon it might look like it when a doe is bred young - but imo it's just that puberty (which can be a rough patch) is over by then.
Don't breed rabbits if you do not have a solid plan for what to do with the offspring, just "I'll sell them" isn't a solid plan, might not work that easily. Quite some space is needed to seperate the boys at 10 weeks, and if there is one slip in confining them you can end up wading in baby bunnies knee deep in no time - they are so good at escaping . So, just to calm a doe down, no, I wouldn't think that's the right strategy.

 

[Orenoko]

thank you for all your advice, it seems all of you are telling me to neuter her, but it isn't that cheap is it?

Neither is the cost of keeping any babies you can't sell. We need to factor in health costs with any pet we own, sounds like she needs to see a vet re the lump and then you can also discuss neutering costs. Lumps on bunnies aren't normal I'm afraid.

 

[Jaelyn]

Oh my gosh, she sounds like a terror! Rabbit on steroids, good grief. I hope you came out it okay?

she loves head pats and only really acts like that when she is hungry. I do give her plenty, food, water, and attention

 

[William]

I don't get the point of breeding rabbits if they aren't what you consider as pets or something you're passionate about doing. Good, reputable breeders are normally passionate about improving the breed and don't consider killing extra babies that they didn't find homes for.

Improving the breed includes not breeding rabbits who haven't had a health check and may very well have cancerous lumps and other problems. I'd be pretty upset if I found out that my rabbits might be in bad health later on due to the breeder passing on known health issues to the offspring.

Properly breeding rabbits is a passion project that costs money, you don't make money from it unless you're a rabbit mill/backyard breeder as there's always going to be vet and random costs that you didn't account for, not to mention the food and predator proof set ups.

 

[Shimmer]

I don't get the point of breeding rabbits if they aren't what you consider as pets or something you're passionate about doing. Good, reputable breeders are normally passionate about improving the breed and don't consider killing extra babies that they didn't find homes for.

Improving the breed includes not breeding rabbits who haven't had a health check and may very well have cancerous lumps and other problems. I'd be pretty upset if I found out that my rabbits might be in bad health later on due to the breeder passing on known health issues to the offspring.

Properly breeding rabbits is a passion project that costs money, you don't make money from it unless you're a rabbit mill/backyard breeder as there's always going to be vet and random costs that you didn't account for, not to mention the food and predator proof set ups.

Totally agree. And if you are breeding for meat, using sick animals really isn't the way to go, particularly as you mentioned they may have cancerous or infected tumours.

 

[Jaelyn]

I don't get the point of breeding rabbits if they aren't what you consider as pets or something you're passionate about doing. Good, reputable breeders are normally passionate about improving the breed and don't consider killing extra babies that they didn't find homes for.

Improving the breed includes not breeding rabbits who haven't had a health check and may very well have cancerous lumps and other problems. I'd be pretty upset if I found out that my rabbits might be in bad health later on due to the breeder passing on known health issues to the offspring.

Properly breeding rabbits is a passion project that costs money, you don't make money from it unless you're a rabbit mill/backyard breeder as there's always going to be vet and random costs that you didn't account for, not to mention the food and predator proof set ups.

I understand. Thank you

 

[RabbitNerd]

Hey Jaelyn! My name is Bronwyn. I'm also breeding buns. I'm planning on breeding my 2 English Angoras this February. I'm 11.