pregnant bunnies

Question
i have a pregnant bunny. i know she is pregnant but she got pregnant with her brother, they are from different litters though, I'm not sure if that changes anything. any ways, will the babies be okay? they are lion heads and are 8 months and 10 months. please get back to me asap.

Answer
Hi Joanna,

Some of the top breeders in the country will breed brother to sister.  It does not cause genetic defects but it can bring about genetic defects that the animals are already carrying.  If you have babies with malocclusion, split penis, wry tail etc. it means your rabbits are carrying the genetic traits for these defects.  If you see genetic defects those animals should not be bred again to any rabbit because these issues will be put into the gene pool.

If you are not breeding for show purposes or for meat (which Lionheads are to small) then you really should consider getting your bunnies spayed and neutered.  There are literally thousands of rabbits in shelters that were bred by people thinking they would be able to find them homes.  There are not enough homes for the rabbits that already exist.

I hope your babies are fine.  There is a very low chance that there will be issues because most responsible breeders will not continue to breed animals with genetic issues and will cull them.

Pam