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When is she old enough?

22 10:41:32

Question
I have a six month old Holland lop that weighs about 3.5 pounds. I was wondering if she is old enough to breed now or if I should wait until she is older or bigger? The buck I was planing on breeding her to is a 4.5-5lb Holland lop. Is that going to cause problems for her?

Answer
Hi Allesha

Smaller breeds such as Holland lops can be bred at 6 months.  Just keep in mind that she may not be a good mother the first time around.  Sadly many rabbits are horrible mothers the first few times and the litters tend to be lost.

As long as the buck is a purebred Holland lop it shouldn't be a problem.  I breed 5 1/2 pound mini rex's to 3 pound mini rex's and have never had a problem.  It is the genes that matter.  Just make sure that you always breed purebred and preferably pedigreed rabbits because there is a better market for them.

If you aren't already a member of the American Rabbit Breeder's association and you are serious about breeding and showing rabbits, then I strongly suggest you join.  With the initial membership fee you receive an incredible guidebook called 'raising better rabbits and cavies'.  It has a lot of useful information.  You also get quarterly magazines that have useful information in them as well.

Good luck and if you need anymore help please let me know.

Pam