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Some Questions...

22 10:49:58

Question
I am interested in breeding my rabbit with my neighbors rabbit. We are very close friends and we talk every day. My rabbit is a buck lionhead and my neighbor's is a doe bunny rabbit. My rabbit is seven months and my neighbors is tree years. I am not sure if they are to far apart in age to breed and if the buck is able to produce sperm to fertilize the doe. I would also like to know how to care for the babies and the mother, and if i need to separate the father with the babies. We are planing on selling the babies and want to know how long the babies need to be weaned. If i missed anything i need to know, please tell me. Thank you!

Answer
Hi Ashley

Just a few things to consider before you actually breed your rabbits.  Rabbits that aren't purebred are predisposed to genetic defects.  A 3 year old doe that hasn't had babies in the past really shouldn't be bred.  Breeder's who breed regularly generally won't breed doe's that haven't been bred by the first year.  There are just way to many complications.  If she has had litters in the past that is a different story.

The biggest problem I see here is that you say you want to sell the babies.  Just be advised that there is 0 money in raising rabbits.  People will not pay large amounts of money for rabbits.  Sometimes very serious hobbyists and people who show their rabbits will pay more for them but even then its not worth it.  I strongly recommend that you reconsider your decision.  Although breeding rabbits seems like it can be fun you have to consider what is going to happen to those babies.  You may think they are going to nice homes and when the people realize how much work rabbits actually are they may dump them in a park or woods.  The rabbit will starve to death.  People will often buy baby rabbits pretending that they want them for their kids and really they are only feeding them to their snakes.  Its a sad reality and there is really no way that you can tell where the babies are going.

Ms. Dana Krempels Ph.D wrote an excellent article on things to consider before you breed...  please look into it.

http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/breeding.html

If you are still insistent on breeding I would strongly recommend you only breed purebred pedigreed animals, whose backgrounds are well known.  

Please let me know if you still want information.  I am happy to help you but I just want you to seriously consider it first.

Thank you

Pam