It doesn't take a rocket scientist to breed rabbits. However, it does take planning, careful considerations, and some common sense to get to that end result - a healthy bundle of baby kits. Before breeding rabbits, you should have reason to create more mouths to feed. Once that has been established, you should prepare both your doe and buck for their first union.
To understand how this union will take place, you will need to understand the ovulation cycle of a doe. Female rabbits are induced ovulators, meaning they do not have a heat cycle like that seen in dogs. Does are receptive breeders which can last from one to two weeks and then they will not be receptive to breeding for approximately another two weeks. Owners may have no clear signs that their rabbit is receptive. However, some does will have signs such as a swollen vulva or chin rubbing. Once the doe is bred, she will release her eggs from the ovary approximately 12 hours after breeding.
The average age for does to breed is approximately six months of age. Bucks typically become mature enough for mating on average at seven to eight months. Larger rabbit breeds are sometimes not bred until they are slightly older. Breeders generally begin breeding rabbits at a young age as some rabbits will not have a successful breeding unless they begin when they are young.
Before breeding, rabbits should be healthy, especially the doe. Overweight does can succumb to problems during delivery. Take a rabbit in poor health and add the stressor of delivery, and a breeder is only asking for complications.
Males and females should be housed separately until they are ready to be bred. For natural breeding, the female rabbit should be taken to the male rabbit's cage. The buck may chase the doe around the cage until they are ready to mate. If the doe is receptive, this process typically doesn't take more than a few minutes. Some breeders allow the doe to stay with the buck for two matings and some will separate the two and bring the doe back for another mating around 10 to 12 hours later. Either way, once the matings have been completed, the doe should be returned to her own sanctuary to prepare for her new arrivals.
As long as a doe is healthy, approximately 85 percent of all breedings will result in a pregnancy. There is a disorder in does known as pseudopregnancy where a doe has a false pregnancy. The female rabbit will behave as if she is pregnant which typically last only a couple of weeks. This can happen if a receptive doe is kept near bucks and not bred, is bred with a buck but sperm was not passed, or if a receptive doe has been mounted by another doe.
A pregnant doe should be fed a high-quality diet with the food intake being cut back at the last couple of days of pregnancy. Once the kits are born, the amount of food should be gradually increased again. It is extremely important that a pregnant doe be given an unlimited supply of timothy hay and fresh water at all times.
The gestation period will last on average 32 days. The babies will do most of their growing during the last 10 days of pregnancy. The doe should be provided a kindling box in which to prepare for the births. Hay or shredded paper should also be available for the doe to make her nest inside the box. A typical litter size for an average medium sized rabbit is seven to eight kits. This is only an average as the litter size will depend upon the health, size, and age of the doe among other environmental factors.
Although artificial insemination is available for rabbits, the natural method is the most commonly used. Brothers and sisters should not be mated and unless you are breeding for meat production, you should breed only rabbits of the same breed. Unless the ancestry is the same for at least four generations, the rabbits cannot be sold as pedigree breeds.
Rabbits with genetic disorders such as malocclusion should not be bred. If you are starting a breeding program, you will need to keep breeding records of your rabbits. It is highly recommended that if you do not want to have rabbits as a business then do not allow your rabbits to breed. If you are interested in having several rabbits as simple pets, there are many available for adoption at animal shelters across the country.