There are several industries that support rabbit-raising. Rabbits are bred for show, meat, fur and wool production. While wild rabbits seem to have the breeding formula down to a science, people need a little more guidance to be successful with their breeding practices.
The Dating Game
Does (female rabbits) don’t come into a "true" heat (estrus) like other mammals do. They are "induced ovulates", which means that they release an egg after breeding with a buck (male rabbit). It is possible for a doe to accept a buck for breeding at any time of the year.
However, does do have times when they are more likely to accept a buck’s advances. Look for signs of the doe acting restless, rubbing her chin on the feeder and water bottle nipples.
Breeding Specifics
Always take the doe to the buck’s cage for breeding. Does are highly protective of their domain, and the buck is always willing to make an exception for a lady visitor. Immediately record the breeding date. Going back later and guessing is risky, and the date could easily be off resulting in dead babies on the wire. Does kindle (give birth) approximately 31-32 days after breeding.
Some people like to test a doe to see if she has ‘taken’ (gotten pregnant) with a rather non-scientific method. A few days after the breeding date, the doe is placed back into the buck’s cage. Usually, if she has taken, she will run around avoiding the male, and possibly grunting or squealing. While the test is fairly accurate, some does will allow breeding again anyway, so it’s not a guarantee. A more reliable test is to palpate the doe two weeks after exposing her to the buck and see if you can feel the marble-like embryos in the doe’s belly.
An interesting fact to note is that the uterus of does is ‘Y’ shaped. They actually have two uteri, in which both usually carry kits from the breeding to a single buck. It is possible, however, for a doe can to be bred up one side of a horn (and take), then be exposed to a different buck and become pregnant in the other horn. Unfortunately, it is likely she will lose both litters due to malnourishment, and other developmental issues.
The most humane breeding time line would be to re-breed the doe when the kits are 6 weeks old. This way, the older kits will be weaned, and the doe has some down time before raising another litter.
The Nest Box
On day 27, put a nest box, and add a generous amount of hay (timothy, oat or grass ) in the doe's cage for nest building. If you want to use shavings, use only aspen shavings, due to eye and respiratory irritations. The doe will pull the soft fur from her chest and belly making a comfy nest for her kits.
Nest Boxes can be made out of wood or metal, like the commercial nest boxes. The metal ones have a lip on the front that knocks off kits (baby rabbits) that are hanging on to a teat as the doe leaves the nest box after nursing. It’s a little thing, but very important, otherwise the kit would fall onto the wire and freeze.
The Surprise
There are many stories about pet rabbits escaping and the pet rabbit meeting a wild rabbit, and now there are babies, each looking like one parent or another.
Here’s the truth. In America, our domestic rabbits (Oryctolagus) all come from European rabbits, and are considered "exotics". While all of our pet rabbits can interbreed, they can’t breed with an American wild rabbit species like cottontails (Sylvilagus), or jack rabbits/hares (Lupus).
Although they may attempt to breed, the embryos will die before birth due to the difference in chromosomes. Domestic (European) rabbits have 22 pairs of chromosomes, cottontails have 21 and jack rabbits or hares have 24 pairs.
To learn more on rabbit breeds and reproduction go to The American Rabbit Breeders Association.
Related Reading
Interested in reading more about rabbits? See Raising Angora Rabbits For Wool. Don't forget to check out Myxomatosis: Rabbit Killer and Wool Block in Rabbits.
*Update: Because there have been reports of rabbit breeders possibly cross-breeding domestic rabbits with cottontails on occasion (and them surviving), we're waiting to see if that has been substantiated and officially documented. At this point, it's still highly unlikely for this to occur randomly and if it did, kits predominately don't survive. Still, it's important and bears looking into; stay tuned.
Chris McLaughlin - Chris McLaughlin's gardening books include "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Heirloom Vegetables." Check out her complete profile.
