breeding out of frustration

We have a 5 month old mini lop doe who has lately become a royal PIA. She has become aggressive acting lately. Just an all around unpleasant rabbit.

When I got her, she was about 7 weeks old. Her mother was very calm and easy going (so was her father), so I don't think this is genetic aggressiveness.

So, for better or worse, I bred her yesterday. Hoping it might calm her down. The plan was to show her for a while before breeding her, but I don't want to put her on the table acting like this.

Apparently she was ready too. I had her outside running around in the front yard for a little bit, and brought a buck out to her. As soon as he started sniffing around her, she planted herself firmly and shoved her hind end a mile high in the air. Two fall offs in no time.

So, I'm guessing it was puberty causing her to act out, and maybe I shouldn't have bred her yet, but we shall see how it turns out.

I also have her sister, and she has lately, past week or so, started acting territorial of her cage, but hasn't been really aggressive, so we will see what happens there. I really don't want to breed the sister yet as she seems to be a lot better quality of a mini lop. Plus, I now have 5 pregnant mini lops, I really don't want any more right now.

So, what say you? Will breeding her calm her down, or make her worse?

It could go both ways, but breeding and having a litter has made mine calm down a lot not right away tho. She was grouchy the whole pregnancy. But since then, she's a joy!

I got a doe a few days ago who was territorial of her cage as well. When you reached in she would grunt, and jump at you, but never would bite. I tossed her in with my buck, and she lifted right away, and he cover her many times in a few minutes. That was about 4 days ago. When you reach into the cage now she still grunts a little bit, but is 90% calmer than she was the day she got here. When you hold her she is a big lover. If I set her on the floor she runs back to me, and snuggles up to my chest. So I'm her issue was that she was sexually frustrated.

Thank you. That is what I am hoping for.

I have another doe who is quite unsociable. She isn't aggressive, but she doesn't want you in her cage either and is more than willing to let you know it. Get her out of her cage and she is fine. Anyway, when she is pregnant, you are at your own risk when reaching into her cage, but once she kindles, she is very lovey dovey.

That's what I'm hoping happens with my doe. She has had 2 owners before me, and they gave her up, because they didn't want to take the time to figure out why she was so pissy. The day she was given to me, her last owner was blown away at the fact that I could kiss her nose, and hold her with no problem. I think she is super cute, and sweet. Still trying to palpate my other does, and I'm starting to think I'm no good at it. I reach under, and all I feel is a rabbit belly. :lol:

Wait a couple more weeks. Give them a nest box and some hay on day 27 or 28 from breeding. You will know shortly if they took or not.

They all look, and feel fatter to me, lol.

If you can, spend some time watching their bellys. Especially when they are on their side. See if you see movement, that's whats going on at my house now, and they need to be farther along, maybe at least day 20 or so...

Nice does can throw genetically mean (wild type hormonal and aggressive) ones. I know from experience, the male can carry genes that cause excessive hormonal behavior, even when he nice because he's a buck.
It also appears to be a genetically dominant trait.

I never suggest breeding to calm down a seriously aggressive doe, unless you really like the taste of rabbit, since the result of breeding aggressively hormonal rabbits if often to make more of such rabbits.

That might sound harsh, but you wouldn't believe how frustrating it is to BUY rabbits and then have to butcher them at puberty because they turn nasty (aka bite people) when they want bred.

Especially for breeds commonly raised and shown by children, I think that trait in the lines should be avoided at all costs.

I hope there was just "something in the air" at your place and everything calms down after the litters, but don't gamble on it. I suggests you have a back up plan for all those kits in case their dams just gets meaner.

Dams? It's just the one. And yes, if breeding doesn't calm her down, she chills out at Kamp Kenmore. Same for her kits.

DBA":2b2irws6 said:

Dams? It's just the one. And yes, if breeding doesn't calm her down, she chills out at Kamp Kenmore. Same for her kits.

Click to expand...

OMG :lol:

DBA":1ryswjv4 said:

Dams? It's just the one. And yes, if breeding doesn't calm her down, she chills out at Kamp Kenmore. Same for her kits.

Click to expand...

It seems like a few people are having trouble with does right now. I should have worded the sentence better to reflect that. Sorry.

The first time I attempted to breed a rabbit to calm her down, she was nice as can be throughout her pregnancy, and then put a huge bloody wound on my hand after the kits arrived.

I was incautious because I simply wasn't warned about the possibility of a rapid flip-flop in behavior.

Zass":a4h9qvir said:

Nice does can throw genetically mean (wild type hormonal and aggressive) ones. I know from experience, the male can carry genes that cause excessive hormonal behavior, even when he nice because he's a buck.
It also appears to be a genetically dominant trait.

Click to expand...

Yep I agree. I got the most aggressive nasty buck I have ever seen out of two sweethearts. They also produced, in the same litter, a borderline doe (my avatar Hannah) who qualifies as "spirited". She won't be having any babies since I want to weed out that temperament. She makes a nice wooler though and so I did not cull her. The buck was unhandleable and into the stew pot he went.

That particular line is from a lady who liked "feisty" bunnies so I imagine there is a genetic component to it, and it can apparently skip generations :x

imajpm":2wtm2rbj said:

Yep I agree. I got the most aggressive nasty buck I have ever seen out of two sweethearts. They also produced, in the same litter, a borderline doe (my avatar Hannah) who qualifies as "spirited". She won't be having any babies since I want to weed out that temperament. She makes a nice wooler though and so I did not cull her. The buck was unhandleable and into the stew pot he went.

That particular line is from a lady who liked "feisty" bunnies so I imagine there is a genetic component to it, and it can apparently skip generations :x

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Hmm. I tend to think aggressive bucks are a bit different than aggressively hormonal and territorial does.

Something like, bucks do not experience the same hormones does have, but they seem to be able to pass along genes that can affect their female offspring.

All the silverfox bloodlines I played with threw consistently mellow bucks and crazy-as-a-loon type does. Ranging from extreme hormonal behavior to pure neuroticism. Often they were irrationally afraid of humans. I often thought they were more like wild rabbits than domestic ones.


I've never actually had a mean or crazy buck yet, so I can't even hazard a guess as to what could be behind that.

Hmm I don't know. They are from the same litter. But he was different that's for sure. The first time he bit me was at 8 weeks of age. He was always very in your face and then became violent and aggressive later. Tested him for hutch aggression and nope, he wanted to kill people no matter where he was! I tell ya, I had definite anxiety going on when I had to deal with him. Scared of a rabbit... hehe. His sister Hannah is mildly territorial and the dominant doe in the barn. She allows me to mess with her but no one else is permitted. She charges and nips any unauthorized hands. Ooops I think I am burning my oatmeal urgh.