New Breeder

Hello!
My first (and only) rabbit I had just died last fall at the age of 8, and I am hoping to buy 2 Holland lops to breed. I know that there are differences between different breeds and my last rabbit was a mini rex, so is there is anything that would really be different when raising holland lops?
I already know of a few breeders where I can get the rabbits but I don't have any experience with breeding rabbits. I am currently researching it and was wondering if anyone could give me any advise.
Should I keep them together or in separate hutches? I've heard arguments both ways and was wondering if this breed is better separate or not. If there is anything else that could help me i would greatly appreciate it!
Thanks so much!

Hello, and welcome to rabbittalk

Endorite":34dfdaw2 said:

Hello! My first (and only) rabbit I had just died last fall at the age of 8, and I am hoping to buy 2 Holland lops to breed. I know that there are differences between different breeds and my last rabbit was a mini rex, so is there is anything that would really be different when raising holland lops?

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Holland lops are (from my experience, and I've bred them) more hormonal than other breeds. Which means the bucks, while more outgoing, also spray more. So be warned of that. Additionally, they are prone to get malocclusion, so check the teeth of any Holland lops you buy-it should have a small overbite, and the teeth should be slightly pointed when viewed from the side (which shows that they are wearing down in a normal manner). Malocclusion is genetic, so especially if you are planning on breeding avoid it all costs.

Endorite":34dfdaw2 said:

I already know of a few breeders where I can get the rabbits but I don't have any experience with breeding rabbits. I am currently researching it and was wondering if anyone could give me any advise.

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Be warned, Hollands are a popular pet breed, so there are quite a few lower quality ones out there. Try to find a breeder that also shows their rabbits, and ask for a pedigree to go with any new stock. Generally, if you are starting out raising hollands, you should stick to breeding tortoiseshells imo--those will the easiest to find good quality of. Tricolors are cute, but those are one of the most common pet varieties, and unless you find a good breeder they can present more problems. If you are looking to breed brokens (spotted) try to get only one parent that is broken and one that is solid, as breeding two brokens together can get you charlies, which are unshowable and have some minor health issues. Quite a few of the top breeders don't want people in their rabbitry (they have hundreds of dollars invested in their stock, and don't want to risk outsiders bringing in disease or such), so don't push it if they would rather meet a neutral location (just mentioning this because an alarming about of resources Ive seen recently mention just the opposite) Last thing about this, I swear (lol) is that Holland lops are a dwarf breed, so they have notoriously small litters, hard births and a rather high death rate in their litters. If you breed two "true dwarf" parents (ask the breeder if they are true dwarfs or false dwarfs, false dwarfs are also sometimes known as big uglies-- if the breeder doesn't know what you are talking about, find a different breeder), 25% of the litter will be "peanuts" which have a fatal set of two dwarf genes, usually they are smaller and have tiny, pointed ears, 50% will be true dwarfs, and 25% will be false dwarfs. False dwarfs can also be used in breeding, but should only be bred to true dwarfs if you want any true dwarf babies (true dwarfs grow to be about 3-4 lbs, false dwarfs grow to be about 4-5 lbs)

Endorite":34dfdaw2 said:

Should I keep them together or in separate hutches? I've heard arguments both ways and was wondering if this breed is better separate or not. If there is anything else that could help me i would greatly appreciate it!

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Absolutely keep them separate. Does get territorial when they are raising a litter, and the buck will rebreed her as soon as she has her litter, which isn't good for her condition and health. Any intact breeding pair of rabbits should be kept separate.

If you are planning on breeding, I'd advise joining the ARBA (their website is arba.net) and going to a few shows before you pick out your rabbits. That way you can get a good idea what to look for in a rabbit, and it's the best way to get in contact with local breeders (the arba website has a listing of upcoming shows). And who knows, you might find some other breed there you like. Hollands are a hard and competitive breed to raise, not really recommended for beginners, and something there might catch your eye. If you do decide to stick with Hollands, find a breeder (Holland lop breeder preferably) willing to help you out and give you some advice, it's nice to have a sort of rabbit mentor.

Also, you should go to your profile and put your location or say where you are (even just what state you are in). That can help us give some advice more relevant to your situation. I can give you recommendations for good breeders if I know what area you are in.

Good luck

:yeahthat:

I went to shows for a year with a friend that breeds rex .... before I decided to breed Magpie Harlequin..
Shows are a great source of information and breeder connections. (bring a chair as they are long and sometimes a bit boring...lol)

one thing I would add......
What is your goal for your rabbitry?
.... like Sable said, a doe can be rebred the day she gives birth.... with some breeds that means a litter of 8-12 every 30 days!!!

What do you plan on doing with the offspring & manure and do you have the cage space for the kits to grow in ... and cages to separate the kits by sex if you can't get them sold/butchered before they start breeding each other?? ....sometimes you need extra cages to separate the individual rabbits that get hormonal faster and can't seem to get along...

These are the questions I posed myself before venturing into my rabbits.

Yup, as SableSteel & Endorite have mentioned, it's best to keep them separate except for when they are mating. Other than better for the rabbits and babies, it will also give you an estimated time of when the litter will be due. When you have multiple females, it will also let you keep better records of which rabbit was bred to which rabbit.

Until and unless you have different goals, it's always best to breed to ARBA standards. If you can go to shows and see what a proper ARBA conformation of a Holland Lop should be, then you'll have a better idea of good breeding stock. Read up on the breed as much as possible before buying stock and buy the best buck you can get.

How big will your breeding stock be? Just one pair? Then the quality of the buck may not matter as much. If you have multiple females and just several males, then you'd want to get as high a quality of male as possible since they would contribute more to your breeding program.

Keep records. Not only date bred and which rabbit to which rabbit, but health issues, weight gain, litter size, feed bought, stock sold, etc. If you're breeding for a hobby, then it may not make much difference if you make or lose money, but if it's as a business, then records will be more important. I've found Kintracks to be useful for record keeping as well as printing out pedigrees. There's also paper back up of receipts from the feed store and such. If you're doing it as a money making hobby or business, then you can write all of this off your taxes, too.

But, start small and let it grow, too. Just have a goal in mind for expansion if that's in your plans for later.

Completely agree with all of this advice. We have Hollands, and as a bunny owner of Calis, Lionheads, Giant Chins, and Hollands, the Hollands are the most desired but my least favorite. I do have one doe that has turned in to such a sweet girl, but it took her several litters and age to get there. They are hormonal, and although I make sure to tell people about the teenage phase that may last a while, people still want to buy them then come back later and want to know how their cute bunny changed dramatically overnight......anyway, just be aware of the drawbacks, and see if you can find someone with no kids whose been showing for a while. I find they have been the most helpful and least competetive, just do to the fact that they are at an age where they want to give back. ARBA shows are the very best place to hang out! Info just splling from there. If you have someone you know who goes, have them take you and introduce you to their peeps!

what type of holland lop you purchase depends on your end goal. Do you want show, breed for pets, just have a couple of nice bunnies around that you can make a bit of money from on the side? What is your primary purpose?

It also depends on your finances. Some holland lops are ridiculously expensive, others are just moderately so, and others more affordable. You need to figure out what your budget is, that may determine the quality and quantity of rabbit you get.

Do you want to breed for show or do you want to breed for pets?

Do you want someone to mentor you in rabbits? that may also determine who you buy from.

As a new breeder you also need to ask yourself...what will you do if you have a bunny you can't sell but don't want to keep?

Are you able to cull any sick or weak offspring? or find someone who can. (peanuts for instance will often die in three days, do you want them to suffer (death by starvation) or will you cull them?