Why Won't My Rabbits Breed?

Hello there,

My name is Evan and I'm just starting out with rabbit breeding. I was given two bunnies, one of each gender, and I expected that the phrase "breed like rabbits" would make sense once I put the two together. Unfortunately, the female rabbit is not particularly fond of the male being around. The male rabbit doesn't always show interest in her when I put them together, but when he does, she won't cooperate. She makes honking noises when he approaches her and she gets very aggressive.

At first, they shared a cage. Then, I separated the two of them so that they couldn't see each other. Finally, after consulting a veterinarian, she recommended that I keep the two rabbits in separate cages, but close to each other. Unfortunately, this has not yielded positive results.

Here is a video of the two of them: http://youtu.be/WNyORmPl6lQ

I'll get the basic questions out of the way...are you sure it is in fact a buck and a doe? Have you checked the doe to see if she is in season before putting her in with the buck? about how old are they (some rabbits mature a little slower then others) how long do you wait between attempts to mate them, or how long has it been since your last attempt? has the doe ever had a litter before?

I think they are acting rather normal for a not-too-pushy buck and a doe who isn't interested in breeding with him.

There are 101 things you can try. I don't know if there is any one 100% "this will do it" method.

Oh, and they are lovely Welcome to RT!

I didn't really take some time to answer those questions, did I? Sorry. Yes, I'm absolutely sure I have a buck and a doe. I did check to see if she was in season and she was and she still is right now. He sniffs her backside, but does nothing about it. They're both about seven months old. I wait about a day or two before I try mating attempts, but I tried for the second time today just now. According to the previous owner, this doe has already had two litters. <br /><br /> -- Sun Mar 09, 2014 10:10 pm -- <br /><br />

Zass":3j14ralf said:

I think they are acting rather normal for a not-too-pushy buck and a doe who isn't interested in breeding with him.

There are 101 things you can try. I don't know if there is any one 100% "this will do it" method.

Oh, and they are lovely Welcome to RT!

Click to expand...

Well, what's the first thing to try on that list of 101 things to do? =) I'm willing to do just about anything.

Thank you. =)

in the past two weeks or so has the buck attempted at all? the doe could have already been impregnated and that would explain why she is so annoyed...rabbits can be finished in the time it takes to sneeze so unless you were watching intently the whole time they were together it is possible you missed it. If she is already then putting her back in with him is just stressing her out. how long have you had the two of them? sometimes rabbits wont breed if they don't feel safe, so the new environment could be scaring her making her not want to cooperate.

-- Mon Mar 10, 2014 1:18 am --

you can try giving her some fresh parsley..it can put her in the mood a bit more, or try adding a little apple cider vinegar to her water. I'm sure there are other things but I'm half asleep so cant think of them

closest thing to a "surefire" way to get them to breed that i know of is a car ride...put them both in the same cage and drive around the block with them a few times...not sure why but if none of the other suggestions I'm sure you will get work its a good last ditch thing to try <br /><br /> -- Mon Mar 10, 2014 1:22 am -- <br /><br /> oh before I forget...I had a rabbit that wouldn't even think of breeding till she was 9 months old...now she is one of my best girls...if your rabbit has already had two litters though it cant be age, but most breeders wont sell a good proven doe, so she may just always be difficult. Worst case try table breeding her, it may end up your only option

If I may, I'd like to briefly thank you for helping me out. I really and truly appreciate it.

He tried within the past two weeks, but he didn't finish. I was watching them the entire time intently without looking away. I've seen videos on YouTube of breeders trying to help other breeders and I know what it looks like when they finish. I've had them for almost a month, now.

I'll buy some parsley and apple cider vinegar tomorrow. I've heard of the vinegar, but I haven't bought any yet.

Ha. I've heard about the car ride thing, but I had assumed that it's a joke. So if the parsley and apple cider vinegar don't work, I know what to resort to.

I see. I didn't know what table breeding is, but I looked it up. I'm hoping that won't be my only option, but it's quite possible it might be.

From what iv'e read, the two rabbit had been living together for awhile.
Perhaps in that time frame she has already been bred.
I would palpate her and see if she feels in the family way.
Many times a bred Doe will refuse to mate even to the point of pressing
her body to the floor. You may be surprised in a few weeks.
If she suddenly starts to fill her mouth with Hay, which I would have available
at least daily. You might want to give her, her own cage with a nestbox.
One cannot be too careful, rabbits are known to hide the facts from their
breeders!
Ottersatin. ldtimer:

Is she "fat"? Simple question but complicated solutions if the answer is yes.

I've often thought about building a large enclosure to allow overweight
rabbits to run to their heart's content. I don't know if they'd use that
advantage or not.

She's had two litters? If she was a good doe...then why was she sold?
Stubborn breeder possibly.. If the buck attempts and is unsuccessful, you
may have to restrain the doe. Your success rate isn't great...but it's better
than not doing anything.

Has your buck been "beat-up?" If so, he may be timid from here on out.
Young bucks can be nearly ruined if they take a butt-whippin' from a
grouchy old doe. It happens more often than people realize.

Are they on 16 hours of light? Low hours of lighting may well affect the
pituitary glands on both of them causing the doe to not come in season.
The buck will be less "enthusiastic" as well.

Tons of different circumstances can cause rabbits to be unproductive.

grumpy.

Hello! From your comment: "at first they shared a cage" does sound like MAYBE they could have already done the deed?

I'm new to rabbits, but from my extensive research, here are a few things that I will be trying with my buns:

1) There's an old thread somewhere on this forum from someone who combines a) manual stimulation of the vulva - I think daily for a few days or a week? I can't remember for sure… and 2) feeding 1/4 cup per day of this product: http://seminolefeed.com/shop/equine-fee ... enior-mix/ I believe she/he was feeding the extra ration for something like a week prior to trying to breed them. According to that post - the extra feed is to create in the doe a sense that there is an abundance of food, so now might be a great time to have and raise some kits!

2) Try to get the temperature up to 50 degrees, and provide a minimum of 800-900 lumens of light for 12-14 hours per day for 2-3 days prior to breeding.

3) My herbal mix for the buck - fed at 1 T per day for 10 days prior to breeding - all three ingredients are known for increasing sperm count & motility in the buck: equal parts raspberry leaf, ginger root & parsley. I am going to use a mix of dried herbs when the time comes, at it is cheap and efficient, but of course you could try to source them naturally.

4) The parsley, given to the doe daily for 7-10 days - also increases her egg count and can affect willingness to breed. If you do use the Seminole Wellness Senior MixⓇ from that link, it already has parsley in it. I'm going to gather the ingredients from that recipe and make my own organic version to feed to the does prior to breeding - as the OP of that thread had said doing the two things from 1) on my list are great methods to get two doe to sync breeding.

5) Feed the buck 1-2 oz of rolled oats the day prior and day of breeding to give him more energy.

I know there are other things that I have read - these are just the things that I noted in my "rabbit book", methods that I will be trying in hopes that I can maximize breeding potential. Good luck and I hope there are kits in your very near future!

Today, I bought parsley and fed it to them in the morning and at night. The female is at the night of her cycle. I see dark purple genitals. I put a little apple cider vinegar in their water this morning. I took them for a car ride just now: three times around the block. He didn't seem interested after the car ride. I couldn't see them as I was driving...just a fact that needs to be mentioned.

I tried keeping her in place to see if he'd be interested and neither of them were happy about that.

On the plus side, she's not honking with annoyance right now.

ottersatin":4n7bs0rq said:

From what iv'e read, the two rabbit had been living together for awhile.
Perhaps in that time frame she has already been bred.
I would palpate her and see if she feels in the family way.
Many times a bred Doe will refuse to mate even to the point of pressing
her body to the floor. You may be surprised in a few weeks.
If she suddenly starts to fill her mouth with Hay, which I would have available
at least daily. You might want to give her, her own cage with a nestbox.
One cannot be too careful, rabbits are known to hide the facts from their
breeders!
Ottersatin. ldtimer:

Click to expand...

I tried palpating her once or twice a week for the past 3 weeks and I haven't felt anything.

-- Mon Mar 10, 2014 10:54 pm --

grumpy":4n7bs0rq said:

Is she "fat"? Simple question but complicated solutions if the answer is yes.

I've often thought about building a large enclosure to allow overweight
rabbits to run to their heart's content. I don't know if they'd use that
advantage or not.

She's had two litters? If she was a good doe...then why was she sold?
Stubborn breeder possibly.. If the buck attempts and is unsuccessful, you
may have to restrain the doe. Your success rate isn't great...but it's better
than not doing anything.

Has your buck been "beat-up?" If so, he may be timid from here on out.
Young bucks can be nearly ruined if they take a butt-whippin' from a
grouchy old doe. It happens more often than people realize.

Are they on 16 hours of light? Low hours of lighting may well affect the
pituitary glands on both of them causing the doe to not come in season.
The buck will be less "enthusiastic" as well.

Tons of different circumstances can cause rabbits to be unproductive.

grumpy.

Click to expand...

I don't think she's that, but if you watch the video I posted, you might be able to tell for yourself.

She wasn't sold. She was given to me because the man who owned them didn't want to keep breeding them because he wasn't making money.

Perhaps he has been "beat-up," as you say. He doesn't even look at her the wrong way anymore. Before, when they did share a cage, they would chase each other around and she'd be honking the entire time. During that time, she became surprisingly aggressive, which convinced me she was pregnant (also, her hair came off easier than my buck's). Several palpating sessions led me away from that idea.

They're not on 16 hours of light, but I can try that next.

-- Mon Mar 10, 2014 11:03 pm --

Comet007":4n7bs0rq said:

Hello! From your comment: "at first they shared a cage" does sound like MAYBE they could have already done the deed?

I'm new to rabbits, but from my extensive research, here are a few things that I will be trying with my buns:

1) There's an old thread somewhere on this forum from someone who combines a) manual stimulation of the vulva - I think daily for a few days or a week? I can't remember for sure… and 2) feeding 1/4 cup per day of this product: http://seminolefeed.com/shop/equine-fee ... enior-mix/ I believe she/he was feeding the extra ration for something like a week prior to trying to breed them. According to that post - the extra feed is to create in the doe a sense that there is an abundance of food, so now might be a great time to have and raise some kits!

2) Try to get the temperature up to 50 degrees, and provide a minimum of 800-900 lumens of light for 12-14 hours per day for 2-3 days prior to breeding.

3) My herbal mix for the buck - fed at 1 T per day for 10 days prior to breeding - all three ingredients are known for increasing sperm count & motility in the buck: equal parts raspberry leaf, ginger root & parsley. I am going to use a mix of dried herbs when the time comes, at it is cheap and efficient, but of course you could try to source them naturally.

4) The parsley, given to the doe daily for 7-10 days - also increases her egg count and can affect willingness to breed. If you do use the Seminole Wellness Senior MixⓇ from that link, it already has parsley in it. I'm going to gather the ingredients from that recipe and make my own organic version to feed to the does prior to breeding - as the OP of that thread had said doing the two things from 1) on my list are great methods to get two doe to sync breeding.

5) Feed the buck 1-2 oz of rolled oats the day prior and day of breeding to give him more energy.

I know there are other things that I have read - these are just the things that I noted in my "rabbit book", methods that I will be trying in hopes that I can maximize breeding potential. Good luck and I hope there are kits in your very near future!

Click to expand...

I'm led to believe that they haven't done the deed, but I could be proven wrong. I'm not completely sure.

Thank you for sharing your list of things you'll do with your bunnies. I'll respond to each one with my one circumstance.

I did stimulate her manually earlier, before the car ride, but I'll continue to do that. If worst comes to worst, I will probably end up buying that product. I'm trying not to spend money, so that will be a last resort.

Fortunately, I live in Southern California, so I don't need to worry about temperature issues since it's perpetually over 55 degrees at night.

Your herbal blends sound interesting to me. I've never heard of anything like that before, save for the parsley. I've heard that from a couple different places, now. If these methods aren't working, I may have to try that out. <br /><br /> -- Mon Mar 10, 2014 11:23 pm -- <br /><br /> Here are a couple more things I think I should mention:

1. I think this is more an issue of my buck being shy because if he would just try more often, I'd be able to keep the doe still for long enough for him to finish up.

2. The previous owner told me that the two of them are from the same litter. I didn't think this would really be an issue, but I'm starting to think that it might play a factor in it. What do you think?

If they've been kept together and she is making those irritated sounds I'd say she's already pregnant. She's not making aggressive sounds yet she sounds a lot like one of my does when she was already pregnant and I had a buck near her.

I watched the video and it sounds like she is pregnant.. I would put a box in and see what she does... and goes for the buck.. He is shy or watching himself as it looks like he has a female put him in place before.. to many times like that he will not breed at all.. another thing you can try .. is get another buck.. sometimes females will only like one buck and not the other... and you shouldn't breed siblings

Mary Ann's Rabbitry":38j7stqx said:

sometimes females will only like one buck and not the other... and you shouldn't breed siblings

Click to expand...

This part about not breeding siblings is contrary to most of what I've read about breeding. Isn't this just a choice based on your breeding strategy and purpose for the offspring? Rather than something that just shouldn't be done?

Some of us breeders cannot palpate.. I know...it seems like a skill we all should have, but, no....I can't do it at all. I've tried on LOTS of rabbits :roll:

and I've never felt one embryo, no matter how hard I tried. :laugh: I have rabbits pushing out 12 babies and I'm not 100% sure there is anything in there until they start pulling hair.

So don't be surprised if she has kits and you can't feel them.

As to breeding siblings, I'm inclined to agree that it is a personal choice.
I avoid crossing littermates, but that's about it. But....I also have no problem test breeding and removing animals who carry harmful recessive genetics from the gene pool.

I'd say in general that line breeding or in-breeding would generally require culling with a heavier hand.

Zass":hatynw80 said:

Some of us breeders cannot palpate.. I know...it seems like a skill we all should have, but, no....I can't do it at all. I've tried on LOTS of rabbits :roll:

and I've never felt one embryo, no matter how hard I tried. :laugh: I have rabbits pushing out 12 babies and I'm not 100% sure there is anything in there until they start pulling hair.

So don't be surprised if she has kits and you can't feel them.

Click to expand...

I was going to say the same. I'm pretty good at it, but even if I feel nothing, I still put the box in.

Okay, I've been feeding both of my rabbits parsley for the past few days and I've put apple cider vinegar (a very small amount) in their water. I haven't tried the car ride since last time, but I think I'll do that today. Also, I made a nesting box out of cardboard, put hay in it, and put it in her cage. I'll have to wait to see if she does anything, but she hasn't done anything quite yet.

Also, when I went to visit the feed store around where I live, and the guy working there said that it's possible for the rabbit to refuse to mate because she doesn't enjoy pregnancy (and therefore, the birthing process and maternal role). Is it possible for their little bunny minds to link mating with pregnancy, dislike pregnancy, and therefore refuse to mate?

They can come to dislike the act of mating itself.
A rough buck jumping on top of them, and biting or pulling fur.
Lots of bucks seem to hump the wrong end too. :roll:
Some girls just seem really threatened the whole process.

All my does are good moms, so I can't say I've ever met one who didn't like having babies. I won't say it's impossible though, just totally outside of my realm of experience.

give them light!! 16 plus hours the doe for sure! sounds like some bs from the store guy, i have heard everything now!!! good laugh.

acv just rusts the cages, you never hear commercial producers using any of the wives tale stuff to breed rabbits, just light the only proven thing.

i use the little solar spot lights if i have a doe that wont breed, works in 2-5 days if they aren't normally on a breeding light schedule.

some people dont feed rabbits enough also, they wont breed if they are in poor condition

RothsRabbits":2ja6pwpj said:

acv just rusts the cages, you never hear commercial producers using any of the wives tale stuff to breed rabbits, just light the only proven thing.

Click to expand...

In the course of all my rabbit research, I actually came across two or three larger scale rabbit breeders who DO use OACV, as well as some other "wives tale" herbal remedies and even natural preventatives. These things have been around for a long time and many natural remedies have proven health benefits - and rabbits in the wild are able to naturally seek out various herbs that help to keep them healthy. Of course, they probably are NOT finding OACV - but it's entirely possible that they could access some naturally partially fermented apples…

I have read a few people who say it causes rust - and many who say they use the OACV with no rust. Maybe the rust is caused by using plain vinegar vs. the apple cider vinegar? They aren't the same thing at all. I'll be watching my GAW cages with interest to see if we have any rust issues.

After reading all the posts, I also think maybe she is already been bred by the way she is acting- when mine have been bred they all start grumbling if they are put with males. Maybe give it a rest for a couple of weeks until you know for sure because you don't want her to beat up on the male and make him afraid of her.

Also, my favorite thing to do to get my females and males going is to swap their cages- let the female run around and smell his cage- and let him smell her cage and get used to her smell. I usually do the cage swap the day before and then next morning I check her vulva to see if she's ready and if she's not ready- I do the cage swap again and check her the next day.

Also, what Grumpy said.... is she fat? I think one of the biggest reasons does can't conceive is being overweight- fat grows around the ovaries and they can't get pregnant. And also if the male is fat it they say it makes them too lazy to breed.

Also, Flaxseed is a good conditioning food with lots of vitamin E and might boost condition if you think they might need extra vitamins. But its also very fattening so only give in small amounts.