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LopLionheadLady

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Hi guys! I am planning on breeding my holland lop in the spring and I have a qq regarding. so my close friend has a mini lop buck and very similar cage setup to mine. I was wondering if it would be ok if I bring my doe to her house and breed them? let me know if this is ok and if it is how would I do it without my doe being stressed.
 
LopLionheadLady":2npjztd8 said:
Hi guys! I am planning on breeding my holland lop in the spring and I have a qq regarding. so my close friend has a mini lop buck and very similar cage setup to mine. I was wondering if it would be ok if I bring my doe to her house and breed them? let me know if this is ok and if it is how would I do it without my doe being stressed.

I actually brought the buck home and placed him in a separate cage for a couple of days then placed her in the cage with him. I did not want to stress her then place her in a cage after traveling under stress with a buck.
 
If there is no reason to worry too much about disease does will usually breed just as well after a short car ride as they would have at home in my experience. There's a reason they have to put a ban on people letting rabbits breed in the show room. If rabbits are ready they will usually breed and if they aren't they won't do it even at home. Maybe if it's excessively hot or a far trip that the drive would be more strain than sitting around in the cage (besides the new view and moving some) it would be better to leave one rabbit at the other location for a few days to a week before trying them together to let them settle in. If they do not seem stressed beyond their usual when handled though they can likely be bred immediately.

It's mainly avoided because of the risks of transmitting illness and also any argument over accidents or poor health that results in the other person's care. Most prefer to quarantine a rabbit for weeks to months, watch for signs of illness, and then use them to breed for the season even if they aren't keeping them long term. I bought a good buck from someone and then simply returned him a year and a half later without asking for the money back after all my does had litters rather than working out the details of "borrowing" him. :lol:
 
thank you so much! how do I know when they're done breeding? also, the drive to the buck is about 5 minutes. How long should I leave my doe in the bucks cage?
 
LopLionheadLady":3fix1kg1 said:
how do I know when they're done breeding?
Oh you'll know! :twisted:

Sorry, couldn't help myself. Generally, bucks will "fall off" when they've done the deed... go search "rabbit breeding fall off" on YouTube for some quality entertainment. :lol: <br /><br /> -- Sat Sep 01, 2018 1:13 pm -- <br /><br /> I should also mention that some folks (myself included) will let the buck have several fall offs to give the pair the best chance at having successfully mated.
 
LopLionheadLady":1c7aieix said:
thank you so much! how do I know when they're done breeding? also, the drive to the buck is about 5 minutes. How long should I leave my doe in the bucks cage?
When he mounts her, begins to breed her, then he shoves his hind quarters forward, and then falls over backward, the breeding is complete --you can leave her in the cage for a few more minutes to see if he wants to breed again- then carefully pick her up and take her home...
 
ok! is it really that simple? I thought bunny breeding was way harder! I will defiantly start to do more research. Also, what month do you think breeding would be best? My doe is 4 months right now and the male I'm going to borrow is about 8 weeks old.
 
LopLionheadLady":1sjcighw said:
ok! is it really that simple? I thought bunny breeding was way harder! I will defiantly start to do more research. Also, what month do you think breeding would be best? My doe is 4 months right now and the male I'm going to borrow is about 8 weeks old.
Like Dood said, you want them to be around 6 months old. At the very least I'd wait until late November or December to breed them. The buck being a little younger isn't as big of a deal, but you definitely want the doe to have time to mature. Even though rabbits can breed younger, it's tougher on their developing bodies and doesn't mean they should.
 
Usually the buck will make some sort of sound when the mating is successful. Frequently it's a grunt noise, but I have one buck who yodels. Very bizarre. Takes about three to fifteen seconds, then he yodels, falls over - while still yodeling, I might add - then lays there stunned for a few seconds. Then he gets up and stomps about the place explaining to everyone how studly he is. He's the silliest one.

Sometimes the buck will chase the female around for awhile, sometimes not. Sometimes he tries the wrong end, usually I'll push them off when they try that since they could end up getting their tender bits bit.

Always take the doe to the buck's space. Otherwise she may try to defend her territory and then there could be a fight. Trim everybunny's toenails before the big event, just in case.

A five minute car ride is sometimes suggested to get a doe into the mood, if she doesn't want to lift for the buck. There's only four days out of the month when she's not fertile, but that doesn't mean she's always going to mate with the buck. Sometimes she just doesn't like him. But, try again in a day or two and she may change her mind. Or let him chase her around a bit, that sometimes changes their mind, too.
 

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