Housing In Pairs?

I currently breed for pets and have lionheads, netherland dwarfs, and tri color standard rex/flemish mix. I am thinking about housing my rabbits in breeding pairs full time. These would be in standard wire hanging cages and hutches though 2-3x the size of the cages they are currently living in. I don't have the ability to do an actual colony situation but like the idea of them living more social lives in larger cages. Currently have only a buck and doe of each breed/variety. Any advice?

Some people have done this, with varying degrees of success. How big would each hutch be? They need a lot more space so they don't get in each other's faces. Bucks can be very persistent about mating; does can be very territorial and vicious. It would be best to house them side by side for some time before putting them together. That way they can safely get acquainted and begin the bonding process. You will likely need to be able to insert a divider from time to time, to give the doe a rest from the constant pregnancies. Left together you can expect her to be bred by the buck immediately after she kindles, which gives the kits only four weeks before the next brood comes along.

I don't think the rabbits enjoy living situations like this. The buck harasses the doe so much she starts squealing and burying herself in the sides of the cage every time he or even you come near her. The does seem to get quite unhappy even with the more laid back less annoying bucks. I found if not separated at this point they start to show some mental imbalances eventually as well and you can create aggressive does that will start attacking anything that comes near them because their space has been invaded so much by the buck. Luckily they usually eventually recover from their ordeal with the buck after a few weeks or months of living alone or with only does.

Personally I find mother/daughter or sister pairs to be better and then just take them to the buck for breeding or if the cage is large enough and I know the does aren't aggressive I have taken the buck to them and left him with them for a few days before returning him to his cage. This is generally not an approved practice and advice online will always tell you to take the does to the buck but all of that is also based off a situation of individually caged rabbits in cages not big enough for multiple rabbits to have space making the does more territorial. Aside from a few more violent does which I've since culled I've had no problems dumping bucks in to doe's pens or cages instead of the other way around but I'm generally dealing with 8sq ft as a minimum cage size in those situations. Outside of the colonies the cage I most often use for multiple small does (usually mini rex in my case) living and having litters sometimes with a buck temporarily around is 3x6'. Even in that size space a doe and buck pair will start to display undesirable behaviors. The smallest space I've had does and bucks live together long term without negative consequences is an 8x8' building with several does. I will never again try long term opposite gender pairs in any size space or leave bucks with does for more than a week in a space smaller than my colonies. The does act far too stressed after a couple weeks. I do leave does and bucks caged in same gender pairs or groups quite frequently and just temporarily move around who I want to breed and then put them back with their same gender cagemate(s).

I don't have the ability to do an actual colony situation but like the idea of them living more social lives in larger cages. Currently have only a buck and doe of each breed/variety. Any advice? [Hayley]

Yes, I have some advise,
DON'T DO IT! You will be better off caging them in their own personal space/cage
and placing them together for the few minutes it takes to breed when they are ready
and all your soldiers are in a row. Your idea may sound very good and like a time/cage saver,
but it places the rabbits in what could easily turn into a bad/sad situation.
A situation wich could possibly lead to the death of one or both participants.
As always, what we do with our rabbits is our choice so you must take the steps
and make the choice/decision which you feel is best for your rabbits in your
situation. All the best with whatever choice you make.
Ottersatin ldtimer:

Do NOT do it-- I had finally found what I thought was a working buck/doe pair for a nice large cage a few years ago-- there was Never any sign of tension, etc--then, one day, while handling the buck, I found all manner of fresh cuts. I separated the animals-- but the buck spent a lot of time getting antibiotic injections for the resulting infections!! And yes-- some of those cuts, if any closer to centerline, would have effectively castrated the buck.

I agree, well matched sister or mother/daughter pairs can be gratifying, but even with a full-size colony most people opt to keep the buck separate. There are a lot of reasons for this and everyone's discussed them at length, I just wanted to echo my agreement.