Things don't always go smoothly, "the first time."

Being a newbie, and thinking it might work anyway, I ignored everything I’ve read.
Our daytime temperatures are down about ten degrees from a month ago and I’m anxious to start producing meat.
I trimmed nails yesterday, and checked my 3 does. No one looked ready, but I put them one at a time, in with the bucks that I want to pair each of them with. (All buns range between 7 and 11 months.)

My nervous little Havana doe hid her head in the feeder and tucked under while Bink (avatar bunny) hammered away at her for five minutes. He was still clinging to her when I was finally able to get a hold of her to remove her. Back in her own cage, she hid her head in the corner until this morning. Bink is such an intense little bugger. :twisted:

The next try was funny, not brutal. The Silverfox doe that I want to mix with my Florida White buck outweighs him by two pounds. She just walked around the cage seemingly oblivious to him riding around, high up on her back, nowhere near the mark. He was totally out of breath when I finally removed her. :roll:

Lastly, I put the pair of Silverfoxes together… It was like watching a documentary about the mating dances birds do. They checked each other out... Then… just as I was saying, “I knew it! The Dude doesn’t have the energy for sex.” He got on… Then she twisted around and got on top. This went back and forth for about ten minutes. Sometime, he got on sideways or from the front. Then she’d end up on top again. (I understand the dominance thing, if it’s the same as with dogs. I have a female Beagle who will hump her daddy if she isn’t getting enough attention.) :?

Anyway, I seriously doubt anything happened. No one lifted, and no fell off. BUT… I will keep an eye on the date.
I'm trying to work with what I've got. I’ve been leaving the lights on until 9:00 or 10:00 PM. What do I do from here? Check the does every few days for readiness?

Mounting does are usually ready for breeding. Some just get over eager and pushy. I had a mini rex that if the buck didn't get down to it she'd mount him and then beat the crap out of him. You need a bolder or experienced buck for that kind of doe. Sometimes you can hold the doe still to give the buck a chance but some bucks won't mount then and some does won't lift then. Otherwise I just keep poking to doe off and see if the buck can take the opportunity. On the flip side for does that will hide and not lift you need a quieter buck to be successful. Being smaller than the doe helps. Sometimes to get more nervous mini rex does bred the first time I would use an extra tiny netherland dwarf buck who was extremely sweet.

I would check them every few days, and just be prepared for all of them to take. I figured that nothing would happen wth ours because we are in South TX and it's been sooooo hot. But I do have a new younger buck, just under a year old. Anyway I decided it wouldn't hurt them all to try, and I think now that I may have 4 pregnant does, all at once. We are in the pet market and 2 of them are housed together now, due to lack of space. I think I jumped the gun assuming not much, if anything, would happen. You sound ready for that tho, with your meat operation. Best of luck and keep us posted!

Keep trying. If you try a few times in a row, often the does will lift somewhere between there.

I'll just echo what others have said , keep trying. I have often put the doe in with the buck every day twice a day until they get the deed done ....

I don´t check color. If I want them bred I put a doe with a buck in the evening, next morning, next evening.. and so on. normally, if doe isn´t ready the first time it lasts about 2-3 days till she gets in the mood.

It does sometimes help to pull a doe out of the cage and give her a moment to just chill in an extra cage or carrier. Put them back in after about 10mins. Don't put the doe back in her own cage inbetween. I'm not sure why it works with some rabbits.

Thanks, all.
When I first started reading up on rabbits, I was surprised that there is so much to it.
By reputation, you'd think that all they had to do was look at each other and kits start popping out all over the place. :lol: :bunnyhop: :bunnyhop: :bunnyhop: