Darn it! -_- Back-to-back litters.

[Fireclaws bunnbutts]

*Sigh*. So, It appears as though poor Elvira is definitely pregnant again, she's got that tale-tell roundness to her belly when she lies down.


No one to blame...but my sisters kid :evil:

So about two days after my current litter were born (20 days old now) my sister brought her 6 year old son over to see the bunnies, no big dealio, we poked the babies for a bit and Elvira, the momma, was having her days out time, while Hoodie, the father was resigned to his cage for the day, obviously, because I alternate their out-days (so they *can't* get to one another lol)

Well, me, my sister and her kidlet left for the day, but they failed to tell me that my nephew had apparently unlatched Hoodies cage door, because when I got back that evening, whom did I find laying today in the corner of the room? But Hoodie and Elvira. :x

So, rather than call my sister up and give her the proper telling off, I decided, hey, the damage has probably already been done, and allowed the two star-crossed lovers (seriously, these two rabbits are obsessed with one another lol) to spend the rest of the evening together, before returning them to their lives of only visiting through the bars of their cage (I know that rabbits can breed through bars, but all they really do when one of the other is out and the other was in their cage is lay next to one another)

I was really hoping she wasn't pregnant, but it appears as though she is.

(PS the white stuff on the wall is stains from when I had a bird lol.)

Since she's only been nursing three babies, I'm hoping it won't take too much of a toll on her to have more so soon.


I'm still new at this and it's taken a while to get everything in order D= After this, she will get a nice, long break(at least a month) and hopefully, there will be no more back to back litters lol.

 

[EnglishSpot]

Ermagerd too cute!! I have a buck and doe that are positively fascinated with each other and they make the cutest babies!! Elvira should be good to go, you'll just have to wean the three older sibs a bit early.

Congrats!!

 

[MaggieJ]

Back to back litters are usually fine, as long as it isn't time after time. Over the long haul, a doe can get "nursed down" and need a break.

In our colony, the does seemed to control the frequency of breeding. We had one doe, Alice, who should have been names Ado Annie - she couldn't say no and occasionally we had to partition the colony for a while. The others were more restrained and maintained condition very well.

And with only three to nurse while she is pregnant, I'd be very surprised if Elvira doesn't manage just fine. She will probably wean the kits herself before the new ones arrive, but be on the watch if in doing so she gets a bit cross with them.

 

[Fireclaws bunnbutts]

I'm glad to hear that, now I don't have to worry so much lol. Rabbits are weird and I'm constantly being told different things, like when and how often to breed them, how long to breed them etc.

People have told me to breed does *often* like every other month, some have told me to wait two or three months between breedings, people have told me not to breed does over a year old, some have told me not to breed does over 4 years old :x

I did let her have a litter soon after her very first litter was born, because it was a disaster, 4 babies and only one lived, which died two weeks later, so I rebred her and she did fine and gave birth to 8 babies (which was the litter before this litter of three,originally 5) then bred her again when those babies were 6 weeks old, but of course, those babies had been weaned for about a week prior But it still may have been too soon even, but she did fine, so I dunno

I wish rabbits actually went into heat like a cat does or something, then things would be easier to figure out lol. I'm used to cats, which kinda just do their own thing in late winter and mice, which are in heat every three/five days lol. Rabbits are a totally new adventure for me.

 

[MaggieJ]

I'm glad to hear that, now I don't have to worry so much lol. Rabbits are weird and I'm constantly being told different things, like when and how often to breed them, how long to breed them etc.

People have told me to breed does *often* like every other month, some have told me to wait two or three months between breedings, people have told me not to breed does over a year old, some have told me not to breed does over 4 years old :x

People will tell you all different kinds of things about breeding frequency and they often have strong opinions about it, perhaps depending on what they were told when they first started with rabbits. I think constant back to back breedings could certainly wear a doe down over time, but in the wild, the European rabbits that domestics are descended from breed pretty often in the spring and summer and probably into the fall.

If the doe is in good condition, is able to feed frequent litters and is willing to breed, I see nothing wrong with letting her have frequent litters. One big plus is that she will likely not be troubled by the build-up of far in her body cavity. I have never force-bred does, figuring that is she is not willing there may be a good reason for it. I preferred to try again another day. This is one reason we ended up with a colony. The breeding is mostly left up to the rabbits, though naturally it is important to be vigilant about condition.

Other people do their breedings according to other needs and criteria and that is fine too. We each have to develop our own style of rabbit husbandry and it is a process that may take some experimenting. There seems to be a lot of leeway in what works.