Disinterested Buck - Tips??

[finneyme]

I am still new to raising/breeding rabbits, and I got my first trio a few weeks ago. They have been settled into their hutches and I made sure I observed them all for the first couple weeks for signs of illness or other health problems before attempting to breed them. My does are NZ/Satin cross and the buck is Californian. They were all born early to mid-May, which puts them at or just over 6 months old. I am in Maryland so the weather has been somewhat cold (so I know it ain't the heat that's the problem). I did read all the posts I could find about this issue, but some of those threads were pretty old, so I figured I'd better start a new one.

I attempted to breed a pair last week, I put one of the does in with the buck and he got pretty excited and started trying to mount her right away. She wasn't very willing though and ran him around in circles until he got worn out. After a while, I tried the other doe (just to see if she might give him less trouble, but she did the exact same thing. I have heard that "virgin" does can be problematic at first, so I was expecting this. But, I was pleased to see the buck trying at least. The second doe didn't do any better than the first, so I took her out and put her back in her own cage. I figured I'd try again tomorrow.

The next day, I put doe #1 back in with the buck and this time he sniffed at her and nuzzled a bit. Then he stuck his nose under her belly and laid down. He didn't move. At all. She eventually got tired of that and went to check out his water. So, he moved right back over to her and stuck his nose back under her belly and stayed put again. Okay... So, after about 15 minutes of reading a book (out of direct bunny's view - kind of off to the side so I can still see what was (NOT) going on, but enough away so they don't feel directly spied upon), I decided they weren't up to anything so I took her out and put doe #2 in - just for kicks. Same exact result.

I looked up buck breeding problems and some suggested to try again at another time of the day. I tried in the morning, early afternoon, late afternoon, and evening on various days with absolutely no change in the buck's behavior. The does don't seem to care one way or the other and go about their business, but the buck is totally disinterested in anything other than a nose warmer.

I don't think he is in any way overweight. He is large (he is a Californian) but he doesn't look chubby. I have given him a bit less feed for the past couple days though, and may see if that helps after a week or so.

I did read something about lighting needed for winter breeding, and with the daylight getting shorter I may set that up. Does anyone know if that actually helps?

If anyone has any other thoughts or suggestions I would love to hear from you. Even if it is to tell me I am doing something wrong. I am still learning, and I don't mind constructive criticism. Thanks all!

 

[shazza]

sometimes if a doe gives a young buck trouble he can get discouraged and not want to try again. or he just may be more interested in smelling her than anything. or he can tell she's not really in the mood. or he's just a little dumb. i've had two 'shy bucks' and i've found that giving them a more willing doe can help. some bucks will be intimidated by an aggressively horny doe that tries to mount them, some find it arousing and it gets them more interested faster. since all your rabbits are virgin though, you may just need to keep trying. you can check the does' vulva and if it's a dark red or purple it usually means she's more receptive, and try breeding on those days and hopefully he'll get the picture. the good news is at least in my experience, when a shy buck gets at least one doe bred, they realize that it's quite enjoyable and are more aggressive about breeding in the future.

you can also swap their cages for a day or two, so the doe is surrounded by the smell of the buck. this can make her more receptive. a little apple cider vinegar in the water for a week or so can also help them get in the mood too but giving them a health boost. setting them out in a tractor or expen on grass sometimes also works well; they seem to get frisky with extra space and scenery. as a last resort if the buck is trying to mount but the does refuse, you can hold her down and pull on her skin so her tail lifts up and kinda force the breeding. it feels a bit mean, but rather that than having to eat her 'cause she won't breed. every time i've had to do it, the doe has bred naturally every subsequent breeding.

 

[MeadowView]

i second everything shazza said, but had something to add. I had a LOT of trouble a while ago getting a young buck to breed, same scenario. For first time bucks I recommend table breeding to help them get the idea, so you’re in a little more control of the doe. Prevents her from giving him too much of the run around or turning aggressive.

Also, lighting really does work wonders - for your does. Bucks won’t care if you kept them in the dark all day, but it makes a huge difference getting does in the mood. A few days before a planned breeding my whole barn has the lights on 24 hrs a day. A few days of that and every doe wants to ‘get some’ lol.

 

[MaggieJ]

All the suggestions given are good ones. I'd just like to add that sometimes the problem is nutritional. Pelleted feed can lose certain vitamins during storage--particularly Vitamins A and E. It sometimes helps to give the rabbits a boost with some natural sources of foods containing these vitamins. Dark leafy greens (dandelion leaves, parsley etc.) for Vitamin A and such things as raw wheat germ or black oil sunflower seeds for Vitamin E. If your rabbits are not used to greens and supplements, go very easy at first so as not to give them digestive problems. Even small amounts can make a difference, IF and only if the problem is nutritional.

 

[michaels4gardens]

in addition to all the great tips above-- sometimes .. housing an unwilling buck, next to a buck who is breeding does,[so he can watch, and smell the breeding process], can get him on track...

 

[finneyme]

These are all great tips! Some I have read before but others are new to me so I will try a variety of things. Thanks very much for all the advice! :bow: I will update later on my progress.

 

[ladysown]

you have a virgin buck two bouncy does back to back. He had no success.

Don't give him any ladies for at least two weeks. Give him time to forget and just chill. Some young bucks you give them bouncy does and they have no success and they say "fitz to this". Give him time to recover and then try to find him a doe who is much more chill and who WANTS to breed without being pushy.

 

[finneyme]

Hmm interesting suggestion Lady. I will try this and keep him to himself for a while and maybe that will give him time to get his mojo back. Thank you very much!

I have been putting a small bit of apple cider vinegar into their water bottles for about a week now and I have switched them around in their cages to familiarize each other with the scents. I have only been putting them in together every few days to check their reactions to each other. And there is still no progress as far as notable interest in mating. They continue to sniff each other and the buck likes to "snuggle" with the does, but other than that there is no other activity between them.

Maybe as suggested they are just still young and haven't really gotten into that stage yet. I was thinking they were ready at first because of the buck's first meeting with the does where he attempted to mate (never actually getting positioned though) and chased them around the cages.

I have also been checking the does' vents and they are still quite light pink, and don't seem to change from day to day, week to week. Could the doe not being fully ready affect the male in that he won't even attempt to mate if she is not giving off the right "pheromones"? I always thought the buck would be pretty willing to go at it no matter what though.

 

[ladysown]

bucks can be pretty finicky, especially young ones. Patience is often needed with them.

 

[GBov]

bucks can be pretty finicky, especially young ones. Patience is often needed with them.

They really, really can be! To the point where when someone uses the phrase "Breed like rabbits!" you want to take a blunt object to them. :lol:

I just tried a thing to get my buck working as he is well old enough and certainly big enough but not experienced enough for two of my senior does and I wanted him breeding, not put off the entire idea by fiesty does but he wouldnt even TRY if I was anywhere near the cage and yet if I backed off the does would have a go at him.

One of those situations where damned if you do damned if you don't and either way, no baby bunnies. :evil:

One of my pens is 3 ft by 5 ft by 4 ft high. I did some rewiring to keep rabbits in (not adult turkeys which was the last thing in this cage, before that it was piglets) banked it with hay and put Monty and one of the senior does into it.

With that kind of space he could run from her, she could run from him and as the cage has rounded corners, no one could get backed into a corner. So they did lots of running and by the end of the day, one bred bunny and one hip hoppity happy buck.

Today he managed another one although it took him two full days and a freshly filled feeder to distract her.

And he has the last senior doe in with him now.

This wouldn't work with every bunny but it has worked well with these ones so you might give it a try. Even if you just give them a big playpen and play time together, instead of leaving them together as I have, it might get the job done.

Good luck with yours!