First time breeding -- did I mess up?

[Frecs]

Hi ya'll,

I have Silver Fox Rabbits -- two does, two bucks. One buck/doe were born in Jan 2012 and the other buck/doe born in Feb 2012. So, I waited out the ridiculously hot summer before breeding them. I probably should have reviewed my sources before I bred them since was mine and their first times...but I didn't and now as I read the board, I'm wondering if I have messed up. :x

1. I didn't realize I should have checked the does for "readiness". Not sure if I'd not never read that before or if I read it and forgot it. I had it in my head that they are always "ready" once they are of age. If they weren't ready, did it hurt to breed them?
2. One of the does, Jumpp, when put in the buck's cage, ran around in circles for a minute or so before the buck cornered her, literally, and did the deed. I allowed them to mate twice before pulling her from cage. She whimpered. Is that normal or did he hurt her? He did not "fall over" after either time.
3. The other doe, Country Mile, did not resist the mating with her buck. He fell over. I did not hear her whimper.
4. I re-mated them 24 hours later. Jumpp was pretty much the same sequence and again she whimpered. He did sorta fall over that time. Oh, and he likes to pull her fur...I didn't see the other buck do that.

So, tell me, how bad did I mess up? :x

 

[OneAcreFarm]

So, tell me, how bad did I mess up? :x

Not at all!

1. I didn't realize I should have checked the does for "readiness". Not sure if I'd not never read that before or if I read it and forgot it. I had it in my head that they are always "ready" once they are of age. If they weren't ready, did it hurt to breed them?

Nope, vent color indicates "receptiveness" or whether the doe is likely to lift for the buck...some people call that "readiness" in relation to the first mating when the doe is young, like 16wks. You did fine, but it is a good practice to get into checking to see if the doe is likely to breed, and if not, don't waste your time.

2. One of the does, Jumpp, when put in the buck's cage, ran around in circles for a minute or so before the buck cornered her, literally, and did the deed. I allowed them to mate twice before pulling her from cage. She whimpered. Is that normal or did he hurt her? He did not "fall over" after either time.

A lot of them run in circles, sort of like "bunny foreplay" If he did not fall off, I would not consider her bred. Whimpering is normal too. I have one that grunts, squeaks and sneezes! Unless they were fighting, which is obvious from the rolling ball of flying bunny fur, they are fine.

3. The other doe, Country Mile, did not resist the mating with her buck. He fell over. I did not hear her whimper.

That is normal too, does can react differently. Some are hot to trot and some act like you are killing them.

4. I re-mated them 24 hours later. Jumpp was pretty much the same sequence and again she whimpered. He did sorta fall over that time. Oh, and he likes to pull her fur...I didn't see the other buck do that.

I don't normally wait more than about 8hrs to rebreed, if I rebreed. What I usually do is let the buck have 4 fall offs and call it good. The bucks will sometimes pull fur when they bite the doe on the back of the neck...not a problem unless he is actually biting and hurting her.

Relax! You did fine.....here's to healthy popples in a month's time! :beer2:

 

[MamaSheepdog]

So, tell me, how bad did I mess up? :x

Not bad at all. Well, half bad maybe. :mrgreen: You probably only have one pregnant doe.

If they weren't ready, did it hurt to breed them?

No- they just wont allow the buck to "do the deed".

2. One of the does, Jumpp, when put in the buck's cage, ran around in circles for a minute or so before the buck cornered her, literally, and did the deed. I allowed them to mate twice before pulling her from cage. She whimpered. Is that normal or did he hurt her? He did not "fall over" after either time.

If he didn't fall over, she probably didn't "lift" for him, so she didn't get bred. Some does are "grumbly", especially if they aren't "in the mood". He didn't hurt her in any way.

3. The other doe, Country Mile, did not resist the mating with her buck. He fell over. I did not hear her whimper.

Score! :hooray:

He did sorta fall over that time.

Possible score! You might want to try palpating her in nine days to see if you can feel any little "grapes".

Oh, and he likes to pull her fur...I didn't see the other buck do that.

That is normal behavior, but not all bucks do it.

It sounds like you will have at least one box full of popples in a month! Congrats!

(Darn you, OAF! You beat me again! :driving: )

 

[OneAcreFarm]

Darn you, OAF! You beat me again! :driving:

HA-HA-HA! :strongbad: :strongbad: :strongbad: :strongbad:

 

[Frecs]

Oh, I forgot something else I wanted to ask about --

Jumpp, the whimper that may or may not be bred -- the first day she was bred, her rump was damp afterward. Even the Buck sniffed at her damp fur. I don't recall it being damp the second day when they bred.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

Damp above the tail, or below it? He may have "misfired". :mrgreen:

 

[Frecs]

Damp above the tail, or below it? He may have "misfired". :mrgreen:

Above...figuring it was either a misfire or ???

 

[Lastfling]

And if all appears to have failed after about 35 or so days, try again! With the heat we had this summer I wonder if my bucks may be sterile and need a few trys with the cooler weather to get it back together again. I can't palpate worth a toot so am patiently waiting for a few more weeks to see what is to be or not.