Hi New here!

[lilly]

Hey there, I am new here and have two rabbits!
One is a 2 year old Polish doe, and the new baby is a 4 week old Netherland Dwarf.
her colors are quite odd and I was wondering if anyone can tell me if she is a purebred just by looking?/color.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

Welcome Lilly!

I am not familiar with ND's, but she is a very cute little bunny.

Most of us don't sell rabbits at less than 8 weeks because they are so easily stressed and can develop digestive problems- diarrhea, etc.

I would make sure she always has hay available to nibble on, and give her rolled oats. You can use old-fashioned oatmeal (the slow-cook kind). It is a gentle first food for her.

Good luck! She is precious!

 

[OnTheBrightside]

I don't know about her being purebred or not but from the picture she looks like a black charlie. (broken rabbit with less than 10% color).
Good luck, and take MamaSheepdog's advice, bunnies are very fragile at that age.
- Karlie

 

[lilly]

I thought she was a bit young as well, but I bought her to use for breeding eventually, she came with paperwork and images of her parents & their weights, so I do think she is full ND. I live in the city so the Polish rabbits & ND's are great breeds for me because I don't have a ton of space.

My Polish rabbit is too old to breed at almost 2, so I got this little one to start with.
I'm going to have my other doe spayed shortly.

I've already been giving her lots of hay and will definitely add the oats in!
I'm glad I found this forum! I am sure it's going to be a wealth of information.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

Unless Polish are fundamentally different from other breeds in their reproduction, she is not too old to be bred. She may not get pregnant because of excess fat in her abdominal cavity, but if she does take, she could deliver kits with no problems. Rabbits are notoriously sensitive to anesthesia, so I would be very hesitant to have such a little rabbit spayed, but others who have more experience may have different views.

It sounds like she is full ND, but having less than 10% color renders her unshowable. That doesn't mean she can't make a good brood doe though. Were both of her parents broken (white with colored markings)? If so, she could be a "charlie", and if bred to a solid rabbit, will produce all brokens. If she throws a solid colored kit, she is not genetically a "charlie". This site explains the topic in easily understood language: http://www.thenaturetrail.com/rabbit-ge ... lie-solid/

You might want to pick up a tube of probiotic paste at a feed store, just in case she develops diarrhea. If you can't find one specifically for rabbits, the goat formula is a good second choice.

 

[lilly]

Hey Mamasheep dog! thanks for being so welcoming and kind! it's refreshing to not be lambasted for wanting to breed (some of the dog forums I frequent come to mind)

I was told that at almost 2 my polish would not be able to breed because the pelvic bones fuse if they have never had a litter before, and that risk to me was not worth it because Daisy is a pet rabbit who mainly belongs to my kids, she likes to hop around the house and we let her because she is (for some reason) oddly not destructive and uses her litter box very well.

If it can be done, I would in fact consider it because she's got a great temperment.

As for the little doe, her mother was black and her father was identical to her, same markings pretty funny actually.
I'm not really looking to show, for now I want to breed for my own gains, to keep back what I like and anything I don't like I will be offering to pet homes which considering the breeds I fancy, and my location will not be hard to do.

I understand the ethics of dealing with pet homes but I know personally speaking when I am looking for a rabbit I would rather buy it from a private breeder than a petstore and where I live I had a hard time doing that! ND & Polish are compact breeds and well suited to city life in small spaces

I've owned many rabbits over the years, of varying breeds and I have to say I love these little guys.
is there anything else I can offer her for diarrhea? I don't live near a feed shop, I live right smack downtown in Montreal Canada! LOL is that paste available online?

 

[MamaSheepdog]

I was told that at almost 2 my polish would not be able to breed because the pelvic bones fuse if they have never had a litter before

You've been on the house rabbit forums, haven't you? :mrgreen: That is a fallacy- as animals age, their ligaments and uterus do lose elasticity, but two is still very young.

You can feed a lot of greens to combat diarrhea and other problems. Look in the Natural Feeding Forum. Here are a couple threads to get you started:

post73210.html

post72070.html

You can buy the probiotics online- the products made for livestock will probably be less expensive than the ones specifically for rabbits.

You'll find that RabbitTalk is very different from other forums, and you will learn a lot here.

 

[hoodat]

Hey Mamasheep dog! thanks for being so welcoming and kind! it's refreshing to not be lambasted for wanting to breed (some of the dog forums I frequent come to mind)

Welcome to the greatest rabbit board on the web. Unlike some of the uptight boards you'll find us very tolerant here. We love everything about rabbits from house bunnies to meat rabbits and everything in between. So long as the rabbits are well treated we're happy.

 

[LindseysWoolies]

My 1.5 year old rabbit is pregnant for the first time. So it can be done! I just hope my doe has a successful delivery i am worried about her.

 

[hoodat]

I've succesfully weaned them at 4 weeks in an emergency (mama with no milk and no does to foster them to.) So long as you're careful with their diet it can be done with no problems.

 

[Peach]

Welcome to Rabbit Talk! It's a wonderful forum!

and I second Mamma's advice. I've had does 2-2 1/2 give birth here (starting my herd from old show does/brood does that are just productive enough to get my herd put together). I've heard people being told about the fusing stuff....but I find it's not true. I agree about the fat over the ovaries.

For future reference, I avoid people that sell under 8 weeks I understand there are times you have to wean early,but I won't let it leave my rabbitry until 8-10 weeks old. I generally hold rabbits for 10 weeks anyway because I can tell a bit better if they are going to be keepers.

 

[LindseysWoolies]

Your baby is cute by the way and not a charlie if it has a solid parent. It could probably be shown depending on the judge some will allow a rabbit as long as it has eye rings colored ears and a small piece of mustache, I also see that your baby has a stripe on it's back.
I agree I plan on selling my angoras between 8-12 weeks. I will make my first cut at 8 weeks and then keep the rest a little longer. I did get 2 of my rabbits from a breeder who sold them at 6 weeks. I kind of regret it now because one isn't very good quality at all but she is a color I want to work with. The other turned out to be STUNNING.

 

[Bad Habit]

Welcome!! You'll find tons of help, and very little judgement here. I'm just learning myself, and everyone is so nice and helpful. You'll really enjoy it here, and learn so much!

 

[bucknercrestfarm]

Welcome we are not like dog horse or other breed people we dont try to play the erabbitpeoplexpert but everyone is really great very helpful i love rabbit people

 

[skysthelimit]

Welcome. I did get a doe to have a kit sucessfully at 3 years old, but only one kit . Each doe is an individual, so you don't know until you try. Given the opportunity, I'd do it again.

Be ever so careful with this new one. I took a 6 week old, breeder to breeder, treated him with kid gloves, and later lost him at 13 weeks. That I won't do again. Kid gloves on for several weeks.

 

[ZRabbits]

I've succesfully weaned them at 4 weeks in an emergency (mama with no milk and no does to foster them to.) So long as you're careful with their diet it can be done with no problems.

Have to agree with Hoodat. As long as you are really careful, bunnies will do well. I was lambasted for getting 6 week old bunnies, and yes, they are all still alive and kicking.

But if you show, most will keep their bunnies until 4 months because then they can really see who will stay and who must go.

Good luck with your bunnies.

BTW, new here too, Welcome, lots of info to be had here.

Karen

 

[Cindi Davis]

Welcome, This is a WONDERFUL GROUP :wbounce:
On breeding 2 yr old I have not had a problem with my does all but 1 is in the 2 - 3 yr old range. They have all had nice healthy litters this year