Is the Doe Bred, or Not?

[Graceful Meadows]

Okay, my sister has a doe that is 10 months old. We bred her a month ago and it didn't take (along with another doe bred to the same buck who didn't take). After reading here that the doe's vent needs to be a certain color, we watched and rebred her when we thought she was ready. But, my sister who is new at raising rabbits was watching the rabbits while they were breeding and she said that the buck grunted and fell off. We decided that we would rebreed her just to make sure that she took but when we did, first she attacked the buck, and then she was so scared she kept breathing heavily and running around his cage. We took her out and checked her vent and it was a very light pink. Is this normal after a successful breeding? Do we need to wait and breed her again?

 

[Dood]

If a doe is not receptive she will be more aggressive towards the buck, basically telling him to get lost as she is not in the mood and if they are confined and he cannot leave she will hunker down and growl at him to keep away.

the buck grunted and fell off

is the only way to tell if the mating was successful, you may see some ejaculate but not normally.

Rabbits are induced ovulators so can conceive any time but the does will be much more co-operative if their vulvas are purplish. A doe that is a pale pink will likely growl at a male.

There are several reasons why a successful mating doesnt result in kits but the most common is too much fat around the internal reproductive organs. The eggs cannot migrate properly into the Fallopian tubes and the sperm cannot travel up into them.

Stressful events can cause a doe to absorb or abort a litter and a doe that is too thin will also have difficulty getting pregnant.

Sterility in the male is also a possibility, has he father litters before? Temporary heat or cold sterility can make sperm non-viable but I would not expect these at this time of year - this is the prime rabbit breeding season

 

[Graceful Meadows]

Thanks! I am not sure though what my sister actually saw in terms of the buck grunting/falling off as her story keeps modifying. The day before when we bred her, she had a darker pink vent, but then today it was really light, does that mean she took? The buck we bred her with has produced two litters for us and more from the breeder who gave her to us, so he is fine. She is not really fat as far as silver fox rabbits go. Think I should rebreed her? :?

 

[Dood]

The day before when we bred her, she had a darker pink vent, but then today it was really light, does that mean she took?

No. You should try and re-breeding her.

A colour change from dark to light does not indicate she is pregnant. Doe fertility seems to peak every 16 days creating the purplish vent colour AND does can be receptive to bucks even though they are pregnant, right up until birth (and immediately after) so that is not a reliable indicator of pregnancy either

 

[akane]

If a doe is not receptive she will be more aggressive towards the buck

Explain that to this pain in the rear broken sable doe I have. She beat the crap out of my bucks while lifting her tail and wiggling her butt at them when they moved behind her. My poor smaller buck is missing a bunch of shoulder fur and has a cut in his head from the j feeder and she was fully ready to breed. My larger buck just lost some fur and managed to get her twice.

Most of my does that produce really well are still rather aggressive at breeding time. Not usually attacking like that doe though but mounting the buck and having them chase each other in circles a lot. My little ND buck would get smashed and shoved around by the mini rex does I bred him to when they were really in the mood for breeding. All my bucks have to work hard when the does are really eager. It seems when they aren't ready to breed they are mostly nonreactive. If put with a laid back buck they will often just groom each other and then ignore each other. With more energetic bucks they hop away and maybe thump in the process. Although I have a few who thump the whole time they are breeding.

With rabbits who have never bred successfully you never know what they'll do. I had a doe who was freaked out by being put in a buck's cage and even when she should have been receptive she ran away. One time she crammed herself under his j feeder and started screaming. Next day I put her with a smaller, less active buck and she was all over him. Apparently he wasn't as intimidating as the other buck. Even if they stand still for it maiden does sometimes will not lift so the buck can't get a good position for all the ejaculate to go inside. Inexperienced bucks will also miss their mark more often. Bucks that haven't been used in awhile may not have the best sperm and may require more breedings to get a doe pregnant.

 

[skysthelimit]

I put an aggressive doe in with an experienced buck, and she beat the snot out of him. He was not exactly the shy type, but he just couldn't get it done fast enough. Tried the next day and he wouldn't go near her. Put her in with an equally aggressive buck, and he gave her the business...