Kits! Is this normal?

[Cosima]

In 8 to 9 days I will have baby rabbits! The buck has astrex fur and is half rex so I’m really excited. One of the does, chilli, looks like she’s going to pop and the other one, lady, doesn’t have big of a belly so I don’t expect to many babies from her. I’m so excited. Lady was not eating much of a few days a couple of days ago is this normal? Shes eating now so I’m not to worried. Kit pic coming soon!

 

[Rabbits by Accident]

How's it going?

 

[Cosima]

Not that good. I don’t think lady is pregnant and it’s day 34 for chilli and there’s no babies.

 

[hotzcatz]

34 days is kinda long for a pregnancy. Might be time to rebreed.

Has it been hot there? When it gets above 83 degrees Fahrenheit for very long, a buck won't be fertile for awhile. (83°F= 28.33333°C)

Other reasons a doe may not get pregnant are things like an overweight doe or a disease such as syphilis.

 

[Cosima]

I already rebreed lady with three falloffs and chilli had two falloffs but I still don’t think shes pregnant so she’s staying with the bucks. The temperature in my place goes from 27 to 28 but the rabbits I have are local rabbits called bligons so their used to this climate. I don’t think my does are overweight.

 

[Cosima]

I asked the breeder that I got the rabbits from and apparently I should only breed in the morning or evening and ten days after breeding I should put the doe back with the buck and if she doesn’t want to breed that means she’s pregnant and if she doesn’t that means she’s not pregnant. Also apparently his rabbits give birth at day 30. What do you think of this.

 

[Cosima]

a other question when I breed my rabbits the does lift but the buck doesn’t falloff. Is this a sign of something or is he just to far up?

 

[ladysown]

I asked the breeder that I got the rabbits from and apparently I should only breed in the morning or evening and ten days after breeding I should put the doe back with the buck and if she doesn’t want to breed that means she’s pregnant and if she doesn’t that means she’s not pregnant. Also apparently his rabbits give birth at day 30. What do you think of this.

please don't do that 10 day rebreeding thing. Some does will breed regardless or some bucks are very forceful. Learn to palpate or wait out the 31 days.

You can breed at ANY time of the day that works for you and them. I have some does that will ONLY breed in the evening, some only in the morning, and some prefer the afternoon. Some really don't care, if they are in the mood, they are in the mood.

Rabbits kindle normally right around day 31 but some herds kindle on day 30, and some herds day 32-33. It all depends on what the owner has picked for in their herd and how the genetics play out. Generally if does haven't kindled by day 35 they aren't going to, though some breeders wait until day 40 to rebreed just in case.

 

[Cosima]

please don't do that 10 day rebreeding thing. Some does will breed regardless or some bucks are very forceful. Learn to palpate or wait out the 31 days.

That’s what the breeder said and he has kits and healthy rabbits. If I would do it then I would put them with chess my gentle buck. I also want to said that the breeder has been raising rabbits for ten years or more and he doesn’t have a single sick rabbit.

 

[Robochelle]

That’s what the breeder said and he has kits and healthy rabbits. If I would do it then I would put them with chess my gentle buck. I also want to said that the breeder has been raising rabbits for ten years or more and he doesn’t have a single sick rabbit.

The trouble with rebreeding after a week, and before 2 weeks, is the possibility that you will have 2 sets of offspring: the doe has 2 horns in her uterus, and a week after successful breeding she may be fertile in the second horn.

If they're from a line that has been breeding that way for generations? Maybe it will be ok? The breeder I got my original buns from had a practice of breed until fall- off and rebreed 4 hours later. Everyone has different breeding practices, some are based on science and some on experience, and some on perceived patterns and confirmation bias. I suggest you find out everyone's practices and see what works best for you.

I now have different practices for different does, it seems to me that the does who want to breed work better with a once daily for a week (or until no longer interested) and those who don't want a roll in the hay do better if I'm able to house the pair in the same cage for a week. I am very hesitant to breed during that window from 1st week to 2nd week, since I know the preemie second litter is in my lines.

 

[MsTemeraire]

The trouble with rebreeding after a week, and before 2 weeks, is the possibility that you will have 2 sets of offspring: the doe has 2 horns in her uterus, and a week after successful breeding she may be fertile in the second horn.

All animals that give birth to litters (as opposed to single or twin babies) have two uterine horns. This is to allow enough internal surface area for multiple embryos to attach to the uterine wall.

Rabbits have separate cervixes for each horn which could allow for two litters to be carried simultaneously, however the young are usually divided between both horns, so to carry another litter one horn would need to be empty and the new litter would form in that one. Otherwise there would be young of different ages in both horns, and those would be expelled when the older litter is born. It is also possible that even if a younger litter is occupying one horn alone, the contractions from the birth of the older litter in the other horn would expel them.

 

[MsTemeraire]

To add - I've been doing some reading up on superfetation which is what it's called when an animal carries two litters at once. Only the European brown hare has been proven to do this. I did find a photograph on a published paper of embryos removed by c-section from a rabbit where superfetation had been induced - one embryo was clearly smaller than the others and underdeveloped, which kind of confirms what I thought, that a second litter would share the same horn and be born prematurely.

 

[Cosima]

I know. the reason I am considering the ten days rebreed thing is because I haven’t gotten a single kit in 6 months and i’ve been doing the breed wait and at day 35 rebreed so I can see that your method doesn’t work for my rabbits. The rabbits I have have been born from the ten days rebreed method and their parents might have been to.

 

[ladysown]

There could be all kinds of reasons to not get kits.

1. does are fat
2. buck infertile due to heat, genetics, etc.
3. not breeding when the does are receptive
4. Illness in buck and/or does
5. weather patterns

You need to figure that part out first.
and then start figuring out a method that works for you breeding-wise.

I guess what I was trying to say was that rebreeding at 10 days is not truly indicative if a doe is bred or not as some does will breed REGARDLESS if bred or not. And it means that you have a longer period that you need to wait to see if she took or not.

 

[Cosima]

some does will breed REGARDLESS if bred or not.

well the rabbits around here won’t breed if their bred.

 

[Cosima]

This is a useless argument.

 

[rockyhillrabbits]

Rabbits are rabbits all over the world. ladysown was just giving her advice and opinion, which you asked for. There's nobody arguing here. They are your rabbits, do with them what you want.

 

[ladysown]

well the rabbits around here won’t breed if their bred.

I"m not sure what you mean. Won't breed if their bred....

Do you mean
1. that once bred you get no kits
OR
2. that they simply won't lift when exposed to a buck?

If it's the former... you either have fat does or an infertile buck. OR old does that are infertile.

if it's the latter, you have a whole different kettle of fish and you need to figure out why the does aren't lifting.
1. are they fat?
2. are they old and no longer fertile
3. are they getting an appropriate diet?
4. is the weather and light factors what they need to want to breed?
5. Do you need to take them on a car ride down a bumpy road? (seriously, this has worked for more people than I can shake a stick at).
6. do they need some type of supplement to encourage breeding: such as apple cider vinegar in their water?

THOSE are the questions you need to answer before you start thinking about how to "test a breeding" .

 

[Cosima]

I"m not sure what you mean. Won't breed if their bred....

If my rabbits are pregnant then they won’t lift for the buck.

 

[Cosima]

. are they fat?
2. are they old and no longer fertile
3. are they getting an appropriate diet?
4. is the weather and light factors what they need to want to breed?
5. Do you need to take them on a car ride down a bumpy road? (seriously, this has worked for more people than I can shake a stick at).
6. do they need some type of supplement to encourage breeding: such as apple cider vinegar in their water?

1. I don’t think so.
2. All of them are a little over a year or younger.
3. I don’t feed them pellets but i feed them a lot of greens like the breeder I got them for.
4. I‘m really close to the equator so I don’t think light is a problem.
5. I don’t have a car or a road to drive on.
6. I don’t have apple cider vinegar. I could try to get some.