Litteral litter mates?

[TeaTimeBunnies]

I'm still new at breeding rabbits, and I have had my first litter. The litter is a tiny two kit litter with one male and one female. My kits turn​ exactly 8 weeks old tomorrow. We are going to keep the male and sell the female to a family that wants her as a pet. Now a bit of (hopefully helpful) information before I get to my issue. I raise English Spots, which is a medium sized breed. Now to my issue, I planned on separating my kits tomorrow when we finish the male's hutch (just gotta add walls and a door). We were working on his hutch today when I caught him trying to mount his sister. I separated them immediately and he it temporarily in a medium sized dog carrier. I don't know how many times exactly he has tried to breed her, or if she even let him. Since there still so young should I be worried about her having woopsy babies, and her buyers ending up with more than they bargained for?

-- Sun Jun 11, 2017 3:44 pm --

I'm sorry I realize that my other post ACTUALLY went through when I thought​ they hadn't. Any admins please don't be mad. This was very unintentional

 

[MaggieJ]

No, I'm not mad, TTB, but in future please try to avoid this. If you stay where you are after submitting, it will show your entry as it is posted.
I can't do anything about the triple threads in the scrolling sidebar, but this will be the one people answer.

Now to your question . . . Are English Spots a fast-maturing breed? I've only had meat mutts, and I understand some breeds mature more quickly.

At eight weeks, I doubt the doe will conceive, but you should tell the prospective buyer what happened and make sure they are okay with the remote possibility of kits.

 

[TeaTimeBunnies]

Thanks MaggieJ. I will be sure to do my best to avoid accidental multi posting in the future. As far as I'm aware they aren't fast maturing, but I know that individuals can be throw a screwball into the mix. I already planned on telling the buyer, and I'm trying to get an idea of the possibility of a litter. I'm going to do my best to give them an idea of what they'd possibly have if she does have a litter though. To be honest I'm kina worried that they'd take the possibility too lightly as I have a very good breeding doe with very good breeding ancestry. This was my doe's second litter, and she wasn't in really good body conditioning when she was bred (I bought her breed), but she came from a litter of 8, her first litter was a litter of 8 that didn't make it because of a freeze, and her sister had her first litter which was a litter of 8 and they all lived very healthy ( I bought another doe from this litter). I'm worried that the buyers might not take me too seriously about the possibility of the litter, exactly how big it could be if she has one, and the wonderful maternal instinct that she carries. Oh, what to do :groooan:

 

[KimitsuKouseki]

Well I'm not sure about that breed but in general I think the chances of being mature before 3 months is low. I've seen plenty of young bunnies even around 5 weeks old start mounting each other, it's more a dominance thing then for mating at that age.

 

[TeaTimeBunnies]

Thank you KimitsuKouseki. Having more reassurance eases my nerves. I figure that since they are so young and his testees haven't descended, there would be little to no chance. I suppose I am just so nervous about it because this is my first time breeding rabbits and selling one. I have breed other animals before, but these are my first rabbits and I know how easy it is to get woopsy litters that you have no idea how they can about sometimes.

 

[KimitsuKouseki]

At any age rabbits will mount each other. Females on males, females on females, males on males. I even had 1 time when I saw 3 rabbits mount each other, as in 1 guy on a guy that was mounting another guy..... So I wouldn't worry at all if I was you. I even rented a 4 month old male once and he had no clue how to do his job and I never managed to get him to mate.

 

[shazza]

yep. this: http://babbits.tumblr.com/post/161430313411/teens is a common occurrence in my colony growout pen i find they don't really begin to be sexually viable before four or five months old, and even then i've never had a doe become receptive til 6 months. the bucks mature faster, i've noticed. i wouldn't worry about it too much.

 

[SarniaTricia]

:yeahthat:

 

[hotzcatz]

English Spots are a 5 to 8 pound rabbit aren't they? About the same size as the English Angoras raised over here. With English angoras, there is a zero chance of an eight week old kit being sexually mature enough to either engender or conceive a litter. Even double that age, it still wouldn't be mature enough more than likely. Non descended testes is another most likely no-go as well. So, no worries, she's not preggo.

For that size of rabbit, I'd not start worrying about this sort of thing until they are about four and a half to five months old and even then it would likely be too early. Being bred around five months old it is a very slight possibility that it will take. At five and a half months it becomes a 'maybe' and at six months a 'most likely'.

I'd not mention it to the buyer, either, since that would lessen your credibility as an experienced rabbit breeder.

As mentioned, one rabbit mounting another is a dominance thing not always a sexual thing. Sometimes it's a lay on the soft comfy other bunny thing.

So, no worries. No new baby bunnies.

 

[TeaTimeBunnies]

Yes they are a 5-8 pound breed. Thank you all for the input