new rabbits and several questions

[RubyRed]

So, for more than a year I've been planning to start breeding. Last September I was about to get a doe multiple times, but I ended up not getting one and for this whole time I haven't been able to start breeding as I've been very busy with a big project and some other stuff. Recently I was able to start considering actually getting a doe and starting to breed again, but I was thinking I was going to take it slow. Yesterday however we saw a pregnant holland lop listed on craigslist and we decided to get her! So today we drove 2 hours down to Virginia, planning to pick up that one little doe... but we ended up with another one of the breeder's holland lop does as well. (The breeder was sick unfortunately and unable to care for his rabbits. he was trying to give them all away.) The pregnant doe is due march 8-12 and she has been bred before. (she had 8 babies!)

I have a problem though- I will be going out of town for one week when the baby bunnies are 4 weeks old. I can get my neighbor to come in and check on them 2 or 3 times throughout the week and give the food and water, but is that enough? Is that okay?

Also, I was planning on breeding the 2nd doe (also proven) to my buck sometime soon. I have 2 questions for that- first, my buck is nearly a year old and hasn't been bred before. Will he be okay breeding? And second, if I breed the doe now, when I go out of town for a week her kits will only be 2 weeks old. Is that a problem? Should I wait to breed her until I return from the trip?

Thanks!
(expect more questions and updates

 

[ladysown]

I"d advise waiting to breed so she'd be due after you returned home.

With kits four weeks old you probably want someone checking on them daily rather than a nebulous 2 or 3 times per week. At that age they start eating fairly well and it's hard to predict food requirements. You also don't want to risk them running out of water.

 

[RubyRed]

Okay I will do that. My neighbor lives right next door so that shouldn't be a problem, and I will have a camera set up so I can keep an eye on them.