Stubborn Male

[Northern Prairies]

So I have a stubborn male that I'm not quite sure what to do about. He's 2 years old and my females are 9 months and 7 months. I've tried him with both and he is completely disinterested. He won't do a thing, and the females try to mount him, but he still doesnt catch on. I've tried the ACV, I've waited and tried again, and I've done basically everything else I have knowledge of. Does anyone have a solution? :bunnyhop:

 

[faiththequeen]

Oh no. What a turd. LOL! Is he overweight? Is it warm where you are right now? Have you checked his testicles? How long have you had him? He's never been bred before?

 

[Northern Prairies]

He is not overweight, no. Yes, he is warm. I've had him for a few months, And was told he was 2 years old. No, he has never bred before. His testicals......when I first got him, they were fine, but I have noticed them being grayish and a bit shriveled...does that mean something?

 

[faiththequeen]

He is not overweight, no. Yes, he is warm. I've had him for a few months, And was told he was 2 years old. No, he has never bred before. His testicals......when I first got him, they were fine, but I have noticed them being grayish and a bit shriveled...does that mean something?

Sometimes if it's pretty hot, my bucks don't want much to do with anything. Or maybe he's older than you were told? Hopefully someone with more experience may have some ideas GOOD LUCK!

 

[shazza]

i've had a 'shy buck' before and it really just ended up being patience that worked. it took him about an hour of being in the cage with the doe before he finally mounted her. you don't want to put a new buck in with an overly aggressive doe because it can kinda freak him out. push her off if she tries to mount him, etc. you may also try putting them in a pen on the ground...sometimes it helps gets does in the mood, so maybe it would help a buck too. hopefully just with time he'll figure out what's going on...my shy buck eventually figured out what he was supposed to do, but he was never very aggressive about it.

 

[MaggieJ]

What are you feeding your rabbits? Sometimes, with rabbits fed mainly pellets, prolonged or poor storage at the feed store can result in loss of Vitamins A and E -- both of which are important for both desire to mate and success. Dark leafy greens are good for Vitamin A, but introduce slowly if he's not used to fresh food. BOSS (black oil sunflower seeds) are good for Vitamin E. They are rich, so don't overdo it. Naturally, these additions will only help if the problem is nutritional in nature.

 

[Northern Prairies]

What are you feeding your rabbits? Sometimes, with rabbits fed mainly pellets, prolonged or poor storage at the feed store can result in loss of Vitamins A and E -- both of which are important for both desire to mate and success. Dark leafy greens are good for Vitamin A, but introduce slowly if he's not used to fresh food. BOSS (black oil sunflower seeds) are good for Vitamin E. They are rich, so don't overdo it. Naturally, these additions will only help if the problem is nutritional in nature.

I feed them both pellets, leafy greens, and alfalfa hay. As well as vitamin E once in a while.

 

[MaggieJ]

Well, that's not the problem then.

One weird "fix" is to serve the rabbit some tepid Celestial Seasoning's Red Raspberry Zinger tea. A surprising number of people have reported success using it with both reluctant does and bucks. It has been suggested that it is the hibiscus flowers in the tea that get them in the mood. If that is so, most herbal teas would work. No promises . . . but might be worth a shot.

Edited to add: It just occurred to me to mention checking the ingredients of any herbal tea, just to make sure it doesn't contain anything toxic to rabbits. Unlikely . . . but better safe than sorry.

 

[Dwc77]

Age shouldn't matter to much with buck rabbits I know of one buck that is at least six and he can still raise to the occasion. So if he is healthy he should be good to go! Maybe try another buck, let him watch maybe he will get jealous and figure things out. If not you have yourself a pet so you'll need to get a buck

 

[Northern Prairies]

Age shouldn't matter to much with buck rabbits I know of one buck that is at least six and he can still raise to the occasion. So if he is healthy he should be good to go! Maybe try another buck, let him watch maybe he will get jealous and figure things out. If not you have yourself a pet so you'll need to get a buck

I don't have another buck to try, or I would
Ya, I've been thinking I may just have to give up on him ever being a breedable buck.

 

[SarniaTricia]

What time of day are you trying to breed?
Early morning (as the sun is coming up) and later in the evening (as the sun is going down) are the best times (IMO)

My rabbits are always more "frisky" then....

Maybe try in a controlled space with lots of room? (eg. Horse stall) I have a buck that likes it when the doe runs for a bit... the small cage makes me dizzy, but he eventually gets the job done

 

[grumpy]

Your buck has been subjected to an overly aggressive or abusive doe early in his life.
He's not ''stubborn'' he's had his butt whipped and really doesn't care to have it done again.
More good bucks are ruined like this than most people realize. Don't blame him, blame the previous owner.
He'll likely always be this way from now till doomsday.
Best of luck..

 

[macksmom98]

I agree with most of these comments. If it’s really hot, mine aren’t all that interested. This sounds like a bigger problem tho, more along the lines of what Grumpy said. Because it’s been an ongoing problem and he’s never bred anyone. So for me, it points to that. My guys all respond well to ground breeding, because they are caged so much. So I put them in an excercise pen with the ladies and have never had a problem (other than one who was quick on the trigger and couldn’t hit the right spot)....maybe try that with yours....