Unsuccessful Breeding - Need Help

[4dyami]

Hi,

I started with two breeding pairs of New Zealands last Spring. I haven't had a successful breeding yet. Here's the situation:

Doe 1 - fights - she bites, kicks and scrathces. Meanwhile, her tail is up and she rubs and scents on the bucks feeder. She recently tore open the scrotum of our senior buck.

Senior Buck - this guy is a grandpa to many rabbits and we bought him this summer when our breeder accidentally sold the junior buck that we were on our way to pick up. This is the poor guy whose scrotum was ripped open. It healed well. However, now when I bring either doe into his cage he tenses up and closes his eyes. He's completely uninterested in breeding. I've tried to hold the female for him for a forced mating but he's uninterested.

Doe 2 - Is a very nice gal. However she has never lifted her tail. She plasters her vulva to the bottom of the cage when a male tries to mount her.

Junior buck - Since senior buck is traumatized from the fight I've been trying to breed him with the fighter. However, now even when he gets a chance to mount, he doesn't seem to remember that he's supposed to do anything except fight. I've even tried forced mating the two of them and he just wants to bite her when she's restrained.

So far I've tried forced matings, switching the male and female's cages and nothing seems to work. I'm thinking about culling them all and starting fresh in the Spring. This is my last hope prior to calling the breeder and asking if they want any of them back or culling them - which I don't really want to do with my first breeding stock!

Thank you!
Dyami

 

[Bramble Hedge]

Hmm are you s sure she is a doe? I know that sounds stupid but it does happen I had the most lovely butterfly chocolate mini doe I bought from a well respected long time breeder and had the exact same situation you are having took twelve months of perseverance until one day flipped her upside down and yep there were a pair of testicles under their. oops. Failing that I would cull the doe she isn't worth the effort.

 

[MaggieJ]

I agree with Bramble Hedge. Make absolutely sure your aggressive doe is a doe and not a buck. If she is definitely a doe, she's not worth the effort and I have an excellent recipe for rabbit pie that is good for using mature rabbit meat.

It is not surprising that the senior buck is not interested in mating after such an experience. He may get over it in time or he may not. Rabbits have long memories!

Your junior buck may be fighting the aggressive doe because of past experience or because the doe is really a buck. You won't know until you establish the sex of the aggressive doe for certain. How does he behave with the other doe?

Your uncooperative doe may get over it. Have you checked the colour of her vulva before trying her with a buck? If it is whitish to pale pink, don't waste your time. Chances are better if it is bright pink to reddish and best of all if it is dark red to purplish.

Sometimes rabbits do not want to breed due to vitamin deficiencies. Pelleted feed is "complete" when it leaves the factory but excessive heat or prolonged storage can result in losses of Vitamin A and Vitamin E - both essential for rabbits to breed well. This may not be the problem, but supplementing their diet with some BOSS (black oil sunflower seeds) for Vitamin E and some dark leafy greens like parsley or dandelion leaves for Vitamin A may help. If your rabbits are not used to anything but pellets you will need to go slowly and work the amounts up to a tablespoon of BOSS and a nice little handful of greens. Continue then for a couple of weeks. Obviously this will only help if vitamin deficiency is the problem.