Young couple advice Update: Finally a Litter!!!

[TeaTimeBunnies]

Ok so I'm looking for advice on how to convince a pair to breed for their first time. They just turned the right age (both just turned 6 months) and I've been attempting to breed then almost all day now. The Young buck seems to have an idea of what he needs to do, but the doe just won't let him. I attempted a morning breeding, and he caught her, but she wouldn't lift her rear for him. I did this about 3 times with 1-2 hour breaks in between attempts. For the fourth time I let them have a 1-2 hour break, and tried again, this time they ran until they were incredibly hot and gave up. I brought them inside so they could cool down and after another 1-2hour break in the AC I tried an indoor breeding in a pen I have. Both seemed clueless that time, but that could easily have been the new setting, so I put them back in the bucks cage and they ran a bit and gave up. Right now she is spending time in his hutch, and he in hers, in hopes that maybe spending time surrounded by the others scent they'd be more willing. Any suggestions for what else I could try?

 

[shazza]

first thing: patience. just because she's old enough doesn't mean she's physically or mentally ready. if she won't lift today, try on monday. if not monday, try next week. eventually she'll be ready and lift. check her vent too - if she's ready her vulva will be swollen and red/purple.

now, of ways to encourage her, you can try putting ACV in the water, which is kind of a step 1 sort of thing since it generally gives them a bit of a health boost, and healthy bunnies wanna make babies! i've also had good success with putting stubborn rabbits in a pen on the ground. the extra space and new environment usually gets them frisky...but sometimes they get distracted and wanna eat grass. sometimes making the pen smaller can help in that situation. you can also swap their cages for a night and try in the morning. sometimes smelling the buck all night can get her in the mood.

ultimately though it just sounds like she's not quite ready. some does are ready at 6 months, but i've had a couple that weren't. i've had bucks that had descended testicles that wanted nothing to do with a very willing doe one week but the next they were happily doing their job. they just weren't quite mature enough before to want to try it out.

 

[Belgian Hare]

Is it possible to put both of them to more experienced rabbits for their first time? Failing that you could always hold the doe and lift her rump for him, if you aren't comfortable with this then I believe some people have had success with giving apple cider vinegar although I've personally never used it so I can't say. Good luck with your bunnies and I hope you manage to get a successful breeding

 

[TeaTimeBunnies]

Just checked and her vent is swollen. I tried setting her up for him, but he lost interest every time, do I guess he wants the satisfaction of getting her himself? Sadly right now I can't put either with an older partner, but I think my buck inherited his sire's intuition. I decided to give it one more go before letting them stay in each other's hutches and trying again tomorrow morning. This round he's not chasing or trying to mount, but instead has creeped up to her and started nuzzling and grooming her. I saw his sire do this with a doe, and it seem to have caused her to be more cooperative with him. His breeder says that it is something his sire does with almost every doe she puts with him, so I'm going to let my buck "romance" her and then try again later in the evening. If she still isn't willing we will try again tomorrow

 

[Marinea]

Keep in mind that breeding now will lead to kindling in mid August when it is so very hot.

 

[TeaTimeBunnies]

I am aware of the heat. This litter (hopefully) and a litter that my Buck's mother should be having around the same time will be my first attempts at shelving kits. My next planned litters with be around December with two more young rabbits, but with that round I will be able to pair them with experienced rabbits. But as an update, both spent the night in each other's hutches, and it worked to get the doe in the mood. She was wagging her tail and running around him this morning, but he was being rather slow, and didn't get the message until she was too frustrated with him to keep trying. His romancing last night did give him a sneaky advantage. When he finally figured out what she wanted, she wasn't going to have it anymore. So he started grooming her head again and started slowly inching his way down her. He got to her hip before she realized what he was doing <br /><br /> -- Sun Jul 16, 2017 11:34 am -- <br /><br /> Well. It looks like I'll be putting this breeding off. I'm not sure how she got it, but I found a wound on my doe. Shouldn't take but a few weeks to heal, but I'll give her plenty of time to be extra sure she heals. I know my buck didn't wound her because I watched every encounter they had, so I'm scouring over the hutch to try and figure out what caused it, and take care of the problem so it doesn't happen again. Maybe in a few months I'll have better luck :lol:

 

[SixGun]

Well it was good luck then that you were working with her so closely to have noticed her injury. She'll heal quickly and you can try again with that buck.

 

[TeaTimeBunnies]

Now that I think about it, perhaps that wound is why she suddenly wasn't in the mood anymore. Well like I said, it Shou take a week or two tops to heal, but I'll give her at least 3 to make sure she gets an extra week after it heals to make sure she is at her best

 

[SarniaTricia]

Be sure to mark the date of the first time you put them together.... If they were trying and she wasn't lifting and he didn't have a fall off.... you still might get kits on day 31

I have had it happen!

 

[MeadowView]

I know you're waiting a while, but if they aren't cooperating again, try taking them on a short drive together. I know it sounds silly, but popping an inexperienced couple in neighboring transport carriers and taking them for a thirty minute drive around town has been enough to get mine in the mood before.

Way back when, when I had Mini Satins, we brought our doe over for a date with a friend's buck. They wouldn't breed, so she popped them both in a transport and left them in her (well lit, perfectly safe) supply closet for a couple hours and they were ready to go when we tried again. Sometimes all it takes is smelling each other.

 

[SarniaTricia]

MeadowView a lot of show people say to breed as soon as you get home from a show as the does are the most receptive ..... I believe it and have tried it... so going for a car ride makes sense to me.

 

[TeaTimeBunnies]

Be sure to mark the date of the first time you put them together.... If they were trying and she wasn't lifting and he didn't have a fall off.... you still might get kits on day 31

I have had it happen!

I already have it down in my records, and I'm going to palpate when the wound is healed, or at least mostly, so that it's not so tender when I try palpating.

Updated, I still haven't got a picture. My fault on that, it just slips my mind every time. The cut in the muscle is gone and the hole is about half it's size now. It apparently is still quite painful to touch though, I need help holding her each time I go to put ointment on it, but it's scabbing well and I'm expecting the skin to scab itself together by Monday. I'll probably try palpating her next Thursday or something to see if she did still end up pregnant <br /><br /> -- Mon Oct 30, 2017 9:20 pm -- <br /><br /> So after many failed attempts and a single miscarriage I finally got a litter of 6 today!!! One didn't make so far already, but it's organs we're all under developed, but there are still 5 other popples in the nest!!! No pictures yet though. I'll get some tomorrow

 

[Dood]

:congratulations:

 

[TeaTimeBunnies]

They are about 2 days old now!! I wanted to get pictures yesterday, but it was just so darn cold