A female rabbit is fertile for all but about 3 days per month, but will only produce an egg for insemination when mated by a male rabbit in sexual intercourse.
Once impregnated, a mother rabbit is expectant for about 32 days and, on average, will have a litter of about six or so young; although it is possibly for a litter to top fourteen babies. After birth, the mother rabbit can become impregnated again almost immediately. This means that, in theory, a female could have a litter every month of the year.
Bunnies who have been spayed or neutered:. Shelters accept and often euthanize many surrendered pet rabbits every year, and others are abandoned outdoors to attempt survival in an environment they are not prepared for. Spaying or neutering rabbits is something that should be done by an experienced rabbit veterinarian.
Luckily, Pets in Stitches has an exceptional amount of experience in spaying and neutering rabbits. We recommend spaying or neutering your rabbit between 4 and 6 months of age, when sexual maturity is achieved. Under general anesthesia, the uterus and ovaries in the female, or the testicles in the male, are removed. The baby rabbits will try to suckle the mother. If the number of litter is eight, all may be able to suckle since doe has eight teats.
The baby rabbits those will be unable to suckle may turn weak and susceptible to diseases. Many of them may even die prematurely. The does should not be disturbed during this time and be fed ad lilbitum. Adequate food and water should be provided so that optimum amount of milk is available to the baby rabbits. Rabbit used to nurse her young usually at night or early morning only for once. They are born naked.
But at about 7 days, there is growth of hair and vitality of them. The eyes used to open after 10 days. The baby rabbits can lead their lives without mothers' milk at about 21 days of age.
The young should be removed from their mother not before 4th week. The doe should be removed from the cage. Foods like concentrates and grasses should be provided. The baby rabbits can chew and eat after 3 weeks of age. The does can be rebred provided the physical conditions of them are satisfactory in nature after one week of kindling. The baby rabbit has to be placed on the hand and by the pressure of thumb and forefinger the sex organ is to be pushed on either side. In case of buck the penis will come out as a protruded mass having rounded tip.
But, a slit will be located in case of Doe. Livestock :: Rabbit :: Breeding of Rabbit Home Selection of Breeding Stock The selection of breeding buck and doe is very much important aspect of breeding since good progeny is expected from good buck and doe. A female rabbit appears to have no definite oestrus cycle although a certain rhythm exists in their sexual receptivity. Cycle lasts for about 12 days of which 4 are infertile.
At the end of this period she may pull hair from her body and attempt to make nest and shows development of uterus and mammary gland. The palpation technique is the most reliable method if done by an experienced person.
Palpation technique A completely relaxed doe should be placed on a table which has been covered in sacking to prevent her from slipping. The doe should be restrained by gently holding the fold of skin behind ears and over the shoulders. The left hand is placed under the body between the hind legs and in front of the pelvis. The uterine horns are felt gently using fingers and thumb. The thumb is placed to right of horns. Embryos can be located and felt like small marble shaped bodies slipping backwards between thumb and fingers when moved gently in a sideways direction.
An experienced person can deter-mine pregnancy by 8th to 10th day of mating using this technique. During last week of pregnancy a nest box lined with wood shaving or hay or coir fibre should be placed inside the cage. Litter size kits Weaning weeks Kindling interval 2 months it may be as short as one month if bred immediately following kindling. Livestock :: Rabbit :: Breeding of Rabbit. Age at which first bred. Characteristics of reproduction. Signs of heat. Congested, purple and moist vulva, restlessness, rubbing the chin on the sides of the cage, lying in mating posture and lifting the tail.
Mating behaviour. Figure 3. The doe interweaves plucked hairs with hay and straw to create her nest. Kindling usually occurs during the early morning hours and normally takes about 30 minutes Vella The kit is born hairless, with sealed eyelids and ear canals. Anogenital stimulation is required for elimination of feces and urine Table 1 Bays Despite their relatively helpless state, the young are not brooded by the mother Bautista , Bays Brown fat levels are highest during the first 2 weeks of life.
Until fur begins to grow in at Day 10, kits also depend heavily on the warmth and insulation provided by littermates Bautista , Bays , Hull Central litter positions are associated with higher body temperature, higher milk intake, heavier body weights, and faster growth rates Bautista , however behavioral differences have also been identified based on litter position during the first week of life.
Kits rely heavily on their sense of smell at birth. Does also scent mark their kits, and females will pursue and even kill kits from other colonies. Rabbits usually possess eight mammary glands that extend over their thoracic and inguinal region. Only the doe has nipples. Physiologically, lactation is a very demanding time for the doe.
The free-ranging doe then carefully covers the nest burrow with soil each time she leaves Bays The neonatal rabbit stomach has a pH of approximately 5.
A stomach at this pH, full of milk curd, would normally make an ideal substrate for bacterial overgrowth. Kits begin to leave the nest and eat solid food at approximately Day Weaning is generally achieved by Day The doe is usually removed during the weaning process so the young can remain in a familiar enclosure. Kits begin to eat cecotrophs passed by the doe at approximately 2 weeks of age. By the time the protective effect of milk oil ends at 4 to 6 weeks, the gut has not been completely colonized by healthy microbes and stomach pH has not reached a mature adult level of 1 to 2.
Until sexually mature, wild rabbits live furtively and often alone. Body weight is more important than age in determining sexual maturity. The juvenile rabbit reaches puberty just after it undergoes a maximal rate of growth; therefore the age of onset for sexual maturity varies with the rabbit breed. Small breed rabbits typically develop faster and become sexually mature at an earlier age Table 3.
Does generally reach puberty before bucks Vella Optimal sperm production occurs 40 to 70 days after puberty is reached Vella Male rabbits should be housed separated from females by at least 16 weeks of age to avoid unplanned pregnancies. Negative sexual behaviors, such as territoriality and aggression, are most intense at the height of adolescence. Observed behaviors can include chinning , circling, honking or oinking, and mounting and humping. During puberty, both males and females that were previously litter trained may also urinate and defecate outside of the box to mark their territory Bays Nesting behavior, such as frantic digging and chewing, is also commonly observed in does Bays , Bays Visit Behavior Basics: The European Rabbit for additional details on sexual behavior in the pubescent rabbit.
Fortunately neutering improves the pet quality of house rabbits, and responsible rabbit owners elect to have their pets spayed or neutered. Viable sperm can persist post-castration, so it is prudent to keep the buck separate from the doe for 4 to 6 weeks to be safe.
Uterine adenocarcinoma is the most common neoplasia of the domestic rabbit Varga , Klaphake , Vinci , Walter Age is considered the most important risk factor for this slowly developing tumor, and the incidence of disease is highest in middle aged to older rabbits Klaphake , Saito Early clinical signs of uterine adenocarcinoma can include subtle, non-specific signs of illness such as anorexia, and loss of body condition.
Infertility, vaginal discharge, and hematuria can also be observed Fig 4. Pale mucous membranes will develop with persistent or heavy hemorrhage Varga , Walter As disease advances, additional findings can include gastrointestinal stasis , swollen, painful mammary glands, and abdominal swelling. Multiple masses may be palpable cranial to the urinary bladder on physical exam. Does are sometimes presented for dyspnea secondary to pulmonary metastases or excessive uterine enlargement Varga Figure 4.
Hemometra due to adenocarcinoma in a doe. Note the duplex uterus.
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