PLEASE NOTE:  

Breeding is definitely not an activity to be entered into lightly and without assessing whether you have the knowledge, dedication and time-commitment required to care for both mum and her young family.  

We do not support casual breeding 'for fun'.

If you are considering breeding, please read through the following which gives a realistic account of what's involved:

The unconsidered view of breeding rabbits is that they ........... "breed like rabbits" but we strongly suspect that whoever coined this phrase did so in utter ignorance and had probably never bred a rabbit in his/her life.

To give an honest assessment, you need to be a little bit mad to consider breeding rabbits.

Before even considering breeding you must consider:

What are your objectives for breeding?

Now for the reality.......

Firstly, the time commitment required can greatly exceed your expectations.  

Litters are often born at night and, once mum starts to show signs of labour (ie nesting behaviour and contractions) then this is merely an early sign that you should prepare for a long day, night or both.  You might also need to book a day off work if this takes place on a weekday - so be prepared for some ridicule from your non-bunny orientated work colleagues!

So, if the mum-to-be is housed outdoors, then use the the time available to sort through your waterproofs and thermals, fill a few flasks and ensure your torch batteries are fresh and that you have a spare set.  It can be a good idea to find a comfy chair, fill a hot water bottle (for yourself in frosty weather) and a good book can be handy until the action starts.

Once the litter has arrived, the babies will need to be checked over.  However, this is not before firstly checking mum has 

1. Made a nest

2. Delivered her litter into it

If there is no nest or the litter have been born outside it then you'll need to make a nest yourself from the bedding materials, line it with fluff, pop the babies in and then cover it over with mum's fluff.   If she hasn't pulled any, then use fluff from earlier moults and grooming sessions.

If the babies have chilled, which is highly likely when they're born outside a nest, then they might need to be revived with vigorous rubbing and blowing into their tiny mouths.  A clammy hand is good for starting off the warming-up process but a warm airing cupboard with the immersion on is more effective for warming up both the babies and their bedding.  Once they're warmed through, they can be returned to their mother.

Although  you've saved them from almost inevitable death through chilling, there is now the risk of the mother rejecting them.  If this happens, she could attack them, eat them or simply neglect and fail to feed them.  In the case of the former then they should be removed and hand-reared (via feeds 3-4 hourly, day and night) which, itself takes about 20-25 minutes per bunny.  Do the calculations and, on average, hand-rearing will consume at least one hour in every 4-hour period.  If they're simply neglected then you can still try to encourage her interest in them.  However, it's still probable that you will need to either hand-rear them or feed them from her, despite her almost inevitable protests.  This must continue for 4-5 weeks.  In the earlier stages of hand-rearing then some bathing after feeds may be required which eats further into your own time.

Alternatively, if all has gone well and the litter have been born into a nest, you will still need to check the nest regularly during the day and night.  Normally, the best times to check are early morning - 6-7am following their breakfast feed, late afternoon (if mum is house with them and, of course, she should be out of her hutch/cage and exercising during the daytime), early evening and, most importantly, between 2.30-3.30am.   A night of unbroken sleep becomes a thing of the past and you'll soon find you're averaging about 3-4 hours per night as you'll realise it's hardly worth going to bed at, say, midnight when you know you're going to have to get up again at 2am to pace around your garden for up to 90 minutes until mum chooses to feed her family again.

There is no such thing as a 'day off'.  It's not possible to take a day off - your rabbits are your full-time responsibility.  While your neighbours are tucking into their Christmas dinner, you'll be out in the garden with your shovels, binsacks and disinfectant - plus, of course, your 'Santa' hat.   Should you wish to take a holiday, then you will need to find an experienced bunny-keeper who has the time to also tend your furry family in addition to his/her own.

The expense of raising a young litter must be considered.   Nursing mums are constantly thirsty so must always have 2 water bottles (just incase one should jam) available and these will need regular re-filling.   Nursing mums are very hungry - as are growing litters and it's surprising just how much feed and hay they consume.  

In line with their huge appetites, the number of droppings increases markedly too.  Hutches and litter trays will each need to be thoroughly cleaned twice daily - before you go to work after your 4 hours of broken sleep and then again when you return.  Youngsters don't tend to become litter-trained until they're about 5 weeks old hence bedding which might normally last 3-4 days in a hutch with a litter-trained mum, will become soiled and need replacing.

The highest standards of hygiene must be adopted.  Youngsters can have quite immature immune systems so litter trays, bedding, feed bowls etc must be spotless.  If youngsters urinate or defecate  in their feed bowls then the feed must be discarded and replaced to prevent infection.  It will probably be necessary to have someone check for this if you're out at work during the daytime.

The additional 'dung' will need to be hygienically disposed of - and on a regular basis.  When breeding, you can expect to have approximately 3 times as many sacks as usual.

Should a baby become ill then s/he will require intensive nursing and probable syringe-feeding.  This can be highly time-consuming and, again, if you work full-time, you'll need to arrange for this to be undertaken while you're away - or book more time off work.

At weaning time, you need to remove the mother so that the youngsters can be observed.  For this you will need to have a number of spare hutches - ie for the mother, an 'isolation hutch' away from the others incase any bunny should become ill plus individual hutches for any males who are not sold.

Once the litter is weaned and you plan to sell or give them away, remember that you might need a Licence to do so.   This will require you to comply with Fire Regulations, maintain daily records relating to your bunnies and could have Planning and Business Rates implications.   These are not related to your being a profit-orientated business - even if you make no profits at all or give your babies away free of charge, then the legislation could still apply to you.

And, on the subject of profits, unless you charge hundreds of pounds for each bunny sold, then you are not going to even 'break-even' and certainly won't make a profit.  Unless you're working on developing a new breed or have produced the ultimate stud, you're not going to achieve high prices for your bunnies.  Most rabbits sell for very low prices in comparison with other pet animals such as dogs.   At best, you may raise a few pounds to put into the rabbits' kitty to help contribute towards your next few bags of feed.  

You need also consider the expenses involved in actually selling any surplus offspring from a litter and the time this involves in advertising, taking the babies to shows, inviting people to your home to show them to prospective purchasers.  Then, following the sale, a responsible breeder will gladly offer after- sales advice, help and support for the life of the rabbit.  This can be extremely time-consuming.

So, in summary, breeding means you have to be prepared for 

However, breeding does offer immense rewards:

The rewards are purely intrinsic and achieving these involves a huge amount of time, dedication and experience.  Breeders can be considered to be more than 'slightly mad' to spend hours outdoors in appalling weather while the rest  of the country is comfortably tucked up in a cosy bed enjoying 7-8 hours of unbroken sleep.  Yes, caring and responsible breeders are total loonies!  (But many are proud of this and their dedication to their pets who always come first in their list of priorities!)

Unless you have the time, knowledge and dedication required, then breeding is most certainly not for you.

If it is - then read on.....

However, this page deliberately gives only a very brief outline since anyone who is seriously considering breeding should already have the knowledge required in order for breeding to be undertaken responsibly. 

It is surprisingly time-consuming to care for and monitor young babies and their mother, feeding throughout the day is required together with regular handling of the babies to ensure they are used to human contact.   

Young are born bald and are very susceptible to chilling until their nest coat grows - so it is essential to check the nest regularly to ensure there are no strays.

Be prepared for many sleepless nights until the young have developed their fur coats!

Occasionally, it is necessary to hand-rear a litter which can take 2.5 hours - every 4 hours DAY AND NIGHT for up to 4-5 weeks.  However, it can be extremely rewarding to watch a litter progress and develop and then move to a new home with new owners who keep you informed of their progress throughout their bunny's life.

Rabbits can be sexually mature at just 10-12 weeks so it is important to ensure the sexes are separated to avoid unplanned breeding.  Females do not have an obvious regular cycle although eggs ripen in cycles and examining their vulva can indicate the doe's current fertility status.  Generally, if they are in good health, they can mate at virtually any time and achieve a conception rate of around 85%. 

If mating should be desired, the female (doe) should be introduced to the male (buck) on his territory to prevent fighting. The male will chase the female, run in circles around her, possibly spray her with a jet of urine (lucky girl!) and then mount her. Sometimes mating is more instant with the male mounting the female within a few seconds of introduction, if not immediately in an especially keen buck!  The male will then grunt and fall onto his back or side then stamp in satisfaction while the female will usually sit still, probably looking a little stunned by it all. 

Mating triggers ovulation and she will soon come into 'season'. Approximately 31 days later, if all goes well, the  female will build a nest in her hay/straw bedding, plucking fur from her belly to line it and deliver 1-10 offspring.   Delivery takes around 15-20 minutes and they will feed their newborn immediately after washing them - gently nosing them towards her 8 teats.  Any stillborns are usually delivered outside the nest  and should be removed later in the day when both mum and her new family are settled.  

It is advisable to check the nest once the mother has delivered her litter and fed them.  Often, they might have been left uncovered in which case their breeder should assist in keeping them warm.  It takes only a few minutes for them to become chilled and die.

The proud (or smug!) father MUST ALWAYS BE SEPARATED from the mother to prevent mating immediately after birth or before the newborn are even weaned.   Although such intensive breeding may occur in the wild, this is not recommended since it would lead to premature weaning of the earlier litter and be extremely draining on the mother leading to potential health problems.

Baby rabbits are usually fed 2-6 times daily - especially early morning and late night while some will follow their mother  around trying to feed throughout the day and appearing to constantly crave milk.  The mother will stand over her young on stretched legs and the young will suckle lying on their backs, kicking with their rear legs.   Whilst feeding, the mother will lick their genitals to stimulate elimination.  After about 5 minutes, she will leave the nest, clean her teats and, hopefully, cover the nest again if the young have not yet grown their coats.  If not, then cover it yourself to keep the babies warm and check they are all still in the nest and plump.  

Any which have not fed must be fed by their breeder - hold the mother on her back and hold the baby to her nipples and s/he should suckle greedily.  Just-fed young babies will have large abdomens clearly full of milk.  When hungry, they can often be heard 'crying' for their mother.

The young are born blind, deaf and without fur - barely resembling rabbits at all.  However, rabbit milk is very rich and over the next two weeks they will grow rapidly in size, grow a fur coat, open their eyes and gradually start to explore the nest from about 18 days old.  Whilst suckling, it is important to give the mother as much quality food as she will eat and an ample supply of clean, fresh water as lactating does are very thirsty. 

The young are weaned at approximately 6-8 weeks, occasionally sooner or, sometimes, longer.  The larger bunnies can be removed from their mother earlier, allowing their smaller siblings to have a greater share of milk/food and catch up with their bigger brothers and sisters.  

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