Mating rabbits: when and how

When to mate rabbits? It’s not for nothing that the expression “breed like rabbits” exists. Indeed, healthy rabbits are fertile from a relatively early age and are easy to breed. Baby rabbits grow quickly, however, to ensure the HEALTH of your animals, it is wise to wait until they reach full reproductive maturity before breeding. 

To understand when rabbits are ready to mate, there are four main weight classes: small, medium, large and giant breeds. The age at which a rabbit is ready to breed depends largely on the maximum weight it should reach as an adult. Small breeds tend to mature faster than large breeds. The general rule for the optimal age to start breeding is as follows.

Small breeds (maximum up to 2.7 kg) - 4.5 months. Medium and large breeds (maximum 2.7 - 5 kg) - 6 months. Giant breeds (over 5 kg) - 9 months. In addition, good practice will be increase the above deadlines by a month.

Mating periods for rabbits and assessment of readiness Among ordinary people, rabbits have a reputation of always being ready to mate. In fact, this is not necessarily the case, although males tend to be more consistently ready to breed. You can tell that a rabbit is interested in mating when he starts sniffing vigorously at the table you just placed the female on, or if he starts acting more aggressive or agitated when he is carried past a cage of female rabbits. Finally, he may also show a specific interest in foreign objects. 

Female rabbits do not express their desires so clearly. Additionally, it is worth knowing that female rabbits do not have regular heat cycles, which allows greater flexibility in the time of year and frequency of breeding. Signs that a female rabbit is ready to mate include restlessness, a slightly swollen, red or purple vulva, and the female rabbit rubbing her chin on the cage or objects inside the cage. 

In countries with warm climates, rabbits mate all year round; in countries with cool climates, cold weather reduces their libido. Females are much less towards males during the winter months. If you absolutely must mate your rabbits at this time, installing a heat lamp for the female a day or two before mating and extending the daylight hours in the rabbitry using artificial lighting can help.

Always remember that rabbits must be healthy before mating, without shedding or signs of disease! The main rule is to put the female in a cage with the males, and not vice versa!!! Adult females guard their territory and are ready to seriously beat up an intruder.

Taking into account the above parameters, mating rabbits is a quick process that requires virtually no human assistance. When a female is placed with a male, after a very short introduction, and if the male is satisfied, the female will raise her tail and mounting will occur. After which the rabbit falls from the female on its side. Once this has happened, it is wise to remove the rabbit from her cage. If you are not sure whether mating was successful, it is recommended to try again after 6-10 hours and then after about 7-10 days. If the female rabbit is not interested in males and acts irritable in his presence, she is probably pregnant.

Pregnancy in rabbits usually lasts 28-34 days, however, many will say that most often rabbits appear at 31 days. Therefore, on the 26th day, you need to place a nest box with fresh grass hay and wood shavings, suitable for the size of the breed, into the female’s cage (the female should be able to turn around comfortably) to prepare the nest. There is no need to place a box that is too large - the rabbit may start using it as a toilet, which is harmful for the litter. In addition to padding the box, the female rabbit will insulate it with her down and six pulled from her back and chest. 

At this time and after the birth of the rabbits, it is important to protect the female from loud sounds that provoke fear and cannibalism, as well as to provide access to hay, water, and granulated food. There is no need to constantly pull out the nest box and see if the baby rabbits have appeared. This will be visible from the movement in the nest and so on. Mostly birthing occurs late in the evening or early in the morning. On the first day after birth, you need to very carefully remove the box and, if there are stillborn rabbits or remains of the placenta, clean it. A sign of a successful birth is the absence of traces of blood, dry, clean rabbits with round bellies. After this inspection, there is no need to disturb the animals again.