Breeding Rabbits

Why?

     The most important thing to decide before you consider breeding rabbits is why you want to do it. This is usually the deciding factor on what quality of rabbits you're looking for.

"I want to raise rabbits for pets."
"I want to experience the miracle of birth."
"I only want to raise one litter."

     These are very common responses to the "why" of breeding. At first glance, they may not seem harmful or wrong in any way, but consider this: a single breeding pair of rabbits can possibly create a litter of 4-6 rabbits in one litter. Let's pretend that you only had this one litter and ended up with 6 rabbits, 3 are does. You decide you're done with breeding, you witnessed the joy of raising a litter, and have your doe and buck spayed and neutered and sell the babies as pets. Now, let's say each of the owners who bought your does decide they want to have "one litter". Each of these rabbits has 6 babies, 3 of each does. They sell them, and each of those does have 6 babies, 3 of each does. In only 3 generations, your one harmless litter has created 80 rabbits. Of course, this would be the extreme case, but I hope it helps to make the point that the reason for breeding is just as important as the care of the rabbits.
     In addition to the abundance of animals you may be responsible for creating, there are many other "unseen" negatives to breeding. Many does get cage agressive after giving birth to a litter of kits. Breeding can easily change your squishy, cuddly baby girl into a territorial senior doe. Responsible breeders try to breed this out of their lines, but there is no way to determine whether your rabbit will change pre-breeding. There can also be many problems and complications with birth, which we'll discuss on another page. Often times, this causes problem or death in the kits, but it can also occasionally be fatal to your doe.
     This is not to scare you away from breeding, but only to hopefully change the minds of those who are not serious about it. A litter "just because" is irresponsible and can cause more harm than good if you don't research what you're doing before you take action. However, breeding responsibly can be a fun and rewarding experience. Responsible breeders go through a lot to raise a healthy litter of kits, but one thing is for sure- there is nothing more rewarding than seeing one of your home grown rabbits on the top end of the show table!

Who?

     After the "why" is "who" to breed. Believe it or not, this can be the most important decision you'll make. Choosing a breeding pair can be difficult, but it is worth taking the time to figure out. A perfect breeding pair is one that will compliment each other well. For example, if the buck has pinched hindquarters and a slipped crown, you'll want to find a doe that has full hindquarters and a correctly placed crown. By breeding two rabbits with the same faults, it is nearly impossible to improve upon those faults and it is even more possible that you will cement those undesirable features into your line if you don't try to improve them over a few generations. So choosing two rabbits that compliment each other's type, you will be able to more quickly improve the quality of the animals you are producing!
     Also important is to choose colors that will compliment each other. This depends on the breed as some come in many different colors and others only come in one or two colors.