When do rabbits start to mate, at what age does it happen?

Moreover, it even confuses some people or forces them to refuse to purchase such a wonderful pet as a dwarf rabbit.

And all because many forums and websites describe problems associated with puberty. But almost nothing has been said about how to solve these problems.

I want to correct this omission.

Sexual and physiological maturity of rabbits

Like all living creatures on earth, rabbits reach the age of formation of secondary sexual characteristics - this is the age of puberty, followed by the time of real maturation. We have already talked about the stages of maturity of rabbits, see reproduction.

Photo. Rabbits start mating early

A simple explanation of the meaning of reflex ovulation

A woman can become pregnant at a certain stage of her monthly cycle. At other times, pregnancy is not possible, although there are exceptions. For a female rabbit, any sex, regardless of the stage of the cycle, can result in pregnancy. Ovulation (the release of an egg) is stimulated by the movements of the penis in the vagina, not by the stage of the cycle. Add that sex in female rabbits, like in women and female dolphins, can occur outside the cycle. In other animals, sexual intercourse is possible only during estrus. Outside the cycle, the reproductive tract in normal females is closed, but in female rabbits it is not.

The weight of a rabbit is the second indicator of readiness for the first mating

An important indicator of readiness for mating is the weight of the rabbit. It should not be lower than 3.5-4 kg. Other indicators of readiness for mating are good physique and development of the genital organs.

Crossing rabbits immediately after the appearance of secondary sexual characteristics is certainly possible. After all, there are known cases of early pregnancy in both humans and wild animals. However, early mating of any mammals is unacceptable: from an ethical point of view in humans, from the point of view of productivity in animals.

We will clearly prove why rabbit breeders indicate these criteria as reference points in answer to the question: when and why should you start mating rabbits?

Mating pets of different breeds

One of the main points that interests all rabbit breeders is the possibility of crossing rabbits of different breeds belonging to different breeds. This method is necessary if the goal is to make the characteristics of the offspring better.

After crossing different breeds, the rabbits are born healthy and large. They are able to gain weight even with a small amount of food.

In addition, interbreed mating helps to remove any disadvantages that purebred pets have.

What breeds of rabbits can be crossed? Of course, these breeds should be different, but at the same time combined with each other. In particular, a hybrid can be obtained by breeding a gray giant rabbit with a chinchilla.

All indicators of a rabbit's readiness for the first mating

The main criteria for determining which months are best for breeding rabbits include four main indicators.

1. Age of the animal (minimum physiologically based criteria have been proven)
2. Rabbit weight (underweight animals do not produce high-quality offspring)
3. Body type.
4. Condition, development of genital organs in rabbits.

Only for adult rabbits! Males and females who already have mating experience are additionally evaluated for the quality of their offspring. Females by milk production, multiple births, number of rabbits when weaned from the nest. Males according to the stability of transmission of breed characteristics to descendants. The assessment is carried out in November-December.

Choosing the right rabbit

Choosing a female rabbit for mating is not so difficult. First, assess the age of the animal: the female should not be younger than 6 months, since at a younger age she will not be able to bear offspring normally. Of course, the best option would be young individuals who have already given birth to rabbits and then conscientiously fed them. In this case, already 45 days after the previous litter, the female can be bred again.

It happens that a mother rabbit eats her babies. If this happened, there is no need for this female to happen again.

An equally important criterion for choosing a young rabbit to mate with is her weight. The female should be moderately well-fed, but not suffer from obesity. If the animal is thin, you should start fattening it. The female rabbit must be in the hunting stage, because without this the mating will not work. If a specific day of the month has been selected for mating, the female should be separated from her relatives for a while.

Methods and sequence of breeding assessment of young animals

On farms, young rabbits are examined for the first time at three months for the rabbit’s readiness to mate with a female rabbit, and females are examined for readiness to bear a pregnancy; both are assessed for their ability to mate; they refrain from mating.

Photo. Rabbits are assessed for readiness to begin mating in several stages. The first time at a young age

At home, rabbits are first examined a little later. It is possible, at the age of five months, to determine the first signs of a rabbit’s readiness to breed females.

The readiness of a young rabbit when it can be allowed to mate is determined by:

• external inspection;
• instrumental measurements (weighing).

When examining adult rabbits and young animals (improvised assessment) at home, pay attention to the following signs:

1. compliance with the characteristics of the breed bred in the farmstead;
2. the live weight of a rabbit is taken into account with an error of up to 0.1 kg;
3. physique, absence of developmental defects;
4. the condition of the rabbit's hair on its paws;
5. down quality (for downy breeds);
6. coat color (conforms or/does not correspond to breed requirements).

Fur color is a breed trait genetically fixed by the male; the correct color is one of the signs of the purity of the breed, so it is necessary to pay attention to it when evaluating producers, especially in purebred breeding.

The scoring of young animals in order to determine at what age a young rabbit can begin to mate begins with weighing. Below are the weight indicators of breeds common in rabbit breeding. Data taken from rabbit scoring tables.

Advice from experienced rabbit breeders

One of the main advantageous aspects of rabbit breeding is the ability of animals to reproduce quickly. Having several females, in just a year you can increase the population to hundreds of individuals.

Beginner rabbit breeders are advised to:

• mate rabbits that have reached the age of 69 months;
• choose unrelated healthy animals;
• receive no more than 4 litters per year from a female.

Caring for the animals guarantees good health of the livestock and numerous births. It is important to consider the age and condition of the animals. It is impossible to breed sick or weak individuals; their offspring will be frail and non-viable.

Mating age of California and New Zealand white and Pannon rabbits

Californian and New Zealand white rabbits (NZB). Young animals of these breeds weigh at least 2.3 kg at control weighing at five months, maximum 3.7. At six months the weight is not less than 2.5 kg, maximum 4.0 kg or more. At the age of over seven months, the main population of young rabbits of these breeds weighs from 3 to 5 kg. Over eight months they reach a weight of more than 5 kg. The fastest maturing rabbits of the Californian and Pannon breeds are ready to mate females at the age of five months.

Californian and New Zealand rabbits (NZB), Pannon - mating age from 5-7 months

What is inbreeding?

Inbreeding is the inbreeding of two rabbits. In most cases, it is undesirable to do this, since as a result the offspring may be born unhealthy and weak. But this applies specifically to closely related inbreeding. There is also distant inbreeding, which is even advisable to carry out in order to obtain a stronger breed of rabbits.

Inbreeding is not always well thought out; it often becomes the cause of a person’s shortcomings if the hereditary recording of livestock and mating schedules were carried out incorrectly. To correct the error, it is important to introduce new individuals into the rabbit family, preferably males, since with their help it will be possible to straighten the family line of the animals and obtain healthy offspring.

Mating age Gray giant, Owl. chinchilla, black-brown, silver

At five months the rabbit should weigh from 2.5 to 3.8 kg, at six months from 2.8 to 4.3 kg, at seven months from 3.1 to 4.8 kg. At eight months, from 3.4 to 5.1 kg. At nine months and older from 3.7 to 5.5 kg. Rabbits of the corresponding age breeds weigh approximately the same: Soviet chinchilla, Black-brown; Silver.

At the age of 7 months, rabbits gray giant, Soviet chinchilla, black-brown (black rabbit), silver are ready to start breeding

Mating age of White Down and Giant Angora rabbits

Rabbits of this breed should weigh from 1.9 to 3.2 kg at five months, from 2.1 to 3.7 kg at six months, from 2.3 to 4.1 kg at seven months. At eight months, from 2.4 to 4.4 kg. At nine months and older from 2.5 to 4.6 kg. The weight of the giant angora is up to 5.5 kg. Rabbits that meet the White Down breed standards reach weight at different age intervals when they begin to allow the rabbits to mate with females. Downy breeds, in particular the Giant Angora rabbit, are characterized by late maturation.

The age of readiness for mating may not be sufficient even at nine months. Optimally females after a year, males at 1 year 6 months

How to determine pregnancy

After mating, the female completely loses interest in the rabbit and may become aggressive. One of the simplest ways to check for pregnancy is a male test. The covered rabbit runs away from the rabbit or attacks it.

Experienced rabbit breeders can feel the embryos in the female’s abdomen 14–16 days after mating. To do this, the rabbit is placed on a flat surface and her lower abdomen is carefully felt. The fruits during this period are the size of a walnut and are soft to the touch.

If the female rabbit is not pregnant and does not become pregnant for 2-3 months, she is subject to culling.

Methods for assessing puberty based on a rabbit's body type

The second thing people pay attention to when grading young rabbits is their physique. For example, based on the body condition, the presence of possible metabolic disorders in the animal’s body is assessed. Based on these signs, you can quite accurately determine the readiness of male and female rabbits for the first mating.

Photo. Visual assessment of the physique of a Californian rabbit

Preliminary grading with a high degree of confidence reveals defects that rabbits acquired at the stages of embryonic development and after birth. Defects in physique usually prevent a rabbit from being ready to begin mating, sometimes indicating the reasons for the impossibility of determining the time when rabbits can be mated. The physique is checked by external examination; if necessary, measurements are taken or the width and girth of the chest are determined by eye. They give an assessment of the size of the head (shape, size, ratio to the body). Pay attention to the lines of the body, including the back and croup. Based on the correct placement of the limbs, a conclusion is made about the absence or presence of rachitic signs.

Photo. Landmarks on a rabbit's body. 1- head, 2- neck, 3- ears, 4- scruff, 5- shoulder, 6- side, 7- back, 8- croup, 9- tail, 10- ankle joint, 11- hip, 12- hind limb, 13-stomach, 14-forelimb, 15-chest, 16-claws, 17-dewlap

The sequence of inspection and measurements is as follows:

1. The head is proportional to the body, without deformations, massive in males, delicate in females.
2. The ears of the main agricultural breeds are erect.
3. The neck is proportional, holds correctly in relation to the body, there is no curvature.
4. The chest is well developed, respiratory movements are rhythmic, deformations and thickenings on the ribs are not palpable.
5. The back is without curvature in the vertical and horizontal directions.
6. The croup is round, sensitivity is normal.
7. The limbs are positioned correctly in relation to the body.
8. The muscle tissue is dense, textured, the fat layer is not noticeable.
9. The hairline is smooth, shiny, and meets breed standards.

Assessment of the physique of decorative (dwarf) rabbits to determine readiness for mating is approximately the same as for productive rabbits.

Possible problems

For a new farmer, it may seem that once the babies are born, all the worries are left behind. Unfortunately, this is not the case at all.

1. Sometimes a joyful event is overshadowed by the death of newborn rabbits. The cause of misfortune may be hunger. The validity of this assumption can be judged by the appearance of the babies. Starving rabbits have indented tummies and wrinkled skin. In order to avoid a sad event, you need to monitor the quality of the diet and the health of the rabbit.
2. In some cases, the female throws the cubs away from her. As a rule, the reason for aggression lies in the onset of the hunting period. Another mating with a long-eared gentleman can calm the young mother down.
3. The children's early attempts to get out of their native nest indicate the ill-being of the offspring. In this way, baby rabbits look for food. In this case, you need to examine the female's mammary glands. The rabbit's nipples are probably sore or there is no milk at all. The only way out of a difficult situation is artificial feeding of pets.

Source

Examination and assessment of the genital organs of female and male rabbits

In rabbit breeding, examination of the genital organs of females and males is carried out in order to determine at what age rabbits are ready and can begin to reproduce.

• Male genitals. A special feature of the rabbit is its wide inguinal rings. This means that the rabbit's testes are freely drawn into the abdominal cavity and pulled back out. To exclude cryptorchidism in a rabbit, it is necessary to move the testes by hand, running your hands along the abdomen towards the hind limbs, from the abdominal cavity. During external examination and palpation of the rabbit's penis, no defects, curvatures, or signs of hermaphroditism (female and male genital organs) are detected.
• Female genitals. The external genitalia of a female rabbit can be examined by inspection and palpation. The mucous membranes of the vulva (loops) are pink, smooth, shiny. Deviations are not allowed. During the period of sexual heat (estrus), hyperemia of the mucous membranes is possible, combined with anxiety in the female. Feeling (palpation) of the sides of the rabbit does not reveal pain, the uterus is not sensitive. Sensitivity of certain areas on the female rabbit's body is allowed during hunting.

Using simple, accessible methods - such as external examination, weighing, you can easily determine the individual signs of a rabbit’s readiness to begin mating. It is easy to determine at what age and when rabbits should be mated for the first time, how much time is left until the time when a female rabbit can be mated with a male for successful breeding.

When to breed rabbits after breeding offspring?

You should know how much time should pass after giving birth. Of course, it is useful to take a certain pause, since the female’s body needs time to recover after childbirth. On average, a female rabbit should not be bred until about 45 days after giving birth. At this time, the female and the babies should be placed in a separate cage.

It is also important to isolate pregnant females from males. This is necessary in order to avoid mating of a male with a female rabbit in position, since this can harm the offspring, for example, the rabbits may be born dead. In addition, a rabbit's uterus has such a structure that she can become pregnant again while already carrying baby rabbits in the womb. The second offspring in this case will be weak.

Pregnancy (pregnancy) of a female lasts about a month. A few days after giving birth, the female may begin to behave restlessly, refusing to give up her babies. Then a “single” mating is carried out. To do this, take a male and alternately (without pauses) introduce him to several female rabbits. Immediately after the last mating, a rabbit who recently gave birth is brought to the table. The sperm of such a male will be inactive, therefore she will not become pregnant, and the female rabbit will go into hunting and will return to the rabbits.

But keep in mind, in this case, the first female that is placed with the male will turn out to be pregnant!