As we are in the breeding season I thought that the following hints may be of assistance to breeders.

First thing to do is select which doe you want to use, check if she is a good specimen with no faults, I realise that this is the ideal situation but use your best doe. Next take your best buck and if they are of the same colour you can expect to kits of the same colour.

Check the doe to see if she is ready for mating, this is done by looking at her sexual organ pulling it slightly back, if it is pink she is not ready if it is reddish she could be ready , if she is maroon she is ready, the doe is then placed in the bucks cage. Do not place the buck in the doe’s cage.

The buck will mount the doe and if he is successful he will fall off. Leave them together for another mating should happen in about 2 minutes he will again fall off. Remove the doe and put them together again after 2 hours, the buck will again mate her then remove the doe.To make sure it was successful put the doe back with the buck the next day, if she moans or attack the buck remove her. 

Record the date when she is due, this is 30 – 31 days later. For beginner please try to obtain stock of the same colour if possible from the same breeder, if this is not possible get from another breeder but stick to same colours.

If the only stock you have are different colours then the offspring could be some as the mother and some as the father. These offspring when grown can be used back with the mother or father but do not I repeat do not mate brother and sister.  

I have over the years advocated that dwarf rabbits should not be left to breed free range as you then have no control on which buck mates with which doe and you will end up with deformities. If the buck and doe is kept in the same cage the buck must be removed after they have mated but you as the breeder will not know when this happens. Thus it is best to give each rabbit its own cage, you after all don’t sleep in the same bed as your siblings.

Please keep in mind that during pregnancy the doe is not given additional food. Additional food is only introduced once the little ones are born. The pregnant does diet can be supplemented with a small amount of teff daily.