Breeding Mini Lops (Broad Overview)

It is important to research breeding thoroughly before diving into it. Little lives are depending on your knowledge, so it is important that you know what you are doing. This article is a brief overview on breeding, but you may benefit from more research as well.

Before mating, you will want to be sure that both the male and female are healthy. They generally prefer being bred in the morning and evening.

A female Mini Lop is called a doe and a male Mini Lop is called a buck. The babies are called kits. It is important to wait until females are 6-8 months of age before breeding. When the doe is ready she will raise her tail for the mating. It usually only takes a few seconds for the mating to occur. Always place the doe into the bucks cage and not vice-a-versa; the does tend to be very territorial. Leave the two of them together for a few minutes to see if the breeding "takes" a couple of times. Doing this will help increase the chance of pregnancy as well as an increased litter size.

Once they are mated, you can plan on the gestation period for the doe lasting about 31 days. She will usually give birth on or right around day 31...this process is called kindling. You will want to write this date on the calendar.

It is important that you give the Dam (mother rabbit) good nutrition while she is pregnant in order to have healthy babies as well as enough milk to nourish her kits when they are born. Unlimited Alfalfa, unlimited pellets, sunflower seeds, and mineral salt licks are all things that benefit mothers and prepare their bodies for birth.

Around day 26 or 27 you will want to place a nesting box in the cage. The nesting box should be filled with Timothy Hay or Alfalfa. The female should pull her own fur and make a little nest for her babies. If she does not do this, you will need to teach her to pull hair from her chest to make a nest for her babies. The babies are born very fragile and without hair. They need hair from their mother to stay warm. You can construct your own nesting box, or you can purchase something like this. We recommend having the mother and babies indoors for birth because you are able to keep a closer eye on them and control the temperature, but, if this is not possible, you may consider putting a space heater, or heat lamp in with the babies, depending on the time of year the babies will be born.

If the babies do not arrive on day 31 and you are sure you have calculated the due date correctly, you may want to give the Dam fresh or dried lavender or make her a lavender tea. Any of these things can help induce labor to be sure the kits do not arrive too late and end up all being stillborn. Do not give this to any mothers before their due date because it can cause early delivery and miscarriage.

The birthing process usually takes about 20 minutes. Mini Lops generally have from 2-11 babies. It is possible to have some bunnies produce stillborn kits, especially if it is one of her first litters. The doe may wait a few hours before feeding her babies while she begins to eat, drink, and clean herself up. This is normal. You should check the babies with disposable gloves on to remove any stillborn babies as well as any debris from the cage to keep momma healthy. Giving your momma some oats, greens, or other healthy treats and letting her know she did a good job will be an encouragement to her as well. We also like to make mommas red raspberry leaf tea and put it in a water container for her to drink. This will encourage good health for her as well as a healthy milk supply.

Once the babies have been born, Momma will do all the work (usually). You will want to make sure the babies stay warm, and check them once a day to make sure the kits are plump. Do not move the babies or mess with them during this time too much for the first couple of days. It may cause the mother to abandon her babies and become frustrated. The Dam will begin feeding her new sweet babies after a few hours. Do not worry if you do not see her feeding them....rabbits usually only feed for a few minutes each day and they often wait until they have more privacy to do it. Kits that are well-fed should have little round bellies that puff out to the sides.

Did you know that kits are blind, deaf, and hairless when they are born? They will begin to grow a layer of fuzz to keep them warmer after a couple of days. Around day 10 is when they begin to open their eyes and ears. The ears do not look lopped at first though, because they are so tiny. This usually takes a month or so. Around days 5-7, you begin seeing their beautiful colors. This is so much fun! You will want to begin weaning the babies about 6 weeks, and they will be ready to go to their new home about 8 weeks. You will want to separate the males and females once they are about 8 weeks old.

Have fun breeding! Studying God's creatures and new life is such a blessing!

With Love,

Verity Farm