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rabbit breeders

Tom_AF_Guy Jun 30, 2008 04:25 AM

i was just thinkin bout startin to breed rabbits, cause feedin my retic is gettin pricey, i was just curious, how many babies does on female produce, and how often, cause i just have the one retic and was wonderin if just a pair of rabbits would be enough for it, or if id need 2 or three mommas, thanks

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2.1 leopard geckos
1.1 golden thread turtles
1.0 reticulated python
2.1 firebelly toads
0.0.1 pacman frog
0.1 creamsicle corn

Replies (5)

mweippert Jul 01, 2008 12:52 PM

i have raised show rabbits in the past with litters of 3-6 each. they were never as consistant of breeders like rats or mice. if stressed they would kill them. and for only one snake you would be spending 10 time more time working with the rabbits. if you like rabits get a 1.2 do some research onbreeds to figure out what breed has the most and how long it will take from placing the pair togeater till the babies are ready to be fed off.

to figure out if it is worth while figure out how much it will cost to purchas caging, breeders, food divide that by X number of babies to decide how many babies it will take to break even.

what i would do is if it eats FT just by bulk rabbits make bad pets.

Sonya Jul 02, 2008 01:06 PM

>>i was just thinkin bout startin to breed rabbits, cause feedin my retic is gettin pricey, i was just curious, how many babies does on female produce, and how often, cause i just have the one retic and was wonderin if just a pair of rabbits would be enough for it, or if id need 2 or three mommas, thanks

If you want to raise bunnies....fine. If it is just for feeders for one snake you may not want to invest the time and space they will require. How many and what size are you feeding? Are there any local flea or farmer's markets where you can pick up feeders without the bother of raising them? Here you can get bunnies for $5 ea nearly year round. WAY better than raising them just for snake food. I don't think it is worth raising your own unless you are getting around $10-$15 per rabbit in savings. 'Cause that is what they are worth in food time and space to me. That or you just enjoy it or have a kid in 4H.

All that said I would find a meat breed and work from there. Or a nicer pet breed so you can sell the extra to pet stores (like a Dutch maybe or Mini Rex) Don't try Lops as they have low birth numbers and a tendency to dwarfs. Do you have room for 2-4 hutches, each 6 sq feet minimum, and room for a nest box? Bunnies don't live together. They are like hamsters. Each adult has their own hutch. Take the male to the female, put them together, watch them breed and take out the male before he gets killed. Try again in a day or two and if she trys to kill him she took the first time. Count 3 weeks give her a box and in another week viola! Then hope you have a patient good mom that won't kill all the babies the second you look at them. 6 weeks to wean them. Some does have 3 and some have in the teens. Some will let you handle and fool with them from the day they are born and some kill them if you touch the box.
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Sonya

I'm not mean. You're just a sissy.
Happy Bunny

Tom_AF_Guy Jul 04, 2008 04:08 AM

yeah, i know its lots of work and all, its just right now im payin 5 bucks a pound for rabbits, and hes up to 6 pounders now kighway robbery huh, heh. i would think a city as large as phoenix would be easy to find rabbit suppliers, but its been tough, if anyone on here knows anywhere please let me know, also, with the heat being over 110 every day, shipping is hard too, thanks for any replies.
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2.1 leopard geckos
1.1 golden thread turtles
1.0 reticulated python
2.1 firebelly toads
0.0.1 pacman frog
0.1 creamsicle corn

ge Jul 04, 2008 05:53 AM

californians are a good meat rabbit. 8 weeks 3-4 lbs {fryer size} averaged 8-10 per litter. try finding a live stock auction any where theres two horse flies theres an auction close by. you wont be able to get a pedigree on the rabbits so feed them a good feed for awhile then invite them to dinner

southerndraw Aug 17, 2008 09:01 PM

We raise rabbits and they are a lot of work, considering it takes 21 day's for a rabbit to have their young and then another 3-8 month's to get them up to the weight you want for feeding, each rabbit will have between 4-8 sometimes more but the norm is 8, then you have to clean their area everyday cause a fly will kill the young quicker than anything else, so if you have anymore questions please contact me @ brownracing12@cebridge.net and I will be glad to answer any other questions from anyone that would like to know more about raising rabbit's or purchasing rabbit's, I hope I have been some help thanks.
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