Rabbits mating: the basic rules. The rabbits' cross. Reproduction of ornamental rabbits

Beginning rabbit breeders should definitely have an idea of how the rabbit mating is properly performed. Pregnant rabbits - both conventional and decorative - are very easy. However, sometimes coverage does not end with success. Below in the article we will talk about how to reduce the number of such cases to a minimum.

Should I spend the mating at all?

In the event that you are not engaged in breeding rabbits for sale (if this is an ornamental breed) or for meat, but simply keep animals as pets, before conducting such an event as rabbit mating, you should think several times. First decide for yourself whether you can put the offspring in good hands and whether you have enough time to care for the pregnant rabbit and newborns.

At what age is best to conduct the mating

In different breeds of rabbits, puberty occurs at different times. As a rule, the smaller the species, the faster the rabbits grow up. So, in decorative rocks (and not too large meat) more or less to bear the offspring of the body is ready already in 3.5-4 months. The first mating of Californian rabbits and other early ripening varieties is carried out in 5-6 months, that is, about a month and a half after the onset of puberty. In giants, the body becomes an adult in 5-6 months. The match, respectively, is carried out in 6-7 months. The owners of rabbits - and especially decorative rocks when keeping in the apartment - need to be prepared for the fact that during this period the animals begin to actively mark the territory. And this is done not only by males, but also by females.

The first rabbit mating is performed in the usual manner. About how, we'll talk just below. To begin with, we will deal with some nuances.

How to distinguish a male from a female

Buy manufacturers should only breeders with a good reputation. Otherwise, you risk acquiring sick, unclean or old animals. Of course, even a beginner rabbit breeder should be able to distinguish a male from a female. Find out the sex of the rabbit is not at all difficult. To do this, put the animal on its knees with its hind legs in the direction of the knees. Next, they lift the tail and, stretching the skin, inspect the genital organ. If you press on it on the sides, the male will fall out a pink penis, and the female will see a pink triangular "petal". In rabbits older than five months, oval testes are clearly visible.

Choice of producers

Rabbits, reproduction and care which must be carried out in compliance with certain rules, are reproduced in the already available herd in the following way:

• Only the rabbits leave the brood from the first, second, or - in extreme cases - the third litter of the female.
• Be sure to pay attention to the exterior of potential manufacturers. Of course, this should be strong, healthy, neat rabbits, quickly adding weight, active and cheerful.
• Manufacturers should be selected when the newborns are in the nest. In any litter there must be a couple of very small rabbits and at least one plump giant. Here is the last one and comes up the tribe most.

Culling

After the pairing of rabbits will be carried out several times, it is necessary to make a rejection of the producers. At the same time get rid of those rabbits whose efforts to continue the genus have not been successful in more than 30% of cases. Also reject females:

• They have eaten their own rabbits or have aborted more than twice in a row.
• Do not become pregnant even after the control mating.
• Endured and nurtured fewer than four rabbits in two litters in a row.

Of course, as producers, it is best to leave only highly dairy rabbits.

Diet of Producers

Two weeks before the mating, the female begins to give more concentrated fodder. The number of coarse hay and branches should remain the same. In no case should you overfeed the animals. Obese females become pregnant less often with individuals of normal weight. Males during this period are fed with boiled potatoes and steamed grain (preferably oats, than the egg).

The first way of carrying out mating

Decorative rabbits are often simply placed in one cage and kept there for a week. This is a fairly effective method. However, he has some drawbacks. First, the female and male can not get on with each other. Fighting between representatives of different sexes in rabbits is not uncommon. Especially if the male did not like it for some reason. Among other things, during the games, the animals will surely turn the drinking bowl with the trough.

The second way

I place the female on the rabbit only for a few hours. And only when it is in the stage of active sexual hunting. This method is much more effective than the first, as it is possible to control the pairing of rabbits and to rid themselves of the need to constantly clean up in the cage. This is exactly how the farmers who harvest rabbits for meat or pelts are mating.

In order to determine if the hunt has come for the female, it is necessary to examine her sexual organ. It should be red and slightly enlarged in size. At this time, the behavior of the rabbit also changes. She becomes restless, runs around the cage, drags hay in her teeth, and sometimes rips her down from her breast. Lasts a sexual hunt in rabbits for about five days with an interval of about two weeks. In November and December, a decrease in sexual activity is observed in animals. In the rest of the time, the ability of rabbits to reproduce the genus remains unchanged. Thus, the period of reproduction of rabbits - almost all year round.

The third way

Farmers that contain large numbers of rabbits often use the most effective method - artificial insemination of the female. In order to take sperm, a female is placed in the rabbit and waited until it jumps on it. After that, just replace the tube. In the heat of passion, the rabbit does not notice the substitution.

Control rabbit mice

Sometimes the pregnancy in females after coverage does not occur. Therefore, experienced breeders are advised to conduct a control about a week after the first mating. The female is again attached to the male, and then it is determined by her behavior whether the pregnancy has occurred or not. If she does not admit him, growls and fights, it means that everything is all right - she will soon have babies.

What rules should be observed when conducting the pairing

In order for rabbit mating to succeed, the following recommendations should be observed:

• These animals are most active in the evening and in the morning. It is at this time and you need to mate.
• The female is caged in the cage to the male, and not vice versa. In this case, he will feel more confident, and the chances of success will increase.
• In a cage there should not be sharp objects, for example, a wire sticking out of a grid, nails in boards, etc.
• From the cage, you should remove the trough and drinker.

In addition, you should know that for one male should not be more than 8-10 females. Thus, the reproduction of Californian rabbits, giants, Soviet chinchillas, etc., is carried out. If we are talking about a decorative breed, and only two rabbits (a female and a male), of course, they can not be kept in the same cage all the time. For young rabbits choose experienced "partners" and vice versa. The process of mating is considered successful if, after covering, the male falls to the side and emits a characteristic squeak.

Whether there was a pregnancy?

How successful was the mating of decorative rabbits or their meat counterparts, it is possible to determine not only the behavior of the female during the control pairing. To find out whether pregnancy has come or not, you can and in a slightly different way. The female is put on her knees head to her and probes her tummy in the area closer to the tail. If the pregnancy has occurred, in this part the "chain" of small "balls" - embryos - will be clearly visible.

Conduct the procedure for palpation approximately two weeks after the mating. Of course, probing should be done as accurately as possible. Otherwise, there is a risk of miscarriage. Many females become very fastidious in terms of eating during the gestation period. Some start building a nest very early. However, one should also know that in these animals cases of the onset of the so-called "false pregnancy" are not uncommon. In this case, the unfertilized female also becomes restless, drags the straw for the nest and pulls out the fluff. After about 18 days, all these signs of "pregnancy" disappear.

A bit of theory

The release of eggs ready for division in females occurs directly at the time of mating. In total there can be from six to eighteen. They fall into the oviduct after about 10-12 hours. Spermatozoa "run" here in about 2-2.5 hours. There is fertilization in the upper part of the oviduct. The fact that spermatozoa enter it much earlier, decisive does not matter. They keep their activity and vitality within 24 hours.

It is interesting that not only one but several spermatozoa penetrate the ovum. Crushing begins 10 to 12 hours later. The reproductive system of rabbits has another very unusual feature. The matter is that the uterus of the rabbit is double. This means that fertilization can occur twice - after a certain period of time. In this case, and gives birth to a rabbit twice - at the same interval. The second fertilization can occur, including in the control mating. Therefore, if the female snarls at the male, it must be removed immediately from the cage. The fact is that the "duplicating" pregnancy, exhausting the female organism, usually leads only to the death of stillborn calves.

Germinal petals are formed in the uterus of the rabbit on the 5th-7th day. On the 8th they are attached to the wall. On the 13th day, their length is already about 7 mm.

Reproduction of rabbits in winter

You can make mating even during the cold season. Quite successfully these animals multiply even in unheated rooms. However, in severe frosts, electric heaters are still included in the shed. Cold rabbits are transferred pretty well, which can not be said for drafts. You do not need to blow out the cells, otherwise the animals will get cold. Also in the shed and the cells themselves should be dry.

Reproduction of rabbits in the winter period occurs in the usual way. However, sometimes the owners of these animals face the so-called "one calf" syndrome. Nothing wrong with that. Apparently, these are the characteristics of the rabbit organism. Avoid all sorts of problems and difficulties can be, "extending" for animals a light day. Lamps in the room for rabbits should burn 12-16 hours a day. The ability to reproduce in these animals is directly dependent on the duration of daylight hours.

Reproduction of rabbits in winter - the procedure is a bit troublesome, as it is necessary to ensure that rabbits do not freeze. Especially in the case when the cells stand directly on the street. Experienced farmers advise in severe frosts - in the absence of a shed with a heater - still bring them into the house for the time of the blood.

Care of the pregnant rabbit

If the pairing of rabbits is successful, and the female becomes pregnant, she will need to provide special living conditions. The rules for caring for sucral individuals are as follows:

• Transplant in another cage rabbits can not. Conditions for her should be familiar. The mother bottle is placed directly in the cage. Pre-disinfection.
• You can not dramatically change the types of food. This can lead to intestinal distress and even miscarriage.
• The cage should be located in a quiet and peaceful place. Pregnant females become very shy. Sharp noise can cause a jump with a strong blow to the floor of the cage, which can lead to spontaneous abortion.

In sucrine rabbits sharply increases appetite. They need to be fed well, but not obesity. It is very difficult to give birth to fat females.

What to do during the enrollment

Decorative rabbits, the reproduction of which occurs very quickly, give birth easily and almost painlessly. Pregnancy in females lasts about a month (sometimes a little longer). The time depends on the number of babies born. The more of them, the longer the pregnancy continues. A couple of days before sex, females start to build a nest. Therefore, a week before the proposed delivery should be put in a cage with more hay. As soon as you notice that the female has started actively pulling up fluff on her breasts (up to the bald spots), it means she is on the eve of sex.

Cubs usually appear at night or in the morning. It lasts for 5 to 10 minutes. Sometimes the process of expulsion of the fetus and the placenta from the uterus lasts a little longer, but not more than an hour. In most breeds, females bring about 6-9 calves. In this respect, the age of rabbit mating plays an important role. Female primogenitors usually bring smaller cubs - 4-6. Individuals who have been rabies repeatedly, sometimes give birth to 16 or even to 18 rabbits.

Care after rabbits after sex

Baby rabbits are born naked and almost helpless. Immediately after the enrollment, the rabbit wraps it in its own fluff. Some weak ones, she can throw out of the nest.

After okrola you need to check the nest for the presence of stillborn calves. Unfortunately, this phenomenon is not uncommon in rabbits. On hands, in order not to leave a smell, it is better to wear rubber gloves.

Why does a female bite young

Decorative rabbits, the reproduction of which is a rather fast process, sometimes, however, they eat their litter immediately after sex. There may be several reasons for this. The main one is the painful condition of the nipples of the rabbit - mastitis. Reduce the risk of this phenomenon can be, carefully monitoring the purity of the cell. Another reason for eating litter is the lack of milk. It is believed that this can happen if during the pregnancy the female has not received enough food, or there was no water in the cage at the time of delivery.

Also, some farmers call the presence of extraneous odors a possible cause of rabbit biting. And not only strangers, but also others - especially newly acquired - females.

Exit the nest

Leave the motherhood and eat with the mother of the rabbit begin approximately on the 18th day after childbirth. Two days after the release, the nest of the cell can be removed. Disinfection is then carried out. During this period, you need to carefully monitor the quality and freshness of the feed for animals. The digestive system of rabbits still does not work very well. Do not give babies and some products - for example, beets. Carrots, grass and a little crushed root are the basic diet of rabbits after leaving the nest. It is also impossible to change the type of food dramatically. Plant the young animals from the female 2-2.5 months after the enrollment.

Mating rabbits is a meaningful and responsible procedure. The rules for conducting it must be observed without fail. Choose the best manufacturers, cull not too good - and soon you will become a happy owner of a large number of healthy, fast-growing animals.