Most breeders are too focused on when they should start their breeding. They are all fascinated with the fact that they can be an instrument of procreating their cute little rabbits. This is understandable because rabbits are known to have an amazing capability of procreating.
But has anyone of you thought on when you should stop breeding your rabbit? Has any of you come to think whether their body gets tired with the entire process of breeding just as humans? It is a rare question and is an aspect that is often neglected. But don’t you think it would be worthy to dwell more on this question? These creatures need to be understood when they begin to lose interest in mating. There can be a more rational explanation for this gesture.
If you try to perform research through the internet, you will see that even though there are some sites indicating a particular age, there was no clear explanation about the information. You will even see a more irrational age that someone had formulated.
Initially, you may think that the male rabbit may have a different retirement age compared to the female rabbit, in terms of breeding. In the end, when we talk about breeding, the male rabbit takes an easier role. The female rabbit should carry the baby rabbits, deliver them, and then nourish them. Imagine all these things loaded in her body! Let us just say that the male rabbit is taking the process for their fun and pleasure.
Breeding the rabbits is commonly not too complex. Rabbits are characterized to breed like rabbits; however, this should not always be the case in some rabbit breeds because some of them have already stopped breeding. This means that putting a male and a female rabbit in one cage is not an assurance that there will be a victorious mating. This is why it would be good to ponder when to stop breeding your pet rabbit.
Stopping a Male Rabbit from Breeding
Let’s begin by discussing first the male rabbits or the bucks. It is not certain that figuring out a specific age is what you should want to learn for the male rabbits. If the male rabbit still has the interest of being bred, and victoriously delivers around litters, then why should you stop him from breeding? Basically, the body of a male rabbit will instinctively inform him that it is the best time to stop breeding. You may see older male rabbits that have gotten to that stage.
Breeding turns nearly a routine instead of instinct. At that moment, you can tell that you should stop your male rabbit from breeding and finally pet them out. This does not commonly happen until the male rabbit reaches the age of around five. If you made a comparison between the human years versus the rabbit-years calculator, this would make the male rabbit around 45 years old if translated to human years. Now that makes a logic. As a breeder, there should be no reason to stop your male rabbit from breeding even at that age if the rabbit still shows interest in carrying on with the breeding. Although there can be a pattern of age on when the male rabbits usually stop breeding, this may not always be the situation. Some male breeds would still want to breed even after the age of five.
Stopping a Female Rabbit from Breeding
The female rabbit, on the other hand, is a bit more complicated. Some pages on the internet suggest that you should stop breeding your female rabbit once she reaches 2 years old. If you maximize your rabbit as a member of your team in the show, and you only get to show her for one year, the rabbit shall only be set breeding for 9 months. That would imply only two or three litters coming from that female rabbit. If you are to assess, this outcome is not satisfactory.
You may go back to your initial thoughts that the body of the female rabbit shall instinctively instruct the female rabbit to stop breeding. Substantially, she will demonstrate no attraction in the male rabbit and simply will not breed. Again, you may go back to the comparison between the human years and the rabbit years chart. Analyze what common age women would typically stop conceiving babies. Commonly, women stop having babies at age 40.
Now this viewpoint can be taken from a medical view and not essentially from a desire judgment. If translated to rabbit years, that would be around 4 years old. That would seem to be the age that the female rabbit starts to lose interest. Nevertheless, if the female rabbit continues to reproduce, then there should be no reason to stop her from doing so. If the female rabbit is fit and in breeding condition, allow her to be in reproduction. It is fair enough if you utilize the capability of your rabbit to breed.
As long as the female rabbits are healthy and still show interests to breed, then you should obey the instinct of procreation. After all, these creatures have high value over pregnancy and breeding as they want to preserve their species.
Common Gestures when Rabbits Decline to Breed
A female rabbit does not like to mate.
You may bring your rabbit to a veterinarian to verify this behavior. This action does not directly mean that her body has already given up breeding. It is also possible that there are other contributing factors that make her lose interest in mating. Are you giving her the right diet? Are you giving her the proper care? As long as the rabbit is healthy and still in good breeding condition, the rabbit should be inclined to reproduce – unless her body has already prompted her to stop.
A female rabbit attacks the male rabbit.
Again, this gesture may not directly mean that the female rabbit has already retired from breeding. The best way to figure it out is to consult your veterinarian. Remember that rabbits need to be healthy in order to breed successfully. Therefore, if you want to breed your rabbit successfully, you should religiously perform the essential methods of raising them. Diet is highly important for successful breeding. Regardless of how young the female rabbit is, if she gets poor attention and a low-quality diet, she will not be in the mood to get along with a male rabbit to breed.
The male rabbit shows no interest.
There can be various reasons why a male rabbit loses interest in a female rabbit. Just like the first two gestures, this does not directly imply that the male rabbit is retiring from breeding. It can be a demonstration of poor health conditions. Remember that rabbits are great in reproduction; thus, it would be ironic for them to decline this instinct. Make sure that you give him proper care, along with its much-needed diet.
Allow him to have enough exercise as it is also important to keep them stimulated. Nevertheless, do not forget the possibility that your male rabbit has finally given up on breeding. If this is the case, then you should stop breeding him. Do not feel disappointed as this is not directly your failure but just a normal characteristic of his body to stop breeding. You cannot force your rabbit to breed if it is his body that already prompted him to stop.
Conclusion
So, to put a numerical answer to the question – when should you stop breeding your rabbits, it should be at 5 years old for the male rabbit and 4 years old for the female rabbit. This is after taking into consideration the different experiences and encounters of many rabbit raisers, the approximate age of the rabbit in comparison to the human years, and simply a little bit of rationale.
Allow this to be your guide of knowing when they will start to refuse in their breeding, instead of the actual age where you must stop using them in your program of breeding.
Female rabbits do not ovulate through cycles; rather, they ovulate once the male rabbit is present, then breeding is happening. Thus, if a male and female rabbit meet at any season of the year, they are expected to breed and develop a litter.
Hence, there should be a realization that rabbits will eventually stop breeding. Although we have grown, believe that rabbits continuously breed, you should not feel disappointed if time will come, your rabbit would decline the process of breeding. Just as humans, rabbits need to retire. Their bodies can no longer cope up with the responsibilities of carrying a litter and nourishing them.
If you find your rabbit stop breeding, analyze whether there is a problem with its condition or if it is simply because its body has given up already. Were you able to provide your rabbit the necessary care it needs? Were you able to give your rabbit the best and appropriate diets that would help them become healthy and reproductive?
