Everything you need to know about the Netherland Dwarf Rabbit Breeding
The Netherland rabbit is a breed of rabbits that are domestic and they emerged in the Netherlands. It is the tinniest of all rabbit breeding and is full of energy! They have a cute and baby look due to which they are very famous pets. The extra tiny size is because of a gene of a dwarf that was introduced during the mid-1900. If two Netherland dwarf rabbits would breed, they can have offspring that will have zero copies of the gene, a single copy of the gene, or even two replicas of the gene. The ones that have zero copies of the gene would not be proper dwarf rabbits and the ones that have two copies will be too tiny to survive for more than some days.
Netherland dwarf rabbits are cute and lovable. You can breed these adorable bunnies by yourself, but it is not that easy. The breeding of these dwarf rabbits can be very interesting. It can also be used to earn profit if you want to set up a business. Also, you must know get your rabbits to breed unless you have a proper set up for the baby rabbits otherwise they will not be able to survive more than a few days. Here are a few steps that you can follow to have a successful breeding of Netherland dwarf rabbits:
- Sufficient Preparation:
The very first things that you need to be sure of is that you have enough space for the rabbits. A fact that many people are not aware of is that you need to keep separate cages for the buck and the doe also. Don’t forget to make a home for the babies as well. Furnishing the homes is another essential thing that people ignore. The cages should have toys that the bunnies can play with as the bunnies are very energetic and fun-loving. The hutches must be chosen carefully and they must be kept full with water always. The hutches can be bought from any pet store that is near you.
- A plan for breeding:
The rabbits that you are selecting must be healthy most importantly. You must not forget to make sure that both the rabbits don’t have any kind of infection or disease. The best way to choose the rabbits if to have a look at their performance records. The breeding history of the type of rabbits you choose is also an important factor. You should select rabbits that have a good history as far as their productivity is concerned. Along with good productivity, both the rabbits should have qualities that will go with each other. There are five colors from which you can choose the color that you want to breed. Moreover, you must research properly as to which breeds can be bred as some breeds ma lead you diseases and even deaths.
- The right size:
The right size of the rabbit that will determine if it can breed or not differs with the type of breed that you have. Mostly the rabbits are ready to breed when they are 80% of their full size. The Netherland dwarfs can also breed when they are 6 months old. The buck should be smaller than the doe as otherwise it might result in a caesarean section. If the doe is larger, it will result in a larger baby than the buck can deliver. The size shouldn’t be too small also.
- The mating begins!
At first, you must keep the two rabbits in different hutches that are put side by side. When it is the right time for them to mate, the vent of the doe will swell. The doe must be then transferred to the buck’s cage for them to mate. That is all you need to do. After that, you must wait for them to get things done that needed to be done. To know if the mating was successful or not, you can bring them together again. If the doe gets angry, it will show that the mating was successful. Otherwise, they will mate again.
- Pregnancy:
You should note the date when the mating took place and after 12-14 days, you can check the lower abdomen part of the doe. If you feel that there is something round in her belly, you will know. She will start eating more and sleeping more than the usual just like humans. Her belly will grow as the time passes and she will also get mood swings. Foods that are rich in nutrients like raspberries and other similar fruits. You will need to take care of the diet that the rabbit takes during this time. The babies will be due after almost a month of the mating taking place.
- The nests:
The nests are places where the doe will hide a week before she will deliver the babies. The best will make her feel that she and her babies will be safe and so she delivers the baby rabbits in there. After delivering the babies, the doe will not stay very close to the babies in case a predator finds her, the babies will stay safe. Some hay can be used to make the nest feel more like home for the mother rabbit.
- It is time for the babies to come into this world:
Just before the doe is ready to deliver the babies, she will start to pull the fur that is near her underbelly and her teats. This is probably the last sign you will see before you actually see the baby rabbits come into this world. The doe will deliver the rabbits in privacy so you will not be able to see the process or examine it. Another important thing that you must know is that there could be complications in the delivery process as well, and you as a caretaker must know what is to be done in different situations. The baby bunnies must also be taken good care of!
