Is it possible for a rabbit to have a litter and hold sperm and give birth soon after the initial litter?
1 Answers
The breeding process and the process of giving birth is similar for the majority of species across the world. However, this does not mean that rabbits naturally produce one litter a year. They have a natural cycle of about five months, of which three months is spent in the den to rest and the rest is spent in the forest, where the rest of the breeding season can be spent.
The rest of the breeding season is spent in hiding until the first litter is ready and the females will start their search for the fertile area by going out in search of milk. This is why they go searching for milk for all the breeding season, that way they have time in the dark to get themselves prepared, and they will be ready to feed the next litter when they return to the cave they have been hiding in.
The next two to four days are spent mating and the next day being weaned, this is also at night so the rabbits are at a disadvantage when it comes to predators including cats. Finally, the next day is a fast day during which the young are able to feed on grass and will be ready for their next litter.
After the first week the female will begin to search for milk and within the first week about 75 percent of the nest has been fed to ensure that the young are ready. This is where you would expect to start the process of the rabbits producing their litter.
After three to four weeks the male finds a female that is ready for mating and the female will lay the first litter. The first litter is a few inches in diameter but in the third week it is about three hours in diameter.
The egg is still attached to it's umbilical cord but there still no external fertilisation, so there is no actual breeding taking place with it. I want to know what type of rabbit I should buy or breed.
Is there such a thing as a purebred?
Absolutely not. There is a small percentage of purebred rabbits but only from small breeders or breeders who purchase their rabbits from breeders so the breed origin is almost never what one would call the real deal or the real name.
What one can do however is compare their rabbit and compare how much they have to pay for their food or what their vet charges and compare that with the market price and what the market price of the breed is for the same animal.
There is a certain percentage of purebred rabbits, but it depends on what breed of rabbit you are trying to buy. The most expensive pure breeds can sometimes be at least $3, 000 and often these would be from breeders who have been going out of business for years and have their pedigree from breeders who have been going out of business for a while.
Birds also have their own breed identity. When I was young, I got a little bit older and would see my dog on TV, say a Great Dane; you'd think, well that's my dog, but it could be a Dalmatian, a Bulldog, a Great Dane, or a German Shepherd, the actual breed.
In the U. S. and the rest of the world, we have a standard for everything and we all know one of the four basic breeds of dog. It is the American Cocker Spaniel, the German Shepherd, the Canadian Cocker Spaniel and the Great Dane.
There are also some types of hybrids, so that some dogs are known as Cocker Spanish Shepherd Hybrid or maybe they are a cross between a Labrador Retriever and a German Shepherd. And those two are not usually known that good they are a hybrid.
And other mixed breeds are known as Labrador Retriever/St Bernard Cross, or perhaps they are a cross between a Saint Bernard or a Saint Bernard/Rottweiler. This is not as easy as just looking at one breed and deciding which one you want to purchase but it is something worth thinking about.
You can see the different types of rabbit here and here.
Will there be a specific weather requirements for rabbits?