Wonderland Mini Rex

Breeding thru Weaning

Rabbits unlike humans ovulate during mating and do do have a "heat" cycle. Mini Rex's typically have 4-6 kits in a litter.

I take my does to my bucks cage (never the other way around) and let them mate while being supervised (to make sure no one is being excessively rough). I let them mate around 4-6 times and then I return the doe to her cage, then about 6-12 hours later (just has to be before 48 hours) I will return her to the bucks cage and let them mate again 4-6 times and I will not breed again after the second session. Some breeders will leave the doe in with the buck overnight, I don't simply because I cannot watch them to make sure that no one gets hurt.

After about 10-12 days I can usually palpate the doe and feel little marbles inside and that is how I know she is pregnant. Some breeders can tell how many babies are inside, I however am just glad I can tell she is pregnant. :) Then I can palpate around the due date and feel them very well.

Rabbits only have a gestation of 31 days. You need to put the next box in around day 27. I do not put it in any earlier because she might make a mess of the box. She can only deliver between day 28-32 otherwise the kits probably won't make it.

When the doe delivers she may not have all the kits in the nest box that you provided, if that happens you need to get the kits in the box ASAP the longer they are out of the box the smaller chance of survival.

With the Mini Rex breed you can get a gene called the "double dwarf" gene. This is because to make the breed a mini it needs the dwarfing gene to be introduced, because of this you may and will sometime get kits that are called "peanuts". They are smaller than the other litter mates, and will usually look a little different as well. These kits (peanuts) will not survive. Only a hand full in the the entire breed have made it, but still died at an earlier age. So because of this you have four options.

1. You can humanly have the kits euthanized. Your vet should have a gas box that they can use to euth. the kits with gas-this will cost you some money though.

2. You can do nothing and let nature take it's course. (which I must warn to can look pretty disturbing-if they don't pass within a few days they start to dehydrate and will literally starve to death, they look like skin on bones).

3. I am lucky that I have a wildlife rehaber in my town and I take them to her and she has a gas box that she puts them in. It is quick easy and she is able to feed the babies to any of her wildlife birds she may have at the time. The cycle of life.

4. You can put them out of misery yourself, I just am unable to do this.

Peanuts cannot digest food or milk properly and because of that they basically starve to death. It is probably the one thing about this breed that makes it hard to raise.

Since the mother will only feed her litter 2 times a day at the most, I bring the kits in at night, and return them to mom for an early morning feeding and then again for a night feeding. They kits stay inside the house at night for their own protection. I also don't leave them with mom during the day until they are about 3-4 weeks old. Once they leave the nest box they stay outside with mom for the day.

Once the kits are born they will remain hairless (they will have a peach like fuzz to them) and with closed eyes for around 7-10 days. When there eyes open, and around 2-3 weeks of age they will leave the nest box on their own. Around 3-4 weeks they start showing interest in the pellets and the hay. I do not wean my babies until they are about 6-8 weeks old. It all depends on how the litter and the kits are doing. I have some that wean themselves at 4 weeks and others that would nurse forever if they could. :)

You need to make sure you check the babies at least once a day to make sure that their genitals look clean, and that they don't have any discharge from their eyes or nose. After their eyes open you need to make sure they stay open. They can sometimes try to close back up, just clean them daily with some clean fresh water on a clean cloth. Do this with dirty bottoms as well. This is more true with larger litters, smaller litters mom will often keep up with keeping the babies clean. You also need to handle them from about 3 weeks and up everyday for a while so they get used to being held and handled.

You can usually tell the sex of the kit by 4 weeks of age, this does take practice. I will be one to tell you that I have misread a kits sex before. Some of the biggest breeders in the breed have missexed a rabbit before, it's called the "Turkey Award". So it does take some practice. If the kits are very small it may take longer for those gentials to pop out well enough for you. I have one breeder that I know can look at them when they are born and tell the sex-she raises rats and mice and learned that tech. from sexing them.

Every breeder varies on when a kit should be weaned and given to a new home. I wean around 6 weeks the kits and doe will normally let me know when they are done nursing, however I keep the kits until 8 weeks normally-rarley I will have some kits that have stopped nursing all together at 4 weeks on solid food soley at 6 weeks and can be ready about 6-7 weeks of age (I have one doe with super milk), and at that time they can go to a new home, otherwise 8 weeks about a typical age that kits are ready for new homes. Every kit that is born here gets a tattoo before they leave. You must have a tattoo in the ear for the rabbit to show.

I hope this has helped, please if you have any questions please feel free to ask. I also have information on what colors can be breed together.

Thanks :)