Can rabbits breed through a chainlink fence?

This may seem like a silly question, but I was wondering if it's possible for rabbits to breed through a chainlink fence... ie: the male is on one side, the female is on the other. Has anyone ever heard of this happening? Thanks!


***Moderator Comment***
Every once in a while, this question surfaces among rabbit breeders, but I haven't yet heard a truly convincing answer, nothing but if's and maybe's.

Being a rabbit breeder myself, I have the worst time picturing how the heck the buck could belly up to the fence, position himself correctly, and then penetrate both the fence and the doe effectively.

Call me a Doubting Thomas, but until some sort of proof or documentation can be presented, I lean towards 'probably not' as an answer.

Are you thinking your doe might be bred through a fence?? If so, please tell us more!

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Apr 07, 2018
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starstarstarstarstar 		Can rabbits mate through chicken wire?
by: Anonymous

I have a lionhead dwarf that had 4 babies (we lost one) on April 2. She had just had a litter 6 weeks before, so had not been with a male since that mating. Her cage is a large dog crate wrapped in 1 inch chicken wire to keep the babies in. When I clean her cage I take her out and put her in a smaller carrier. I had a male Flemish Giant running loose in the area around her cage, never imagining the possibility that they could mate through the bars AND the chicken wire. I am still shocked by these new babies! He had to have gotten her through the cage! These babies are larger than her previous litter, but there were 8 last time. We are lucky not to have lost our girl. The Flemish Giant has been moved to a different area where he can not do it again. Do they do DNA testing on rabbits? Lol!
Jan 15, 2018
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starstarstarstarstar 		Rabbits breeding with no buck
by: Maureen McMillan

I have 3 cages containing bunnies. The buck is in one large cage, Mum is in a cage with 3 babies and 2 babies in another cage. The buck has been away from mummy for 2 months but today she dropped another 5 babies.

I rang the vet as daddy has been neutered now to find out that rabbits CAN get impregnated through the wire of the cage. Daddy must have did his deed just before neutered. Only way it could have happened as the buck has not been with mummy for 2 months.

I had the cages all close together so I could integrate all the females together later on with the neutered buck. And plus they could all see each other and weren't lonely. Learnt a lesson so the buck now has to go along way from mum.
Sep 13, 2015
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starstarstarstarstar 		Surprise!
by: Anonymous

Left our "male" rabbit with a friend who has some rabbits as well. 1 month later I found 4 baby bunnies in my daughters toy basket. Person we left the bun with insists that they never let ours out. So either they can breed through the cage OR we have some sort of immaculate conception.

***** Karen Sez *****
Guess we'll never know, eh?! Enjoy your new lil bunnies!
Oct 05, 2014
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starstarstarstarstar 		Help
by: Anonymous

hello I need to know if it is possible for my bunny to mate through a chainlink fence, I have a male rex he is about 2 and a half years old. I noticed this wild female rex near his pen in the morning and have a feeling she was there all night. I chased her off, and when I got home she was back in my yard nears his pen and they were smelling each other. I have put him in his inside pen, but now he is thumping and he has never ever done that before does that mean he has mated and if so will she be pregnant.
May 11, 2014
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starstarstarstarstar 		It CAN happen!
by: Daphne

There is no possible way for me to have mistaken this: I live alone, and only have one buck and one doe (angoras). They have been apart in large runs separated by a wire cage for four months, and this morning my doe presented me with a litter of five. I wasn't sure the last time--they had only been together for a minute while I was cleaning one cage and I was watching--so I was 100% certain that they wouldn't be in the same cage for even one minute when I didn't want them breeding. The cages are 5ft tall, so there's no way they've been getting in and out by climbing.

Someone would literally have had to break into my house (without breaking the locks, since I always lock up when I leave), and put them together without my knowledge. Don't let anyone tell you that it's impossible, because it literally does happen. I'm going to line my cage with mesh this time.

***** Karen Sez *****
Don't mean to be casting doubt on your tale, cuz I more than half believe it. But, I gotta ask just for the record - have you ensured there is NO tunnel between the two runs? Especially since a doe may fill a tunnel in after she has used it...?
May 03, 2011
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starstarstarstarstar 		Through a Fence? YES!
by: Hobo Hills Rabbit Tree

I just met a lady at Tractor Supply who told me that her husband has been busy building cages and they had a mama with her litter in a cage on the ground. They also had a buck who had gotten loose and stayed in the same area because they couldn't catch it. Well the litter got old enough to separate from the doe and the doe kindled the next day. She was certain that the only way that doe could have bred was through the cage!

So I would think it would be way easier for a determined buck to breed through the chain link than it would 1x2 inch wire.

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