Rabbit Rhythms 
October 2016 Newsletter



Rex Rabbit doe and her bunnies

Breeding Rabbits

October is not a rabbit's favorite season for breeding! In the wild they don't breed at all through most of October and November. But in our barns and rabbitries, there are ways to naturally circumvent the rabbit's hardwired rest period.

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Deidre from Georgia (USA) contacted us in October. Her doe wasn't exactly in a romantic mood, and she wasn't sure whether or not a forced breeding had been successful. Especially since the doe was exceptionally cranky when reintroduced to a buck a couple days later. 

I shared my thoughts and ideas with Deidre here: October Rabbit Breeding: Did the Doe Get Pregnant?

This pregnant rabbit is gathering hay for nest-makingThis pregnant rabbit is gathering hay for nest-making; how's THAT for a haystache?!

You too can weigh in at that link if you also have some great answers for her. Just post a comment at the bottom of the page.

Besides solving issues with breeding in October, Deidre asked me whether or not I thought her rabbit had successfully mated. 

The main signs of pregnancy can be found on our pregnant rabbit page. That page was written to help YOU answer that question, since YOU are there, eyes-on, with your own rabbits. Whether it is April or October, those signs will signal a rabbit pregnancy...or a false pregnancy. 

(Our friend Marlene shared her experiences with rabbit pregnancies here...)

Even though sometimes you may not be sure whether or not the buck completed the mating, or the doe was not willing though the buck DID grunt and fall off, or whatever individual circumstance you run across while breeding your rabbits, sometimes the only thing left to do is to wait it out for 31 days, and prepare for a new litter, just in case.

Rabbits Need  to Chew - Get Them Apple Infused Chew Stix.


Is there an overpopulation of rabbits??

I doubt it! Those that want us all to eat crickets spread a lot of disinformation in general, and about rabbits and rabbit overpopulation in particular.  Sometimes they say things like 85%, or even 90% of all bunnies acquired end up dumped off at animal shelters. That's a very hard sell for me. Yes, some rabbits are indeed relinquished to shelters. The percentage is more like 2%.

People love their rabbits, and there is usually a pressing reason why people part with their rabbits. The main reasons are:

  • Changes in one’s life situation, such as moving into housing that doesn’t permit rabbits
  • A sick or dangerous rabbit. (These are the rabbits that have no business being pets.)

"Rabbits for Sale Near Me"

It's amazing how many people around the country are looking for rabbits for sale. We receive dozens of queries every month from people looking for "rabbits for sale near me."

"Rabbits for sale near me" is a search term that brings visitors to Raising-Rabbits every single month. Check our Rabbits for Sale page for tips on finding wonderful rabbits in your own area. Additionally, we have listings of rabbits for sale categorized by state. You'll find links to these pages at the above link.

Rabbit Breeds: The Pocket Guide to 49 Essential Rabbit Breeds, by Storey Publications, is a very well done, delightful book, with photos and an overview of every breed of rabbit recognized by the American Rabbit Breeders Association. Check it out! 

Featured Rabbit Breed: The Angora Rabbit

Rabbits serve mankind. Humans have been using rabbits for wool and meat for over 5,000 years. Plus, breeders in the UK and Europe have been selectively breeding rabbits to specific purposes for over 200 years.

The Angora Rabbit has been around nearly as long as meat rabbits. That is to say, the mutation causing growth of long wool instead of normal fur occurred probably thousands of years ago. Careful breeding over the last couple centuries has resulted in a number of angora rabbit breeds of various body types, all of which have long, dense wool that can be harvested without harming the rabbit and spun into angora yarn or angora/wool blends. 

Learn more here about the history of the angora rabbit. Plus, you’ll find links to info on each of the individual angora rabbit breeds.

Giant Angora RabbitGiant Angora Rabbit
Chocolate Chinchilla Satin AngoraChocolate Chinchilla Satin Angora


Interested in more information on these or all rabbit breeds? Our Domestic Rabbit Breeds e-book (info below) provides more photos, history and descriptions of the many rabbit breeds.

Domestic Rabbit Breeds E-Book Cover

Interested in Other Rabbit Breeds?

-- Are you trying to decide which breed is best for you?

-- Do you see a bunny available, but haven't heard of that kind before?

-- Are you curious about the different types of rabbits?

We have an e-book for that! It's titled Domestic Rabbit Breeds. Find it, and our other e-books, at World of Raising Rabbits.
Click Here to Purchase Domestic Rabbit Breeds!

Rabbit Cage Plans

Predator-safe all-wire cage measuring 36"x30"Predator-safe all-wire rabbit cage measuring 36"x30"

By the time October rolls around, you may be looking for new cages, or additional cage space for newly purchased or newly raised youngsters. 

Here is a reminder that you'll find FREE all-wire rabbit cage plans here, in case you are inclined to build 'em yourself (as we are!). 

We have more freebies on the Raising-Rabbits website linked at our rabbit cage page, and we also offer our full illustrated indoor and outdoor cage, hutch frame, and rabbit run plans in the form of electronic e-books at very reasonable cost.

  • Ideal DIY Rabbit Cages contains ALL our rabbit cage, hutch, and run plans for both livestock and show rabbits, AND for pet rabbits.
  • Pet Rabbit Living Spaces contains some of our plans - mainly those that would be great for pet rabbits, and for indoor cages and corrals.
  • DIY Livestock Rabbit Housing contains some of our plans - mainly those plans for larger cages and multiple cage set-ups that would be great for meat rabbits and show rabbits.

Please note: If you purchase Ideal DIY Rabbit Cages, you will not need any of the other e-books. Unless of course you are purchasing a separate e-book for a friend or family member.

Karen Thinks Hostile Hare Rabbit Cages Are Amazing.
What Do You Think?


Like this Newsletter?

Maybe your friends would too...

Your friends at Raising-Rabbits.com wish you a wonderful October 2016.

Enjoy your rabbits!


Raising rabbits? Consider a membership to the American Rabbit Breeders Association





Double-Value Guarantee

Our policy is to always OVER-deliver on value,
which is why your purchase is fully covered by our
Double-Value Guarantee.

Go ahead - take any of our e-books for a test drive. Peruse our detailed informational and educational e-books. Examine our plans for building rabbit cages, runs, or metal or PVC hutch frames. Check out the Rabbit Husbandry info e-books.

If you aren't completely satisfied that your e-book purchase is worth at least double, triple or even quadruple the price you paid, just drop us a note within 45 days, and we'll refund you the entire cost. That's our Double-Value Guarantee.

Note: When you purchase your e-books, they will be in PDF format, so you can download them to any device that supports PDF format. We advise making a back-up copy to a drive or cloud account. If the books are lost, you can also purchase another copy from Raising-Rabbits.


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