How to Breed Rabbits for Fur Nests

Breeding rabbits for fur nests is a relatively simple task once you see it happen once. You can breed rabbits as pets or even just to increase their local populations. One of the most important things to know in breeding rabbits is that you must have a meticulous eye for changes in the appearance or behavior of your rabbits. Also, temperature, longevity of day, and the ability to manipulate these two variables play a large role in determining how successful you will be at breeding rabbits for fur nests.

Instructions

  1. Tips

    • 1

      Build a breeding cage, nest or structure for the rabbits. You can leave the rabbits' dwelling indoors or outdoors, but you will not be able to regulate the temperature of the environment as well outside as you will inside. If you must leave it outside, put it in the shade. Ideally, you will have a temperature-controlled garage, basement, or consistently cold or cool weather outside.

    • 2

      Regulate the temperature of the environment that the buck rabbits inhabit. The temperature cannot exceed 80 degrees Fahrenheit. If it does, the male rabbits will become sterile. It will be quite difficult to breed rabbits for fur nests if the males cannot impregnate the females. Ideally, the temperature that the females need for productive estrus cycles are below 50 degrees Fahrenheit and above freezing.

    • 3

      Try to breed the rabbits when the high temperatures stay below 45 degrees Fahrenheit for approximately two to four weeks. Temperatures like these help get the females in a productive estrus cycle.

    • 4

      Look for the gestation period once you think the female is impregnated. The gestation period lasts for approximately three to four weeks so expect the female to give birth at the end of the gestation period.

    • 5

      Keep the temperature chilly after she has the baby. You can even keep the temperature a little chillier than before the baby was born to induce more fur in the offspring. In order to combat the cold, the mother uses a mechanism to fluff the nest more and more to insulate the babies from the cold. She will pull off her fur to give to the babies for warmth and insulation because she wants to make sure they survive.