Rabbit breeding: characteristics and curiosities

Author: Peter Berry
Date Of Creation: 20 February 2021
Update Date: 3 November 2024
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In this article by PeritoAnimal we will talk about how the rabbit breeding: characteristics and curiosities. We will see why they are popularly considered a very prolific species, although both in free life and in captivity, there are countless difficulties that they must overcome when obtaining and keeping their descendants. On the other hand, it is advisable to sterilize rabbits in captivity, whether male or female, to avoid health problems, behavior and overpopulation.

Read on and discover all the fun facts about rabbit breeding, with which frequency they reproduce, how they copulate and much more.


Rabbit breeding

The expression "they breed like rabbits" is popularly used in reference to having a large number of children. This myth tells us one of the curiosity of rabbits: their reproductive capacity. Both males and females start their sexual maturity prematurely, being able to copulate for days every few minutes. the rabbits present induced ovulation, that is, triggered by mating, practically throughout the year. In addition, they can be fertilized as soon as they give birth, without breastfeeding, which they normally do once a day for 3-5 minutes, can inhibit a new pregnancy.

Males are also sexually active throughout the year, developing behaviors such as marking territory with urine, mounting objects or extremities, aggressiveness, restlessness, biting and destruction. It should be noted that rabbits can present a similar picture.


In view of how rabbits reproduce, it is normal that they are seen as very prolific animals, but it is also necessary to consider that their litters have a high mortality and that not all copulations end in fertilization, not to mention the difficulties they face in their natural habitat and the stress they can experience in captivity. All of this affects their offspring, so that there must be a differentiation between theoretical and effective reproductive capacity.

And since we are talking about breeding rabbits, every year, at Easter, it is the same thing in relation to a simple question: does rabbit lay an egg?. We made an article that explains the relationship between this furry and the egg and its meanings.

How many months can the rabbit reproduce

Among the characteristics of rabbits, the precocity of their sexual maturity stands out. So how many months can the rabbit breed? THE from 4-6 months of life. And both female and male rabbits are usually in breeding condition for a period of 8 to 10 years.


In captivity, sterilization is recommended, as rabbits that do not undergo the procedure may show sterilization reactions. aggressiveness and health problems.

Rabbits, for example, have a very high probability of contracting uterine tumors. Furthermore, uncontrolled brood in the home worsens the conditions of the animals by increasing their numbers beyond the capacity of the environment. This creates stress, coping and, in general, prevents a good quality of life. It also has to be considered that we should look for responsible homes for the rabbits, because if we don't sterilize them, they will continue to reproduce.

When to neuter a rabbit?

It is important that we ask for help from a veterinarian specializing in these animals when performing a sterilization, as rabbits are not small cats, so they require specific knowledge of both the technique and the drugs that can be administered, as well as their handling. Therefore, we can sterilize rabbits in the following situations:

  • Male rabbits: when their testicles descend, around 4-5 months
  • Female rabbits: around six months

Estrus in rabbits: sexual behavior

As we have already pointed out, the behavior of the rabbit will show changes during the estrus, which, in this species, is practically continuous. So, in males we will see the following signs of the rabbit in heat:

  • Territory marking with urine
  • Attempt to copulate with the caregiver's objects, hands or feet
  • Aggressiveness
  • nervousness
  • Bites
  • Destruction of objects and furniture

In its turn, in females we can observe the following signs of a rabbit in heat:

  • Behavioral changes similar to males: urine marking, restlessness, aggression or attempt to mount.
  • THE vulva becomes more visible and acquires a reddish-purple color.

In this other article you will find 15 fun facts about rabbits that might interest you. And in the video below you can see a step by step on how to take care of the rabbit:

How is the mating of rabbits?

As in all species, mating time in rabbits follows a common ritual in all animals. Therefore, in this section we will explain the steps of courtship and mating, essential for understanding rabbit reproduction:

  1. As soon as the male and female see each other, it will start the approach.
  2. He will smell it, especially in the anogenital region. The female can do the same.
  3. O sniffing it takes place with the animals standing still or moving in circles.
  4. The male will run around him repeatedly, making a noise. As soon as you can, will mark the female running his chin over her. You can also urinate.
  5. If the rabbit is receptive, it will lie down to favor the mount. Otherwise, you can be aggressive and escape.
  6. The rabbit will ride it for a few seconds with quick pelvis movements.
  7. To do this, it holds the female's sides with its front paws and bites her in the weight region.
  8. In a last movement you will ejaculate, scream and will drop next to the female.
  9. Copulation stimulates ovulation and in a few hours fertilization will take place.
  10. If rabbits are left together, they can repeat breeding.

How many times a day can a rabbit copulate?

In explaining how rabbits reproduce, we said that the male is able to copulate every few minutes whenever he finds a receptive female. This, in turn, can also accept the male continuously, including newborns and while nursing. Therefore, one cannot speak of a concrete number of daily copulations.

What we must know is that the male will not emit semen in all mounts and the more copulas he does, the lower the probability of emission. This type of copulation can trigger a pseudopregnancy, that is, your body will react as if fertilization had happened to generate baby rabbits.

Rabbit gestation time

Now that we know how rabbit breeding works, we'll talk about the gestation time of the rabbit, which lasts on average 30-32 days. After this period, the rabbit can give birth to 1 to 5 lapars - name given to baby rabbits.

The female, when pregnant, looks for a nest to give birth to her litter. Once the offspring are born, she feeds them with breast milk for about a month, although with 18 days of life the lapars are already starting to ingest solids. It is worth remembering that the female can start to reproduce as soon as she gives birth and that the young rabbits will be sexually mature around 4-6 months. This is why sterilization is so important.

In this other article you can see the main diseases in rabbits.

Other fun facts about rabbits

If you are a person in love with these small animals and want to find out more about baby rabbits, adult rabbits and how to raise rabbits, you can read these other articles from PeritoAnimal:

  • Fruits and vegetables for rabbits
  • Prohibited food for rabbits
  • Can you bathe a rabbit?
  • Baby rabbit food

And if you are the guardian of a cute bunny, you might be interested in the following video in which you will see how to know if your rabbit loves you:

If you want to read more articles similar to Rabbit breeding: characteristics and curiosities, we recommend that you enter our Pregnancy section.