How to Start a Rabbit Colony

Starting a rabbit colony sounds easy right? Just throw your rabbits together in a large secure area and you have a rabbit colony. Simple right? Well, yes, and no. While colony raising is less time consuming than raising your rabbits in individual cages there are a few problems you might run into trying to start your new colony.

We are going to talk about colonies for does. We like our breeding does to live in the colony. Bucks could also live in a colony type but if you are planning to use your bucks for breeding you probably should put them in a smaller pen for a few hours and then put your does into be bred.

Fighting. How do we keep our rabbits from fighting? Maybe you have tried putting your does together but all they do is fight and you have to step in so they do not hurt or kill one another. So how do you keep that from happening? Sometimes, it's just the way they are, very territorial. And if they were raised in a single cage for most their life, they do not know how to socialize with other rabbits. Therefore they feel threatened and feel that they need to defend their home and show their dominance. Most times it is hard to start a colony with adult rabbits that were previously raised in individual cages.

Here is the best way that we have found to start a rabbit colony. It is how we started one of our colonies and it is amazing how different the dynamic are from that colony to our other colony. Get or put all your does together at a young age and let them grow up together. From the age of 4 to 12 weeks is when they will accept each other the easiest. As they grow up together there is very rarely any quarrels over dominance. Doing it this way also helps make sure there is no 'low' rabbit that gets picked on or chased away from the feed. It also helps make sure that there isn't one that is overly dominant and mean to everyone else. Since they grew up together they consider each other as equals and will often groom, snuggle, and play with each other.

Here is the second best way to start a colony. Maybe you already have an adult rabbit and want to start a colony by getting another one. It rarely works to introduce adults into a colony. You might be able to start with one adult and then get younger ones to put in with her but that adult rabbit will have dominance. We've introduced new rabbits into our other colony by making sure they are younger and still growing. Anywhere from 4 to 12 weeks old is the best time. It does take time for them to settle in and accept their new "friends". Make sure there are plenty of places for your new little bunny to hide to get away from the others. The older rabbits will chase it so it is nice to have small places for the little rabbit to hide.

Breeding. If you are planning to breed your rabbits you have a few options as to how you will let them breed. We keep our bucks in individual cages and take the doe to them when we want them bred. This is so we know when they are due and can provide them with nice nesting boxes extra hay and check on the little babies when they are born. The other option is to just let your buck live with the colony and you will have babies whenever. We do not recommend this way but some people may find this easier.

Rabbits are a very social animals and it is always fun to watch them interact with each other when they are friends.