Why You Should NOT Breed Your Bunny

Baby bunnies are undeniably one of the cutest things to exist on earth alongside puppies, kittens and other little baby animals. Hence, many people wish to breed their bunny - it is indeed adorable to see one's beloved bunny have children.

However, please read on before making this decision. Breeding one's bunny often leads to an undesirable and on the whole, unfortunate domino effect.

5 Quick Facts

#1:  The gestation period for bunnies is approximately 30 days (a month).

#2:  At the end of the gestation period, the mother can give birth to a litter of 5 - 10 kits.

#3:  The doe (female bunny) is able to conceive immediately after giving birth.

#4:  Bunnies reach sexual maturity at around 6 months old.

#5:  A bunny has an average lifespan of 10 years.

In the wild: 

By nature, bunnies are prey animals. Facing such high predation, they have evolved to produce litter after litter in a short period of time to keep their species alive. 

Living with humans:

When kept as pets and allowed to mate - whether unintentionally or not - it often results in too many unwanted bunnies.

Due to irresponsible breeding (as well as impulse buying, etc), thousands of bunnies are abandoned each year. 

A Calculated Example

Combining the facts mentioned above, and assuming that the female bunny is mated upon on:

• 1st January
• the start of each of the following months 

... Here is an example of the number of bunnies one might end up with after three months:

Now remember, this is just one bunny reproducing. If we take into account the litter of bunnies born on 1st February, and assuming only 3 out of the 6 of them are females ... 

Total: 22 bunnies

Now, imagine the number of bunnies the person could have after a year ... Calculation is not even necessary to know that the answer would be alarming.

"What if I just bred my bunny once?"

If you're able to find good, loving homes for all of your bunny's babies - what if one of your adopters decides to have "just one litter" as well?

It is highly likely that your bunny's descendants might end up -

• abandoned in the streets, exposed to the dangers of the roads and feral predators
• dumped at a kill shelter, where they would be euthanized when the shelter becomes full.

Our Responsibility

People often breed bunnies for the sake of profit, to give away the little babies as gifts to friends, or simply out of mere curiosity.

But remember, actual lives are at stake. Please don't contribute to the statistics. Those of us who love rabbits should take responsibility not just for our own companions, but also for the less fortunate ones waiting at shelters.

There are many wonderful bunnies waiting in rescue centres. If you wish to spread your love for bunnies to your friends and relatives - recommend them to start HERE!