# bred through wire? mystery litter



## josafeen (Nov 4, 2010)

so, last week (friday the first) i separated a litter from my doe so that the food would last longer while we were away. The litter kindled on may 20. My husband came home on tuesday to 6 kits dead on the wire, wondering what i had been thinking and if i had forgotten to place a nest box. I never rebred her, and nobody moved her nor the buck (who is in the adjacent cage). So- either she was bred by one of her kits (which isnt possible since they wouldve been just a couple of weeks old)- or bred through the cage. Or?
Any guesses?


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## SquashNut (Sep 25, 2005)

You must have forgotten. I know I have bred rabbits and for got to write it down. There is no way they could breed through the wire. sorry. They are not built right.


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## josafeen (Nov 4, 2010)

I understand what you mean, and even questioned myself losing my mind LOL, but i am reasonably certain that i didnt (as in, if i did then i have a split personality and my alter ego did it). I was considering trying the longer breeding schedule so i put off rebreeding mentally. i wasnt even thinking about it.


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## SquashNut (Sep 25, 2005)

No one else could have done it? Or a way for them to get out or in the same cages?


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## josafeen (Nov 4, 2010)

on another thread a couple of years ago, pat stated that rarely, it can happen through cage wire, and even more rarely, according to a magazine article, it can happen without breeding, as a result of temperature (i assume warm temperatures?)
interesting. I have read of three (so far) perplexed owners with similar circumstances and coincidentally they were all litters of 6.


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## SquashNut (Sep 25, 2005)

The doe would have had to store the sperm then. I don't know it may be possible.


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## josafeen (Nov 4, 2010)

well, i dont have any small children and my 17 and 18 year old girls say no, and i believe them. They would have no reason to and they wouldnt want to have an accidental litter born on the wire (they understand the consequences of putting the buck and doe together).


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## josafeen (Nov 4, 2010)

You know, it wouldnt have been terribly warm a month ago...maybe under the perfect temp conditions, sperm can be stored? weird.


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## tbishop (Nov 24, 2004)

It happens through the wire. That's the most probably solution in my opinion.

Tim B.


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## Pat Lamar (Jun 19, 2002)

"Storing the sperm" is pretty unlikely since the sperm can only survive for something like 48 hours. Since it hasn't been that hot at the time of conception, then, heat-stimulated self-pregnancy is very unlikely. Too bad they all died 'cause if they all turned out to be does, then it would have been the most likely answer since they all would have been identical "clones" of the mother. That, then, leaves the possible "breeding through the wire" or some other method of exposing the buck to the doe. Never underestimate rabbits when they want to breed... they WILL find a way! Even a VERY small space at the top of a hutch... a rabbit WILL climb and squeeze through it to get to the next cage!

Pat Lamar


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## Ed Norman (Jun 8, 2002)

It was probably a simple case of parthenogenesis. (I finally got to use something I learned in college biology class).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parthenogenesis#Mammals


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## Pat Lamar (Jun 19, 2002)

Ed Norman said:


> It was probably a simple case of parthenogenesis. (I finally got to use something I learned in college biology class).
> 
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parthenogenesis#Mammals


Thank you for this link. Although it was only one short sentence, it did mention the 1936 incident I read about in the magazine... proof that I'm not making it up! LOL Too bad it didn't give any details.

Pat Lamar


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## Ed Norman (Jun 8, 2002)

I remember my biology professor saying they thought it was possible with a trauma to the ovary, like a poke by a wire or something. He was the last person I ever heard mention it, though, until I mentioned it.


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## OldNight (Jul 10, 2011)

Hello,

This happened to me some years ago when I first got into rabbits. I had two females and a male and they were only together for a little while before I separated them with the male being in another pen some distance away. I was very surprised to see that both females produced two litters. Nothing I read explained why that happened until I read a rabbit book (now forgotten of course) that confirmed that female rabbits can store sperm. Birds do this too if I'm not mistaken.
Really threw a wrench in my rabbit family planning process, but that's rabbits for you.


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