Trouble Breeding English Angora

Hello guys!

I'm almost embarrassed to post this as I have been breeding rabbits for years, about 18 to be precise. But I bought a new English Angora doe, a blue eyed white girl with 10 inch wool that is so dense it makes me drool! On her "pedigree" it says that she is just over a year, should have been 8 months when I bought her, but I'm pretty convinced that's not true.... I believe she is older. She had a full senior coat when I bought her, and I should have noticed something was off then, but I didn't and I paid 220 dollars for her. And now.....she REFUSES to breed. I've tried so many things, changing diet, separating them so they can't smell each other, having them next to each other for a few days before the mating. I've held her for him, I always take her to him, I've installed a light to increase day length to simulate natural mating time....I'm at a freaking loss! I'm starting to feel like I bought a 220 dollar pooping dust mop!

So, does anyone have any suggestions? Any tips they have had success with? Maybe I'm just doing something wrong, but I've never had this much trouble with a doe. I think she may be around 2 years and never bred before, I think the damn "breeder" lied to me. I am so offended that someone who calls themselves a breeder would lie like this. Her pedigree looks off too, the colors don't add up. I mean, he father was supposed to be a plain blue buck, but she somehow magically inherited the Vienna Gene when his parents were self black and blue too?

Hi Amanda, Lets hope the breeder was honest....  I thought your post was about angora goats... I raise goats.  Maybe vitamin e and minerals will solve the situation.  Non breeders may have cysts... e takes care of that in many species. Best of Luck

Have you tried a different buck?   I've had girls flat out refuse a particular male.   Not often, but it happened a couple times.  They were perfectly happy to breed with my other buck.  

Have you gotten offspring yet?

FWIW, the bunnies here always get a haircut before a date.  Both males and females or they can't mate.  They also get fed a higher density diet before mating, although it's still pretty much roughage.  But some black oil sunflower seeds and a bit of rolled oats are added to their diet for at least a few weeks before they meet up can improve their attitude.

We have had some females who just didn't like specific males.  They would sometimes change their mind if they met up in a different space that didn't smell so much like that particular male, but it would always be somewhere other than the doe's space.

I second that I've had does who HATE certain bucks and will have nothing to do with him.  Whereas some have love affairs with other bucks and romance the boys to no end.  

You'd said you tried holding her still for the buck; what went wrong when you tried this?  Is she attacking/repelling the buck?  Or is she not taking?

Have you inspected her vulva?  Everything look normal?  From what I've read, the vulva will be flush red/purple when ready to breed, and dull pink when not.  I haven't actually tried to apply that advice in any way to prove or disprove it.

It's best to shear an angora before breeding so all the important parts can reach where they need to go.  Lately I've taken to shearing the doe first.  Then, I take the sheared doe and put her in the buck's hutch while he gets sheared.  It takes about forty five minutes to completely shear a bunny and trim their nails, so the doe is out in his space for an hour all by herself.  Surprisingly, she's really receptive to him when he is returned to his hutch.  So far I've tried it twice and both times the does were very eager to breed which isn't usual for those two does.  So, perhaps, if your doe is still not cooperating, leave her in his space for a bit by herself first and see if it works.