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Rabbit Temperament
Rabbit temperament plays a big role in breeding. Some bucks (male rabbits) are simply not aggressive breeders. Some breeders call these "shy bucks." For whatever reason, an unsatisfactory or bad experience from attempts to breed too early, the rabbit may have lost interest or confidence. The same can happen with does (female rabbits) that have been bred too early. She may leap around the cage not allowing the buck to mount her, or she may kick when he attempts to, which could injure the buck.
Rabbit Energy
Some bucks tend to get overly excited during the mating process and they may miss the "opening" several times. All that might get accomplished is wetting the does' back or tail. Helping the experience along may involve placing your hand in the cage and holding the doe and lifting her rear upward while the buck does his best. It may not be a matter of the willingness to breed, as some rabbits do not attempt to breed in the extremely high temperatures of summer. They just won't have the energy for the effort when it is too hot.
Rabbits and Vent Disease
A buck may have a common problem for rabbits: vent disease. Lack of desire for breeding is one of the symptoms of vent disease, and if you haven't looked for it, you may not notice. Turn the buck over and inspect his genitalia. If it is red or swollen, you will need to treat for vent disease and try to breed when the disease has cleared up. You can purchase a Combi-Pen (Pen B) and give your buck an injection once a week for three weeks. Or, you can purchase powdered tetracycline and mix some in the rabbits' water. This is the same antibiotic prescribed for humans with some STDs. Believe it or not, rabbits can contract venereal disease and other viral infections related to reproduction. A good dose of antibiotics for 10 days or so should help clear up any problems.
Lack of Conception
If you have helped your special couple a few times during their breeding sessions and you still end up with no kits (baby rabbits), it could be one of a number of problems. Either it is a previously undetected bacterial infection which should clear up with treatment, or it may be a size problem: As odd as it may seem, the buck may not be able to "fit" with the doe you have chosen. The body frames of the particular pair may not be compatible for mating. Try mating the buck and doe to a different buck and doe and see if it works.
No Live Young
If the conception was successful, but the harlequin-colored rabbit continues to give birth to stillborn kits, there may be something you can do. It is not unusual for a doe to lose her first litter of kits. If it happens a second or third time, it could be a problem. To prevent this from happening, rebreed the doe one hour after her dead litter is born. Then eight hours later, breed her again to help increase the litter size. If this does not work, try examining the environment the doe is in. If there are disturbing noises, other animals approaching her cage or a lot of noise in the area, that could be stressing her into losing her litters.