Sexing Skittish Rabbits

[AwkwardInteractions]

Okay so my cousin got 2 rabbits a little bit ago and the woman she got them from said they were both girls. I asked her how she figured that and she replied that they just looked like it. Now my aunt is worried that she’s going to end up with a bunch of baby rabbits, so she asked me to sex them. I think I got one of them to trust me, but they are both kind of skittish and won’t let me turn them over. Do any of you have suggestions? I’d appreciate the help.

[Sarita]

Have you ever sexed rabbits before – it can be difficult if you are not familiar with them? It’s good that your aunt is being cautious because I’m not sure how rabbits can just look like girls :~)

[Roberta]

Smart call Kiddo. never accept verbal gender ID… You need to look or if you can’t tell find someone who can…. How old are they now… There are easier signs once they hit 3 months BUT I would still rely on a vet if you can get to one.

[LBJ10]

If you take them to the vet, they will be likely scared enough to not put up a fight. It would probably be easier to have them sex them anyway. I’m glad you didn’t take this lady’s word for it. A lot of times people think they have 2 boys or 2 girls and then baby rabbits magically appear one day.

[AwkwardInteractions]

I’ve never sexed a rabbit before, but I’ve tried to do as much research to make sure I don’t hurt them. They think they are around 5-6 months old and I’ll make sure to find rabbit savvy vet here. Thanks for the help guys.

[Megabunny]

If you aren’t ready to take them to the vet you could probably take them to a pet store or shelter for a quick look.

[Eepster]

For something as important as sexing, I would just trance them. Are you familiar with trancing a rabbit?

[AwkwardInteractions]

I’m not actually. Could you explain please?

[Roberta]

I found a two man operation is best… I had to sex my rescue litter the other week… I had a fellow rescuer come over. I scooped and cradled whilst Arminta checked and marked their forheads pink or blue (with a water based NT marker)

[Deleted User]

So how many of each Roberta?

[Roberta]

2 Boys and 5 Girls

[Deleted User]

Beautiful!!!!! Pandora did well! (so did you), lol…..

[LittlePuffyTail]

I would go with a vet. As mentioned, sexing babies is very difficult, even some professional rabbit peeps can get it wrong. You definitely don’t want to end up with a bunch of babies.

[Beka27]

At 5-6 months, testicles are usually visible in males, although it is possible for them to not descend or for the bunny to “suck them up” so you can’t see them. So with that said, if there are no “boy bits”, I would be leaning towards girls… but like the others said, it’s still a good idea for them to be sexed by a vet and have a full “new bunny exam”. Even if they are both girls, they will need to be spayed to reduce the risk of reproductive cancer in a few years.

[Eepster]

Posted By AwkwardInteractions on 3/10/2014 11:25 PM

I’m not actually. Could you explain please?

It’s actually kind of hard to explain.  You flip them on their backs and hold them at a particular angle.  The head needs to be straight, and the body flat.

It is a bit stressful for them, but can be the only way to get them to be still enough when you need to do stuff to them.

[Megabunny]

Yeah. Sounds like you might be able to tell quickly if they are obviously male, but anything that looked female May or may not be. Be careful if you start flipping them on their backs cuz you don’t want them to kick and injure their backs

[Author]

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