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› FORUM › HOUSE RABBIT Q & A › the ? of age
if you just so happen to have an unkown mix, How can you possibly tell the age?
There is no accurate way to determine age that I am aware of. Sometimes a guess might be made of a younger bunny in its stage of sexual maturity- testicles dropping, etc. But that is not reliable and really only indicates if ready for spay or neuter. You can’t age a bunny by its teeth like you can with a dog or cat- since bunny teeth do not “age” like dogs or cats. And you can approx a horses age by its teeth- by wearing, condition and grooves- but as a horse and bunny have errupting teeth- bunnies do not have obvious age indicators like a horse does.
So basically- there is no way to tell the age.
True story, I had a cat that I took in as a stray and took it to the vet for shots and wellness exam. I asked the vet how old she thought he was and her response was, “Well, he’s either really young or really old”. Hehe.
Because you have a baby, it won’t be terribly hard to approximate age. You will always be within a few weeks of her birthday!
If your rabbit is still growing bigger then it is possible that he/she is under 1 year old. If he/she isn’t getting bigger than he/she is over 1 year old.
You can’t know-after adulthood and before seniorhood-there is no good way of telling. My shelter said Rupert was 2 when I adopted him but he was a stray and there is no way to know. His teeth look great and he’s healthy and I suspect we’ll know when he enters his senior years. Until then in my books he’s five ![]()
This is really common with all types of animals that are adopted as adults. The vet can make a best guess, but that’s all it is. They are not going to know for a fact if the dog, cat, rabbit is 2 years or 6 years. When they start to slow down, lose weight, or health/mobility issues develop, that can indicate they are in the senior years.
Your bun still looks young. With males you can sort of judge based on when the testicles descend at 3-4 months. Females tend to go crazy (hormones) around 5-7 months. With the exception of changing from an alfalfa to timothy-based diet (between 7 months and one year), exact or approximate age is not necessary for the care of rabbits.
For people who want a date to “celebrate”, I always suggest celebrating the day you brought your bunny home and he/she started their new life with you!
Posted By Beka27 on 05/03/2011 04:41 AM
This is really common with all types of animals that are adopted as adults. The vet can make a best guess, but that’s all it is. They are not going to know for a fact if the dog, cat, rabbit is 2 years or 6 years. When they start to slow down, lose weight, or health/mobility issues develop, that can indicate they are in the senior years.Your bun still looks young. With males you can sort of judge based on when the testicles descend at 3-4 months. Females tend to go crazy (hormones) around 5-7 months. With the exception of changing from an alfalfa to timothy-based diet (between 7 months and one year), exact or approximate age is not necessary for the care of rabbits.
For people who want a date to “celebrate”, I always suggest celebrating the day you brought your bunny home and he/she started their new life with you!
That is a great Idea there. Thanks.
now can anyone tell me how old a young bunny is when they develop a nice good set of teeth? Just wondering.
Rabbits always have nice teeth.. they keep growing and growing their entire lives ![]()
Errr. Dandela DOES have teeth, right?
and they’re sharp at all ages!
Posted By Tate on 05/03/2011 11:09 AM
Errr. Dandela DOES have teeth, right?
oh yes, of course. How do you think she chews on her hay chunks. I told everyone I examed her and her teeth are nice and all. Not overgrown or anything, just perfect (the way they are suppose to be). I will get you a pic.
Hehe, just making sure. ![]()
here is the pic of her teeth. I hope it is clear enough for you.![]()
<img src="” alt=”” />
if that don’t work try this….
http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af147/kellerangie/My%20bunny/teeth.jpg
what do you think?![]()
Copy the HTML code and paste it into the post.
LOL
They don’t work. I’m sure at her young age her teeth are fine. However, there is no way you could see those very back molars unless you have an otoscope. Unless her teeth are misaligned due to genetics, dental problems won’t be a concern at her young age. Dental problems normally are a problem with older rabbits when they start losing bone density.
Yep, her teeth look good ![]()
On the right side of each image, or when you hover and the list drops, select the one that says HTML, it starts with <a href=
As my bunnies have aged, their teeth have yellowed. I have a rabbit-savvy vet and back-up rabbit-savvy vet, and they both say that teeth are definitely no guarantee to telling age (as diet and other factors can come into play), but if they are older than five, their teeth are usually darker. (even though they continue to grow.) I did find this to be true with Rucy and Jack as they aged…their pearly whites turned more yellow. I got Vivian when she was six, so she already had her yellowing teeth. But before those senior years….I don’t know of any way to tell age except with age related symptoms like arthritis. Like others have mentioned dental issues, weight and behaviorial changes can happen as bunnies reach their older years. I think your only age options are baby, adult and senior.
› FORUM › HOUSE RABBIT Q & A › the ? of age
