Who can resist a cuddly big-eared bunny? Bunnies are popular pets; owning a bunny provides hours of play, hugs, and laughs. However, before deciding on a name for your bunny, or if you are contemplating getting more than one bunny, you will want to determine their gender.
The only way to determine the gender of a rabbit is through a physical examination. Carefully turn the bunny on its back. Part the fur around the genitals and push down slightly. The genitals will protrude, and the gender can be determined by studying the genitals closely.
The younger the bunny, the more difficult it is to determine the gender. When examining young bunnies, one must look closely to distinguish between a boy and a girl. The secret to determining their gender lies in slight but distinct differences in their genitals.
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How To Tell A Boy Bunny From A Girl Bunny
Young bunnies should be separated from one another at the age of eleven weeks to eliminate unwanted mating and pregnancies. How do you tell a boy bunny from a girl bunny at the tender age of eleven weeks?
Eleven-week-old bunnies are still tiny, and telling the difference between a boy and a girl may prove challenging. Therefore, you should prepare yourself, seeing it is possible to make a mistake when determining gender at this age.
The following steps will guide you to determine if you have a boy or a girl bunny.
- You need to carefully get hold of your bunny and turn it on its back, being careful not to hurt the bunny in any way.
- Calmly and carefully part the fur at the base of the tail, looking for an indentation indicating the location of the genitals.
- Lightly press downward on both sides of the indentation. The genitals will protrude slightly.
- Closely observe the genitals.
- A boy bunnies’ genitals will show as a small tube with a round hole on top situated further away from the anus.
- A girl bunny will have a leaf-formed little knob with a slit closer to the anus.
- After determining their gender, carefully set them free.
How To Determine The Gender Of Older Bunnies
The older the bunny, the more defined their genitals will be, making it easier to determine their gender.
You apply the same steps to determine the gender of older bunnies as those you do with younger bunnies. Keep the following in mind.
- Older bunnies are stronger than young bunnies, and it would be wise to get someone to help you hold the bunny to protect the bunny and yourself from injury.
- Hold down the back legs and part the fur at the base of the tail, slightly away from the anus.
- Push down slightly and examine the genitals. Look for a tube-like member with a round hole on the top.
- A little nub with a slit down the middle indicates a female.
- The boy, or buck, will have the tube-like member, and the girl, or doe, will have the little nub with a slit.
- Fully matured bucks have testicles that make it much easier to determine the gender. If you can detect testicles, you need not look further to know you have a male bunny. Female bunnies do not have testicles.
Why Should You Determine If You Have A Boy Or Girl Bunny?
Having one bunny may entice you to find what gender it is if you wish to give the bunny a gender-specific name like Henry or Henrietta. However, even though your bunny will not mind what you name it, you may find it troubling, for instance, realizing too late Henry should have been Henrietta after getting the gender wrong.
Knowing the gender of your bunny becomes more important the moment you decide to have more bunnies living together. Does can become pregnant at the tender age of twelve weeks, and if the doe has been living with bucks, and may fall pregnant after the first mating.
Therefore, determine the gender of bunnies as soon as possible, and then separate the does from the bucks.
Why Bunnies Should Not Have Babies Too Early Or Too Often
Baby bunnies are adorable, and it is natural to want to own as many bunnies as possible, but it is often not practical or safe for your girl bunny to have her babies too
soon or for mature does to have babies too often.
Always keep the following in mind when having more than one bunny and not knowing their gender.
- Bunnies can mate and have babies from the age of twelve weeks. However, at twelve weeks of age, the doe has not fully developed her motherly instincts and may not know how to raise her babies, still considered a baby herself.
- There can be between six and fourteen baby rabbits in a litter who need proper care to survive. If the doe cannot or does not know how to care for the kittens, they may die if humans do not intervene and help them.
- Every doe can deliver thirteen times per year. An average of six bunnies per litter amounts to seventy-eight bunnies each year. Ideally does should only have ten litters per year.
- Unwanted baby rabbits often end up at rescue centers.
- It is detrimental to a doe’s health if she starts having babies too young or too often.
Interesting Rabbit Facts
Did you know the following about rabbits and bunnies?
- A girl bunny is known as a doe or a female.
- A boy bunny is also known as a buck or a male.
- Baby bunnies are called kittens, the same as cat babies.
- In Canada, a herd of rabbits is called a fluffle. So cute!
- A happy and content rabbit purrs, same as cats.
Conclusion
The decision to determine the gender of your bunny is entirely up to you.
Strive to be a caring and responsible bunny parent and enjoy every moment with your furry friend.
