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This article was co-written by Pippa Elliott, MRCVS. Elliott is a veterinarian with more than thirty years of experience in veterinary surgery and pet treatment. She graduated from the University of Glasgow in 1987 with a degree in veterinary surgeon. She has worked at a veterinary clinic in her hometown for more than 20 years.
This article has been viewed 21,988 times.
There are many reasons why people want to know the sex of rabbits. Maybe you want to choose a suitable name for your rabbit or to prevent pregnancy when you have many rabbits at the same time. It’s also important to determine the sex of rabbits because female rabbits are at risk for uterine cancer, and you can prevent this by having your rabbit spayed. [1] X Research Sources Harcourt-Brown, Frances. Textbook of Rabbit Medicine. Butterworth-Heinemann, 2001. If you follow the simple steps below, you can tell if your rabbit is male or female.
Steps
Preparing for the rabbit test
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Determine the age of the rabbit. If you have a litter of baby rabbits, you need to know that they can start breeding at 12 weeks old, so it’s important to separate the rabbits by sex to house them separately before they’re 3 months old or around. . [2] X Research Sources Harcourt-Brown, Frances. Textbook of Rabbit Medicine. Butterworth-Heinemann, 2001.
- It is difficult to know the sex of rabbits when they are only a few days old. You can try this when the rabbit is young, but to be sure, wait until the rabbit is at least 4 weeks old.
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Start with the larger rabbits. If you’re not familiar with determining the sex of rabbits, it’s best to start by looking at adult rabbits. If there is a parent rabbit that has just given birth to a litter, you can observe the characteristics of the father rabbit and the mother rabbit. That way you’ll know what an adult rabbit will look like.
- If you are still unsure, you can ask your veterinarian for help. Take your rabbit to the vet so they can help you determine its sex if absolutely necessary. [3] X Research Sources Harcourt-Brown, Frances. Textbook of Rabbit Medicine. Butterworth-Heinemann, 2001.
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Place the rabbit in the correct position with help. Choose a rabbit to start with. Like most mammals, the rabbit’s genitals are located between the hind legs. To observe this part, you need to lay the rabbit on its back. It would be better to have someone to help hold the rabbit so you can have your hands free. Ask a helper to sit in a recliner and place a towel on your lap to prevent your rabbit from urinating.
- Have an assistant hold the rabbit by the nape of the neck with one hand, support it under the bottom of the rabbit’s bottom with the other hand, then lift the rabbit up and turn the rabbit over to lie on its back. Place the rabbit’s head toward the helper’s belly, with the rabbit’s tail resting on the knee. This position will make it easier to examine your rabbit’s genitals. [4] X Research Sources Harcourt-Brown, Frances. Textbook of Rabbit Medicine. Butterworth-Heinemann, 2001.
- You may need to wear gloves, as you will be touching the rabbit’s genital area. This will help you stay hygienic and also safer. If you don’t wear gloves, you could unknowingly infect your rabbit with disease from yourself or other rabbits. [5] X Research Sources
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Get the rabbit into position when no help is available. If you are alone when examining your rabbit, turn it over on its back. To do this, place an index finger between the rabbit ears and grab the rabbit’s nape by placing your thumb on one side and the other three fingers on the other. Use your other hand to support the rabbit’s bottom and turn it over.
- Once you’ve turned the rabbit over, hold the rabbit’s head between your arms and your torso, and let go of the rabbit’s bottom. Hold the rabbit in your arms.
- You can also place the rabbit on a low table. Always hold the rabbit gently but firmly. You need to choose a low enough table so that if the rabbit can get out and jump to the ground, it will not get hurt. [6] X Research Sources
Determining the sex of the rabbit
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Find the rabbit’s genitals. To determine the sex of the rabbit, you need to examine the external genitalia. After placing the rabbit on its back, trace the fur between the rabbit’s hind legs. The helper should hold the rabbit gently while you brush the rabbit’s fur.
- If your rabbit struggles a lot, try to calm it down by talking softly and petting it. You don’t want to injure your rabbit during the test. [7] X Research Sources
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Find the rabbit’s testicles. You can see the male rabbit’s testicles located outside the body in the groin area between the hind legs. Rabbit testicles are long and narrow, not as round as dog testicles. Look for two elongated bullet-shaped bulges on either side, located under the skin. Rabbit testicles are usually covered with a thin, purple coat.
- A rabbit’s scrotum is usually covered with fur, so you may need to wet the area with water to get a better view.
- You can detect testicles when the rabbit is 10 weeks old or older. Before this age, rabbit testicles are very small and difficult to identify with certainty. However, regardless of the age of the rabbit, it is easier to examine the testicles before looking for a penis.
- In mature and well-developed male rabbits, the answer is obvious because you can see the testicles right away. [8] X Research Sources Harcourt-Brown, Frances. Textbook of Rabbit Medicine. Butterworth-Heinemann, 2001.
- If you don’t see the testicles from the first moment, keep in mind that when the rabbit is scared, it can pull the testicles into its abdomen and make them disappear. Try talking to the rabbit, stroking it gently to see if that helps it relax, then check again. If you can’t see the rabbit’s testicles, you can’t draw a conclusion. Instead, move on to checking the genital opening. [9] X Research Source
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Check the genital opening. Now you need to check if the rabbit has a vulva or a penis. To locate it, gently trace the rabbit’s fur between the hind legs until you see a small, slightly raised tissue. This is the acupoint, with the anal opening and the reproductive organs. For a better view, gently press the sides to open the area.
- The genital opening is the one furthest from the tail. Gently press the sides of the genital opening with your thumb and index finger. If it’s a female rabbit, you’ll see a narrow line, often described as the letter I . If it is a male rabbit, this area will be circular, which can be described as an O shape.
- The hole closest to the tail is the anus. The anus of male and female rabbits is the same. If you look closely, you can identify the anus by observing the contractions of the anal sphincter. [10] X Research Sources[11] X Research Sources
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Review. If you want to be more sure, or if you can’t distinguish between I and O shapes, you can double check. Gently press on the base of the genital opening, pulling gently toward the rabbit’s back.
- If it is a penis, sometimes it will protrude and show a clear tube-like shape.
- If it’s a vulva, the labia will usually open like a petal. [12] X Research Source
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Don’t just rely on physical features. It is said that you can tell the sex of rabbits by observing their physical features. Although adult male rabbits may have a larger skull than female rabbits, this is not a reliable way to tell sex. Unfortunately, physical appearance such as the size and shape difference between male and female rabbits is not sufficiently specific to be considered a useful factor for sex determination.
- Always check the genitals to be completely sure of the sex of the rabbit. [13] X Research Sources Harcourt-Brown, Frances. Textbook of Rabbit Medicine. Butterworth-Heinemann, 2001.
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Take your rabbit to the vet for identification. You can check the sex of your rabbit at home, but if you want to know for sure for mating or other purposes, take your rabbit to the vet for confirmation. Your veterinarian can help you determine the sex of your rabbit.
- If you have multiple rabbits, you can take them to the doctor for sex determination at the same time.
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This article was co-written by Pippa Elliott, MRCVS. Elliott is a veterinarian with more than thirty years of experience in veterinary surgery and pet treatment. She graduated from the University of Glasgow in 1987 with a degree in veterinary surgeon. She has worked at a veterinary clinic in her hometown for more than 20 years.
This article has been viewed 21,988 times.
There are many reasons why people want to know the sex of rabbits. Maybe you want to choose a suitable name for your rabbit or to prevent pregnancy when you have many rabbits at the same time. It’s also important to determine the sex of rabbits because female rabbits are at risk for uterine cancer, and you can prevent this by having your rabbit spayed. [1] X Research Sources Harcourt-Brown, Frances. Textbook of Rabbit Medicine. Butterworth-Heinemann, 2001. If you follow the simple steps below, you can tell if your rabbit is male or female.
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