Breeding rabbits is a labor-intensive process that requires a lot of knowledge and skills. Among them, it is worth highlighting the determination of the sex of the animal. This is because this procedure is not an easy task even for experienced rabbit breeders. And, without being able to distinguish between the sexes of animals, their rearing becomes impossible.
Determining the sex of an adult rabbit.
After the rabbit is 4-5 months old, problems with the floor almost never arise. The males' testicles have already descended and are very easy to see.
Turn the rabbit onto its back and hold it tightly. Pull the ponytail under the back to reveal the genital area. In the male, firstly, a slightly protruding penis will appear, and secondly, you will see two testicles.
For an adult rabbit, the main sign of gender will be the testicles.
Rabbit testicles are not at all like those of a dog or cat. They resemble two bright pink elongated swellings.
As for females, if you slightly stretch the genitals with your fingers (index towards the tummy, and thumb towards the tail), you will be able to observe a fairly long slit. It resembles a loop, just like in bitch dogs.
Even if a rabbit behaves like a male (jumps on a toy, imitates sexual intercourse, etc.), this does not mean that the rabbit is a male. Females also behave this way: when excited, in attempts to establish their superiority, etc.
Inspection technique
In order to accurately find out the sex of a baby rabbit, you should do the following:
- prepare a flat, hard surface with good lighting;
- calmly lift the rabbit by the scruff or ears with one hand, and with the other, supporting the body from the back, place it at the inspection site, lightly pressing the tail to the surface and lifting the hind legs up;
- With the thumb and index finger of your free hand, stretch the skin in the perineal area and press lightly on both sides of the genitals;
- if a pink bump or bulge appears with a hole in the middle, it’s a boy, if a small loop-shaped fold appears, it’s a girl.
The most important rule during inspection is not to disturb the animal. Whenever frightened, rabbits retract their genitals, which prevents an examination.
Determining the sex of a baby rabbit
This problem is more serious. There are no testicles here yet and you will have to rely only on your attentiveness.
Females are again distinguished by the presence of a genital slit, and this slit originates almost from the anus. The male has a small round hole quite far from the anus.
In small rabbits, the sex is determined only in this way by the type of the genital opening and its location relative to the anus.
An experienced breeder will be able to determine the sex of a rabbit within 2-3 weeks with a 90% probability.
Things to remember
It is impossible to identify baby rabbits immediately after birth. Organs are just being formed, so it is difficult to understand and recognize any signs. Professionals determine sex in the second week of life, although the accuracy of predictions does not exceed 90%.
Distinguishing between tiny boys and girls in a litter is a thankless task. Some beginners try to capture their “marks” in photos and videos. Animals grow and change quickly, so in a month you won’t find them among the crowd of nimble young people.
At the age of 90 days, individuals reach sexual maturity, and hormonal changes require adolescents to continue the race. If males and females are not placed in different cages in advance, inbreeding will occur—inbreeding. As a result, the offspring can be expected to:
- mutations;
- illness;
- low survival rate;
- wildness.
The unformed nervous system of boys forces them to express their superiority over girls. There are constant fights in the cages, which end in serious injuries and death of the fighters. The “men” are in an excited state, which negatively affects their health and psyche.
If you know how to determine the sex of a rabbit, then there will be no problems with breeding. In search of signs, you no longer need to study videos or photos. Our methods will help to distinguish the developmental features of both a month-old baby and a strong adult.
Optimal age of a rabbit for sex determination
The best time to determine the sex of rabbits is when they reach four weeks after birth. Attempts to identify distinctive features in the early stages turn out to be incorrect in 80% of cases.
At the time of birth, it is unrealistic to identify the sex of baby rabbits, because their genitals are still underdeveloped and are only at the stage of formation.
Until one month of age, the genitals of males and females look the same. At three months they are ready to mate, but crossing closely related representatives will not produce healthy offspring. Therefore, the optimal period for establishing the sex and further delimitation of animals is exactly 30 days after birth.
You can begin the initial sex check at the age of 35 days, and start placing the animals at 1.5-2 months. But there is no guarantee that the sex of the rabbit will be correctly determined even at this time. It all depends on the experience of the breeder, as well as the precocity of the species. Experienced rabbit breeders say that the older the animal is, the more correct the identification will be.
Why is it important to determine the sex of rabbits between 1 and 3 months of age?
Up to 4 months, rabbits undergo final placement. Some breeds have already reached puberty by this time, and there is a risk of inbreeding. And such reproduction threatens the birth of weak offspring with genetic abnormalities. Not only family ties will have a negative impact on the development of the offspring, but also the animals’ genitalia that are not fully formed, which greatly affects the synthesis of necessary hormones in the body.
The deadline for determining the sex of rabbits is 3 months from the day of their birth. If you do not control the process, you can end up with entire litters of rabbits with low health indicators. The following factors can lead to this:
- close relationship between parents;
- defects in the formation of genital organs in parents;
- injuries received by male rabbits as a result of fights for the status of the strongest.
If possible, it is better to start placing rabbits when they reach one and a half or two months of age.
General remarks.
What real rabbit breeder has not encountered in his practice the establishment of the gender of his pets? This procedure, although not complicated, is very responsible. Of course, you can always use the services of a veterinarian or a more experienced professional for these purposes. However, this is not always possible, or is associated with additional hassle and time costs. I think that you, dear colleague, will show a desire to learn how to determine the sex of rabbits yourself, and with great reliability, approaching 100%. This is what this publication of mine is dedicated to.
As they say, it is better to see once than to hear a hundred times. Therefore, I bring to your attention, as an addition to the theoretical part, the most understandable and high-quality videos, from my point of view, recorded in three different countries: the USA, Finland and on the Rabbit Coast (that is, in Spain). I did not translate them. Everything the characters say is either intuitive or written later in the article. After looking at them, you will be convinced that there is nothing complicated in determining the sex of rabbits, and that the same approaches and methods are used all over the world. So, let's go.
Primary sexual characteristics
The primary characteristics are the genitals of the male and female. The gender can only be determined by carefully examining the rabbit's genitals. There are two determination methods that differ for adults and juveniles.
Appearance of the female genitals
The female genitals are represented by a loop. It looks like a tongue. The color can be either light pink in younger animals or dark in very adult ones. On the sides, the loop has a triangular shape; a gap passes through it, which tapers towards the tail.
Appearance of the genitals of a young female
If there is a girl in front of you, you will see an oblong slit that tapers towards the anus. If you cannot understand that there is a gap in front of you and not a round hole, measure the distance from the genitals to the anus. In females it is no more than 2 millimeters.
Appearance of the male genitals
The genitals of a male rabbit are shaped like a cylinder with a round hole in the cap. As a rule, this organ is white in teenage rabbits. However, the older the individual becomes, the more its genitals change. After some time, the end of the penis becomes swollen and turns pink along its entire length. From the outside, the male rabbit's genitals resemble a bullet.
During the onset of puberty of the animal, you will be able to see the descended testicles. This part of the genitals is a 100% indicator of gender, so when you find them, you can be sure that this is a male. Rabbit testicles are very similar to tumors, not covered with hair. Because of this similarity to painful formations, some new breeders panic greatly and begin to run to veterinarians in search of treatment.
Appearance of the genitals of a young male
In male rabbits, when you spread the skin using the method described above, instead of a gap you will see a round hole. If it is also not clearly visible, then refer to measuring the distance from the genitals to the anus. It should exceed 2 millimeters, but can reach 5 millimeters.
Because rabbits are small animals, it can be difficult to see their genitals. Use a magnifying glass during the identification procedure. This will increase the accuracy of the manipulations performed.
What is it for
The answer to this question, in general, is obvious: in order for animals to reproduce, it is necessary at least to have representatives of both sexes, and, if we talk about the most productive business, it is important to ensure an optimal ratio of male and female individuals in the herd.
Important! Rabbits do not create monogamous families, so on average it is enough to purchase two males for ten females.
Experts recommend buying the female and male parts of the livestock from different breeders in order to exclude closely related matings and, thus, get healthier offspring. But, without having the skills to determine the sex of an animal and relying on the seller’s assurances, you can easily become a victim of deception or error.
It is equally important to be able to distinguish rabbits by gender, since young males and females must be kept separately from each other until they reach puberty (otherwise, not only unwanted matings are possible, but also serious fights, and both males and males can fight for the female males and females among themselves).
Secondary sexual characteristics
They are formed during the process of growth and puberty of individuals. They are classified by appearance:
- fur cover;
- shape and structure of the head;
- mammary glands;
- condition of the musculoskeletal system;
- body proportions.
They help visually understand gender, but are auxiliary, not fundamental. Males, unlike females, are larger, including their skulls. Females have a more fragile skeleton, graceful body lines, the gluteal region is larger than that of males, and there are 2 rows of nipples on the stomach.
Observing rodents, you can see characteristic features in their behavior: Boys tend to mark their territory with urine and behave more actively and aggressively. Girls prefer privacy and do not get into fights.
How to distinguish a male from a female
It is necessary to determine the sex, for example, when purchasing a new animal. This is especially true if the rabbit is purebred and is selected for breeding
It is important to distinguish males from females so as not to buy a rabbit of the wrong gender.
When breeding at home, determining the sex of male and female rabbits is required so that they can be seated separately in time, since animals of different sexes cannot be kept together. When they become sexually mature, they begin to fight, bite, spoil each other’s skins, and males often damage the genitals of other males.
It is clear that such individuals are no longer suitable for breeding. There is also a high probability of accidentally obtaining unplanned unwanted offspring
This is why it is so important to distinguish a rabbit from a female rabbit.
How to determine the gender of young and decorative rabbits
How to distinguish a rabbit from a female rabbit if they have not yet reached the age of puberty? Unlike adults, whose fully formed reproductive organs cannot be confused, in small cubs these organs are practically no different from each other upon external examination. What to do in such a situation?
Look carefully at the position of the genitals in relation to the anus. The distance from the anus to the female's genital opening is approximately two millimeters, and the male's genitals are located much further from this opening.
When determining the sex of animals of decorative breeds, the sequence of actions is no different from a similar procedure for ordinary rabbits. The process is complicated only by the small size of these animals, since most ornamental breeds are dwarf. I would like to warn you right away that even buying a pet at a pet store does not give you complete confidence in the correct determination of its gender.
There are often cases when a purchased charming female grows up and turns into a very respectable and active male. It happens, of course, the other way around. Therefore, do not take the seller’s word for it, but with his help, examine your future pet yourself to determine its gender.
How to determine the sex of a young decorative rabbit?
At a young age, when determining the sex of a rabbit, the distance between the anus and the genital organ is important; in a boy it is greater.
In general, if you turn a rabbit upside down and pull its tail down a little, you can see in a girl a gap that starts from the anus, and in a boy there is a small round hole 3-4 mm from the anus. It's already a male. In small rabbits, the sex is determined only in this way by the type of the genital opening and its location relative to the anus.
Consolidation of the result.
It is now very important to practice on your own and try to “discern” the sex of six to seven rabbits on your farm. Select the oldest individuals with a known gender and look carefully at what is there and how. Next, move on to increasingly younger rabbits. Finally, try to determine the gender of your smallest pets. If everything worked out, you can consider yourself an expert in this matter. Congratulations to you!
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Why do decorative rabbits need to be neutered?
Uncastrated decorative rabbits grow up and become incredibly aggressive. They can begin to rush not only at their fellows, but also try to harm the owner.
The urine of sexually mature decorative rabbits acquires a specific nasty smell. Just like ordinary rabbits, they begin to mark their territory. If your long-eared pet lives in an apartment and, as sometimes happens, is not limited in movement, then soon absolutely everything in your house will smell of its pungent urine.
Due to the above reasons, you should start determining the sex of decorative rabbits immediately after, or even during the purchase. The method for determining sex in decorative and dwarf rabbits is no different from the methods presented for ordinary animals.
As a rule, the size of decorative rabbits is even smaller than ordinary ones. Be sure to take a magnifying glass with you when you are planning to buy your eared friend so that you can inspect it on the spot.
Let's sum it up
Despite the small size of the animals you have chosen for breeding, they are just as lively and emotional as large representatives of the animal world. Proper care and consideration of the physiological and behavioral characteristics of rabbits will help you cope with your livestock tasks and ensure intensive business development.
One of the necessary manipulations when breeding rabbits is determining their gender. You have already read the detailed reasons for this need in our article, and also studied methods proven over the years to independently carry out this unusual procedure.
To summarize, it must be said that the technique for determining sexual characteristics depends directly on the age of your pet. Identification of small rabbits, up to a month old, is very difficult due to the underdevelopment of the animals' genitals. During this period of development, the female's loop and the male's penis are very similar to each other. It is difficult to distinguish them even by the gap and round hole.
Differences in the external structure of the reproductive system of rabbits
Teenage rabbits have much more developed genitals; the loop in females takes on the shape of a tongue and turns pink. The penis of males becomes like a cylinder with a gradually swelling foreskin.
The genitals of sexually mature individuals often acquire a dark pink tint. In females, an oblong slit begins to be noticeable, and in males, the testicles descend, looking like two bald mounds.
