I hope to add some photographs soon, but until then, I hope this helps you
solve the mystery of What To Name the Bunny.
Sit in a comfortable chair and hold the bunny in your lap for a few
minutes. When bunny is calm, gently cradle him/her with belly up and
head, chest and back curled against your abdomen, and hind feet facing
away from you. Be sure to firmly support the back, and don't allow the
bunny to kick. A rabbit's hind legs and back muscles are so powerful and
his skeleton so light (rabbits are built for quick getaway!) that one kick
in a bad position can actually result in a spinal fracture!
The prepuce is the fuzzy protuberance between the hind legs. Gently press
down on the anterior part of it (the side facing you), and the pink tissue
inside will emerge. In a young female, the tissue will appear somewhat conical,
with a slit running from the tip, backwards towards the tail. In an
older female, the tissue may be more "fleshy", but the slit is still
generally from tip towards the back.
If the rabbit is a young male, the pink tissue will appear more like a
cylinder with a small hole in the center. If he's starting to mature,
the tip of the penis may protrude. A neutered male's penis will
usually not be large enough to protrude, though this is not always the
case. A mature, unneutered male will have large, obvious testicles
(more than one inexperienced bunny parent has mistaken these for "tumors"
on their "female" rabbit, prompting Kevin to christen them "Bilateral
Perianal Testosteromas") on
either side of the prepuce. They are usually pinkish with rather
obvious veins, but may be grey. They are somewhat "sausage shaped"
and start just in front of the prepuce and curve backwards towards the
tail. If the bunny is frightened, he may retract the testicles,
making them hard to see.
For some very nice photographs of what juvenile and adult male and female
rabbit private parts look like, click
HERE.
If you're still in doubt, take your bunny to a
rabbit-experienced vet for positive sexing. And don't forget to
schedule a spay
(female) or neuter (male) when bunny is old enough. That's as soon as
the testicles drop for a male, and anywhere from 6-8 months for a female.
Back to House
Rabbit Society of Miami, FL.
Visit the National House
Rabbit Society.
Back to Rabbit
Health Central.