How Can I Determine My Rabbits' Sex?

by Dana Krempels, Ph.D.

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.


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