Breed and sex?

[mamabun]

Hi.
Hard to see your picture but it really sounds to me as if that's the buck. Testicles on a 6# rabbit will be larger than cashews. My 7.5# bucks testicles can be seen when he is just sprawled out relaxing. Also are you aware you cannot see the buck's penis unless you put some pressure beside their gentiles? So many people assume they have does because you can't see the penis.
Kits don't normally attach to their mothers.

Yes it was hard to get a picture too. Would the buck run from me and not want me to hold it? If buck testicles are the length and width of my thumb then it's possibel that's what they are, but these today were moving around inside the sacks. Geesh identifying sexes is hard to do. Oh and yesterday I switched the rabbits, putting them on separate sides from each other. This morning the one in the cage is locked inside and the other jumped over to her side, this is what makes me think he is the male. A female wouldn't be that aggressive to be with the male would she?

 

[Bunnylady]

I don't know how to break this to you, but that's a buck.

Rabbits are, well, pretty unusual in that department. As you can see, the testicles are not together, they are each in their own sac, beside the fuzzy bump that normally hides the rabbit's genitalia (does have a bump like that too; you only see the actual penis or vulva when you press on it). Bucks' testicles can vary quite a bit in apparent size, even within a short period of time. What's especially weird is that they can actually pull their testicles back inside their bodies if they feel strongly enough about the matter (possibly helps protect them when fighting).

And yes, bucks can be very shy; or even very aggressive; does are notoriously territorial (which is why you are supposed to put the doe in the buck's cage rather than the other way around when breeding).

As for a doe fighting the buck - I had a friend who had a Fuzzy Lop buck that was castrated by a doe that he was supposed to be breeding - and that was in his cage.

 

[mamabun]

I don't know how to break this to you, but that's a buck.

Rabbits are, well, pretty unusual in that department. As you can see, the testicles are not together, they are each in their own sac, beside the fuzzy bump that normally hides the rabbit's genitalia (does have a bump like that too; you only see the actual penis or vulva when you press on it). Bucks' testicles can vary quite a bit in apparent size, even within a short period of time. What's especially weird is that they can actually pull their testicles back inside their bodies if they feel strongly enough about the matter (possibly helps protect them when fighting).

And yes, bucks can be very shy; or even very aggressive; does are notoriously territorial (which is why you are supposed to put the doe in the buck's cage rather than the other way around when breeding).

As for a doe fighting the buck - I had a friend who had a Fuzzy Lop buck that was castrated by a doe that he was supposed to be breeding - and that was in his cage.

Rabbits sound agressive. I'm very confused. All I can do at this point is give them both a nesting box and wait and see I guess. The more aggressive one was always chasing the other and always at her behind. This is why I am confused why if its a female she keeps going to him instead of him to her. Would whatever is inside their testicles move around? Well, wait and see game. Once whichever has babies she is getting a cat collar so I know for sure.

 

[Bunnylady]

Mounting and chasing can be dominance behaviors. When does are housed together, they can be as brutal as bucks to each other (as I found out to my chagrin in a colony I set up once - the victim later died of her injuries in that one). Even if they aren't that bad, a dominant doe may mount her cage mates, and the subordinate does may experience false pregnancies as a result (really!)

Actually, though sexing baby rabbits can get confusing, sexing adult rabbits is pretty easy. While a doe usually has a bare patch on either side of her vulva in the same places where a buck has his testicles, that's all it is - a patch of skin with no hair. If you see a pair of pinkish masses, or just sort of wrinkled baggy things, that's a buck (and come to think of it, some bucks have pigmented skin there . . . .). Rabbit testicles are a lot longer than wide, rounded on the ends, and up to about 2 1/2" long; and can be moved in and out of the sacs pretty much at will. I have often seen people at rabbit shows bouncing up and down while holding a youngish buck or "tickling" him there to try to get him to let them both down: a permanently retained testicle is a disqualification at a show.

 

[mamabun]

Mounting and chasing can be dominance behaviors. When does are housed together, they can be as brutal as bucks to each other (as I found out to my chagrin in a colony I set up once - the victim later died of her injuries in that one). Even if they aren't that bad, a dominant doe may mount her cage mates, and the subordinate does may experience false pregnancies as a result (really!)

Actually, though sexing baby rabbits can get confusing, sexing adult rabbits is pretty easy. While a doe usually has a bare patch on either side of her vulva in the same places where a buck has his testicles, that's all it is - a patch of skin with no hair. If you see a pair of pinkish masses, or just sort of wrinkled baggy things, that's a buck (and come to think of it, some bucks have pigmented skin there . . . .). Rabbit testicles are a lot longer than wide, rounded on the ends, and up to about 2 1/2" long; and can be moved in and out of the sacs pretty much at will. I have often seen people at rabbit shows bouncing up and down while holding a youngish buck or "tickling" him there to try to get him to let them both down: a permanently retained testicle is a disqualification at a show.

Oh wow, maybe? I just don't know now. Once they are settled down I am going to try and get in there and take as many photos of both as I can and post them. Hopefully you and the BYH can help me figure out this dilemma?

 

[Bunnylady]

Unless you have something truly unusual going on here,

This is your buck

This is your doe.

As I explained to my mother once upon a time, "mature bucks have more massive heads and more substance to their ears than does do. If you know the breed at all, and you can't tell he's a buck just by looking at his face, you don't want him." (And as I have been breeding rabbits for about 30 years, I think you are pretty safe taking my word for it)

 

[mamabun]

Unless you have something truly unusual going on here,

This is your buck

This is your doe.

As I explained to my mother once upon a time, "mature bucks have more massive heads and more substance to their ears than does do. If you know the breed at all, and you can't tell he's a buck just by looking at his face, you don't want him." (And as I have been breeding rabbits for about 30 years, I think you are pretty safe taking my word for it)

Okay, thanks.

 

[Kaye]

i have a doe that is so territorial that she has to be alone 24/7 because she's been known to make other rabbits cry (not a nice sound at all). I can only breed her when she is ready. Even then she mounts the buck before she's letting him do anything in his own cage.
And I have the perfect pair to show the difference in male and female rabbits from the face. I will post this in my journal later today

 

[mamabun]

Okay, thank

ok, so I took some photos. Here is Frank I believe in the first collage of 4 photos and 1 alone of his possible testicles? And here is Matilda in the collage of 3 photos. What do you think?

 

[mamabun]

Matilda