How to determine the sex of the rabbit?

For a beginner rabbit breeder, in order to successfully run a business, it is necessary to acquire a huge amount of knowledge and skills. Indeed, the arrangement of rabbitry, the requirements for lighting, temperature, humidity, proper nutrition, timely detection, treatment and prevention of diseases - this is a whole science. But, besides this, it is necessary to master a number of purely practical skills, such as, for example, determining the sex of an animal, because in rabbits secondary sexual characteristics are not so obvious.

What is it for

The answer to this question is, in general, obvious: in order for animals to reproduce, it is necessary at least to have representatives of both sexes, while if we talk about the most productive business, it is important to ensure the 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 more healthy offspring. But, not having the skills of determining the sex of the animal and relying on the assurances of the seller, you can easily become a victim of fraud or error.

It is equally important to be able to differentiate rabbits by sex, since young males and females must be kept separate from each other until puberty is reached (otherwise not only unwanted matings are possible, but also serious fights, and both males can fight for males and females among themselves).

Consider the most popular breeds of rabbits: Soviet chinchilla, Angora, Butterfly, giants (white giant, gray giant, Belgian giant), Californian, marder, New Zealand red, black-brown and Risen.

At what age can we distinguish the sex of rabbits

To determine the sex of a newborn rabbit is almost impossible. An experienced specialist can solve this problem in relation to babies who have turned at least two weeks old, but there is no particular need for such knowledge. The separation of the young from the mother and the separation of brothers and sisters occurs at the age of two months; it is at this moment that it becomes necessary to separate the animals by sex.

Did you know? For rabbits, sperm mixing is common, when rabbits born by different “fathers” are born in the same litter. Moreover, in order to increase the likelihood of fertilization and to obtain stronger offspring, it is even recommended to alternately mate one female with two males, placing them alternately, at intervals of 2–3 days.

A preliminary “assessment” of livestock can be carried out earlier, but it is still better not to disturb babies up to four weeks, especially since at a young age both primary and secondary sexual characteristics are almost imperceptible.

How to distinguish the sex of rabbits: the primary sexual characteristics

Indeed, the greatest problems are caused by the definition of gender in small rabbits, it is much easier to distinguish an adult rabbit from a rabbit, although it is fair to say that even this requires certain skills. As you know, distinguish between primary and secondary sexual characteristics. The first are, in fact, reproductive organs as such, the second is any other external differences (size, body structure, etc.) and behavioral patterns.

The main problem in determining the sex of young rabbits is that the genitals have not yet been completely formed and, being in their infancy, they have almost no distinctive male or female characteristics.

In order to understand who is in front of us, carry out the following manipulation:

• we arm with a magnifying glass;
• wash my hands thoroughly;
• Carefully we take the little rabbit out of the cage and sit on a horizontal, well-lit surface;
• with one hand, gently take the animal by the withers and with the help of the other hand we lay it on its back in the reclining position;
• continuing to hold the animal behind the withers, very carefully, so as not to scare the little rabbit and not to cause him pain, move the fur in the genital area and lightly press on the skin around your thumb and forefinger;
• If necessary, ask the assistant to consider the genitals through a magnifying glass.

Determine the sex of the rabbit

Important! Be prepared for the fact that you will not find the obvious penis and testicles in a boy and, consequently, the genital slit in a girl: in young rabbits, the genitals are very similar, so you should pay attention not only to their structure, but also to distance between the genitals and the anus.

At the first stages, most likely, it will be necessary to examine successively several individuals, trying to catch the differences between their genitals.

What does a rabbit boy look like

A very small bump with a hole, found during the above manipulations, is nothing more than foreskin, indicating that we are in front of a boy. At the same time, the distance between the genitals and the anus of the male is much greater than that of the female (this difference can only be observed by experience, examining successively several individuals of the same age). Rabbit boy

After the young reach three months of age, the boy's penis becomes more noticeable, and by six months it is already possible to consider a curved tube and two separate eggs (there is no fur for them, so it’s easy to see them).

Learn more about the benefits or dangers of hay, burdocks, wormwood, nettle in the rabbit's diet and what you can not feed the rabbits.

Appearance of rabbit girl

In a young rabbit, the genitals are less distinguishable than in the male, there is no tubercle in the genitals, and the distance between the genital slit and the anus is much smaller than in the boy, it is literally a couple of millimeters. At a slightly older age, the genitals of the girl take the form of a loop of a light pink color. Rabbit girl

Sex differences adult rabbits

There are far fewer problems with determining the sex of adult rabbits, since the primary sexual characteristics of animals are already distinguishable, and, in addition, there are additional signs that make it possible to distinguish males from females without even looking at the animal under its tail.

Primary

As you know, rabbits are very prolific creatures, respectively, puberty in them occurs quite early. Breeds of medium size are physically ready for breeding as early as three and a half months, for larger breeds this moment comes a month and a half later. Accordingly, at this age, the primary sexual characteristics in males and females are fully formed.

Did you know? Interestingly, a full-fledged portion of the sperm of an adult male contains 70-80 million sperm, while the crawler has "only" 50 million!

To determine the sex of an adult individual, approximately the same procedure as described for young animals is carried out, but if you have a certain skill, you can not lay the animal on a horizontal surface, but simply hold it up, holding the withers with one hand, and holding the other one under the bottom. backs.

For males

The distinguishing characteristic of the male is the presence of testes. As a rule, they can be distinguished even with a brief visual inspection, after which, in general, the question of determining gender can be considered solved. The crawl testicles are oval in shape and are approximately 15 mm wide and 25–35 mm long. It weighs every 2-3 g. When the male reaches the age of three months, the scrotum is finally formed, and the testicles in it look like two swellings, by the way, they can sometimes be mistaken for tumors. often during the inspection intuitively trying to draw him inside. Spreading your fingers between the hind legs and slightly pressing on the skin, you can clearly see a curved pink penis. However, you need to be prepared for the fact that the animal very often during the inspection intuitively tries to draw him inside.

Many rabbit breeders appreciated the advantage of keeping pets. Learn what shed is and how to create it yourself.

For females

If we talk about the primary sexual characteristics, the main difference between an adult rabbit is the absence of testicles. The female's genital slit has a loop shape, but if it is light pink in a young individual, then as it reaches maturity it becomes dark in color. Still, as a distinctive feature of the female, there is a small distance between the genitals and the anus, but in the adult individual this feature is no longer decisive: the sex differences at this age become quite obvious.

Secondary

The sex of the crawl can also be determined by secondary sexual characteristics, but this method is still an auxiliary one.

Important! The study of the genital organs of the animal is a prerequisite for the correct determination of its sex, differences in size, stature and behavior between males and females exist, but should not be relied upon.

If an untrained person is put in front of two enclosures, one of which contains a crawl, and the other is a rabbit, and propose to determine who is who, with high probability you can count on an intuitively correct answer. But to distinguish a male from a female in a mixed herd is not as easy as it may seem.

For males

Comparing animals of the same breed, it can be noted that males have a larger and heavier head, bones are wider, and movements are slightly angular.

For females

Rabbits, respectively, look more rounded, graceful and proportionate, but they are usually somewhat larger than their male counterparts. The head of the female individual is smaller and longer. In females, you can grope nipples located in two rows, while in males they are less noticeable (although they are also present).

It is important, nevertheless, to remember that these secondary sexual characteristics are not applicable to baby rabbits (young animals do not differ much in constitution and size), moreover, mistakes are inevitable if we compare animals of different ages.

Performing the function of childbirth determines whether the rabbit has a wider, even and long croup with well-developed muscles; however, the saggy and narrow croup does not at all indicate that you are a male. This physique is often the case with the rabbit, and this is considered a serious shortcoming, since it threatens the birth of dead or weak offspring.

Features of sex determination by the nature of the animal

Oddly enough, even watching the mating games of rabbits, inexperienced viewers often make mistakes in determining the sex of animals.

Did you know? It is noticed that in the process of the love foreplay many rabbitries try to saddle the male by climbing onto his back and even starting to make quite unambiguous rhythmic movements. Perhaps in this way the female tries to demonstrate her importance, or it’s just part of the ritual, however, the rule “who is on top - that man” doesn’t follow the rule for rabbits.

What has been said, however, does not mean at all that rabbits have no gender differences in behavior, they just need to know what these differences are.

Male behavior

Features characteristic of the behavior of males:

• The animal rubs its chin on the feeder or cell wall. The glands with which the rabbits mark the territory are located near the chin on the rodent, so this behavior clearly indicates an intention to fix its scent and, accordingly, its primacy;
• Another way to mark the territory is to leave your urine on it, splashing the odorous liquid to the maximum distance, for which the animal relieves literally a jump. This activity is also inherent in males.

Note that females also sometimes mark the territory, just the need for the weaker sex is less pronounced.

Female behavior

Features characteristic of female behavior:

• the rabbit is trying to hide in a secluded place;
• the animal digs into the litter, as if trying to equip a nest or dig a hole;
• if one rodent is more noisy and restless, it is most likely a female;
• unexpected loss of appetite without signs of disease;
• females are more likely to pull down from their own abdomen in an emotional outburst.

It will be useful for experienced rabbit breeders to find out when the rabbit can be allowed to be mated, at what age the rabbits molt and how to care for them, what and how to feed the rabbits without the rabbit and how to beat the rabbit at home.

Features determine the sex of rabbits decorative breeds

Determining the sex of decorative rabbits, in general, is no different from the rules described above. The only difference is that some breeds are too small, respectively, the process of studying the genitals can be very difficult.

In addition, if animals of meat or fur breeds, as a rule, are acquired on specialized farms, we can go to the nearest pet store, where we are most likely to encounter a sales assistant who, without having sufficient qualifications and experience in determining sex the rabbit will try to convince you otherwise. And, taking into account that for keeping at home it is best to acquire a young animal, in which the primary sexual characteristics are almost imperceptible, the danger of an error increases many times.

Important! Buying a decorative rabbit, never be guided by the "verdict" of the seller. Inspect the genitals of your future pet on your own, but rather bring an experienced specialist with you.

Even if you are not going to breed decorative rodents and knowingly acquire one individual as a pet, knowing the sex of the animal is very important. And not only in order not to be mistaken with the name. The fact is that single rabbits are strongly recommended to be sterilized. And both males and females. If this procedure is not done, the animal may begin to have problems with health and mentality: the males become aggressive, the females increase the risk of developing cancer. At the same time, the sterilized animal lives much longer, which is an important bonus for a pet.

Even with the best conditions for keeping rabbits and feeding them, they can get sick. Check out the main sores in rabbit ears, myxomatosis, pasteurellosis, sun and heat stroke in rabbits.

Learning to determine the sex of a rabbit is no easy task. Mastering this science requires a lot of attention and experience. The more adult the animal, the more obvious the sex differences become, however, despite the fact that the physique and behavior of the male and female eared rodents has certain features, it is still necessary to do without thorough examination of the genitalia in this matter.

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Watch the video: How to Determine a Rabbit's Sex. Pet Rabbits (May 2024).