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Question
QUESTION: I have two rabbits, one is a boy lion head mix that is neutered, and the other is a female(well that is what we were told) that we got 2 months ago and we don't know what kind of rabbit she is but she has short black hair, huge back feet, large ears, and is medium size. We had the male rabbit for a little over a year before we got the female and when we introduced the two it was love at first sight. They lived in the same cage which was large enough for the two of them and they showed no aggression towards each other. Until recently the two were very nice together, but the other day we noticed our female looked as if she were growing testicles, but they were just fuzzy groups of hair next to her area, but we do not feel anything there. The next day the two rabbits were fighting and we now have the female in a separate temporary cage and the other in the original cage. We don't know what is wrong with the female because she seems to be the one showing aggression and we keep checking to see if she or he is growing testicles but we noticed what looked like blood at the end of her area. Is she a male??? Should we put them in two separate cages and let them out at separate times??? Is the female in heat?? If she is in heat will the aggression ever go away? If we got her spayed can two ever live together in the same cage?

ANSWER: http://www.rabbitnetwork.org/articles/sexing.shtml

Hi Rylee

First of all let's figure out if you in fact have a female. The above link is how to sex your rabbit from the house rabbit society with a close-up photo to help.

Once we establish if it's a male or female, then we will have our starting base. Males typically fight, sometimes to the death. If they got along, especially if you put the new rabbit in your old rabbits cage and they got along, licking each other etc, then chances are good that you do have a female. If you were to put two unaltered males together they would most likely fight right away.

So, rabbits who have gotten along and stop, a lot of times this could indicate that the female is pregnant. My does have become quite nasty with their previously loved male partners when they are about mid-term through their pregnancy.

Rabbits can carry two separate litters of rabbits. They are able to do this because their uterus is shaped in two horns, a litter is sometimes carried in each. However, if the litters are about two weeks apart, then the result is not often good. Rabbits who live together over-mate and the litters are often unviable because of the age differences between the litters. Sometimes both litters are born at the same time and half the litter is too young and dies and the other half has been in the womb too long and is exposed to feces like with humans.

If in the future you decide to breed her again then the best way to do so is to put her in the males cage for about an hour and then the next day to do the same. Then you know when your litter is due. They are typically 32 days gestation.

Therefore, in case your female does give birth to an alive litter, you must separate the two rabbits now. How old is she? 6 months or older is fine for a doe to breed, larger breeds take longer. I ask because sometimes new young mothers are nervous and sometimes won't clean their young sufficiently or will be nervous and jump in and out of the cage just to check the babies, but will end up hurting them with her strong feet.

Give her a nest box. A cardboard box a little big bigger then she is is perfect. You want the babies to stay huddled in one spot. If you find any alive babies return them to the nest because the Mother won't on her own. Sometimes they pull them out for a reason and they will continue to do so. They know something is wrong in these circumstances. Sometimes if the Mother has too large of a litter and doesn't feel as though she has enough milk she will actually kill some of the babies to ensure the health of the others. Sometimes. I am throwing some of the worst case scenarios here, but I just want you to not be surprised.

Your doe will begin making a nest a few days before, or some wait until they go into labor. You might see her digging and collecting straw in her mouth. Shortly before delivery she will pull fur from her abdomen and chest to line her nest. The rabbits are born blind, deaf and naked. If there are any dead kits or afterbirth still in the cage, remove that. Sometimes in dwarf rabbits peanuts are born which are babies who are too tiny to survive. They will sometimes live for a few days and then pass. There will be a marked difference in the size of the rabbits if this is the case. Mom will go in about 3 times a day to feed her kits, but otherwise should hang around close by (as they do in the wild). Ensure the kits are gaining weight by how their tummies look. They should be round and full looking and not sagged inwards.

http://www.debmark.com/rabbits/bunnies.htm

This link is what to expect as the rabbits grow and should give you an indication if the babies are on track.

Two females will also sometimes fight once they mature, or if the rabbits were both male then once they hit sexual maturity they may begin fighting. Hopefully this helps and you will find out if your bunny is a boy or girl.

Finally here is a link on how to determine if your rabbit is pregnant including how to correctly palpitate her belly. Basically you run your fingers firmly, but not hard, down on her belly starting at her rib cage draw an invisible line to above her genitals. If she is pregnant, you should be able to feel the kits inside of her. You will feel little marbles and the bigger they are, the closer she is getting.

Rabbits don't go into heat. They can breed all the time. I would definitely separate them now regardless of the sexes. They can seriously injure one another biting ears and they can end up with abscesses from the bite marks which can become infected requiring vet care. You can indeed let them out at separate times. You don't want to expose the female to another chance of conception because of the split litters I was talking about earlier.

If you need further assistance, don't hesitate to ask.

A.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi,
Thank you for the advice it really did help and we finally determined her sex today!!! The female is actually a male!! We are very happy that she...he is not pregnant! We are planning on getting him neutered when he is old enough but after he is neutered is it possible to keep them in the same cage or will they still fight??? Thank you sooo much!!(:

Answer
Well, I answered this question, but now it is showing as still pending, so I will attempt again.

The animals may be tolerant to one another if both are fixed. Once neutered, sexual aggression is greatly diminished and they make better pets too.

Introducing them in a neutral room outside of the cage is necessary when the time comes. Because they habitually fight, it may be difficult to break that habit, much like when a dog is fixed too late, he might continue mounting from habit.

Get a spray bottle and have the rabbits on a leash with a harness. any fighting and you can get them away from each other instantly. Get a water bottle and any display of aggression warrants a small squirt of water in the body, not the head. If they get water in their ears they can get ear infections ad in their nose interrupts breathing.

If it goes bad, remove them immediately. Try again in a few days. Pet both animals while they are in the neutral room and give them both treats. You want to re-introduce them on a positive note.

Glad the info helped. Anytime.

Alice