Guessing the age of a rabbit

Question
Hello! I adopted my holland lop from a rabbit rescue society in April 2010. At the time of the adoption I was told that he was abandoned at a local university and they were unsure of his age. Also at the time of the adoption the lady said that he has "young teeth" (whatever that means). In early June he started molting, and he has been molting ever since! I have tried to expidite the molting process by daily grooming, but it has been going on a long time! He finally is almost finished molting (its almost August). I was writing to ask if there was a way to "guess" what my rabbits age is? I was wondering if his molting was so severe this year that he may be a young rabbit losing his baby fur? Any information would be appreciated, I have searched the internet for this topic for awhile now! Thank you very much in advance!

Answer
Dear Emily,

I apologize for the delay.  Unexpectedly, a middle school ecology outreach program I was running went crazy at the end, and I'm just now getting my life back.  So sorry!  But I'm back now.

Many domestic rabbits have a really big shed now and then, so I wouldn't worry about that.  It could be related to his rescue situation...or it could be due to something we'll never know.  But it's good that you groomed him well during that shed, to minimize ingested fur.

It is nearly impossible to ascertain the age of an adult rabbit, but if the vet said that your bunny has "young teeth" that probably means your little guy is 1-2 years old.  No way to know for sure.  Also, if he has grown significantly (aside from weight gain due to a better diet) and changed shape, he may be less than a year old when you got him.  But unfortunately, there's no good way to know.

I hope he has a great life with you from now on, though!  :)

Take care,

Dana