bunny sex and pregnancy

Question
Recently, my boss brought their bunny over for me to bunnysit. I have a female bunny about 5-6 months old. Their bunny is a 2 month old male. He started trying to hump her anywhere he could (her eye, her armpit , neck) I kept them separated the best I could. but is he old enough to get my bunny pregnant?

Answer
Dear Tina,

Sorry for the delay in answering.  A middle school ecology outreach program I was running just ended, and I'm only now catching up!

A male rabbit can impregnate a female as soon as his testicles descend.  These two are a bit young for reproduction, but it's not absolutely impossible for accidents to happen.  Your girl is at the young end of the "old enough to spay" category; I prefer to wait until females are about a year old.  But if the male's testicles are descended, he can be neutered.

If you are still bunny-sitting, or are asked to do so again, be sure to keep the bunnies physically separated.  All you need is a "surprise":

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/breeding.html

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/scary.html

You can find a good vet for spay/neuter here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

Also tell your boss how important it is for his bunny to be neutered.

Dana