how old

Question
i recently adopted a floppy eared bunny, and they didn't know how old he was.is there a way to find out aprox. how old he is?

Answer
Dear Jennifer,

I get this question quite a bit, and unfortunately the answer is...no.

Once a rabbit is mature, it's pretty much impossible to tell the exact age.  The state of the teeth can give a clue (older rabbits tend to have yellower or browner teeth than young rabbits, who have very white teeth), as can the claws (older rabbits tend to have tougher, scaley claws, whereas younger rabbits have smooth claws).  The fur isn't much help, since even old rabbits don't usually get grey with age.  

If the rabbit is relatively young, you can weigh and take pictures of him/her and then compare them in a few months with new pictures.  If the bunny has "filled out" and become less "slinky" looking, there's a good chance s/he was under a year old.  But that's not a total guarantee, either.

I wish I could tell you there was a good way to know a bunny's age--but there isn't, unless you know who bred him.

Hope your bunny is happy and healthy for many years to come, and that you both have a wonderful friendship.  For all the best information on rabbit care, please visit:

www.rabbit.org/

Good luck!

Dana