male rabbit problem !

Question
Hello. I have a one 1/2 year old male rabbit, David, who seems very healthy. He's never had any health problems but recently I noticed that his testicals never seemed to drop.

He had them but they appear to be inside of little sacs by the genitals. They seemed shriveled, hard, and dark red-blackish in colour.

I am very concerned. Please reply.

Answer
Dear Sylvia,

If the testicles look this way only when you turn him over to examine him, he may be retracting them defensively (which many male mammals will do).  But if they look like this all the time, it would be wise to have an experienced rabbit vet take a look and make sure this isn't something that needs medical treatment and/or a neuter operation to prevent complications.

You can find a rabbit-savvy veterinarian here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

It's possible he suffered an infection of his testicles, and that they became necrotic, requiring removal.  If this is the case, then a good rabbit vet will know what to do.

I hope this helps.

Dana