what gender of rabbits do I have?

Question
I have 2 rabbits, I thought one was a boy and one a girl, but more recently I have been leaning towards believing they are both girls. I wanted to breed them, but they don't seem to like each other. What is normal behavior for 2 girl rabbits because that's what I think I have? Mine bit each other. thanks

Answer
Hi Sam,

Rabbits are very territorial and if they have not been spayed/neutered...things can get nasty very quickly even if they are proper introduced.  Females are just as aggressive as males as they become sexually mature.  Here is a link to a site that shows detailed pictures on how to sex a rabbit....near the bottom of the page are links to detailed pics of both male and female.  

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

I would suggest not allowing them together until you know the sex of each.  Rabbit fights can result in traumatic injuries.  One word of caution on breeding....there is much to learn about breeding rabbits.  Their behavior is nothing like a dog or a cat.  I have seen mother rabbits actually killed by well intentioned people trying to force the doe to nurse....and rabbits nurse very differently than other species.  If you are thinking about breeding, I would highly suggest training with an experienced breeder in your area.  We do not breed here since we are a rescue, but some of our best friends are high quality breeders.  I have seen the issues (and have had the difficult task of hand raising orphans) and it is neither easy nor cheap.

Check out the link I gave you...that should help you determine sex.  One little thing....if a male gets stressed, he can "retract" the gear and appear to be female....we all have been fooled by that one.  If you do have a male and female, let me know and I will help you thru the proper "bonding" protocols so you will have a happy couple.  If they are same sex, it is sometimes difficult, but not impossible. to bond them.

Randy