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Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Should my bun be ‘mature’ yet?

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    • Starah
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        Hello! I adopted two buns from a breeder, one buck and one doe. The buck, pascal, is the bigger of the pair. They are 14 weeks now and I am anxious to get him neutered ASAP. Patsy will also be spayed at some point, but she is so tiny I’m concerned the op would be a bit too much for her even when sge reaches the appropriate age, so I will probably delay until she is about one depending on how she grows.
        I want to get Pascal done ASAP so that they can play together safely.
        The thing is, at 14 weeks there is still no sign of his manhood, and I started to wonder if he really is a he?
        He shows no signs of reaching maturity- I thought he was doing territorial pees a couple of weeks ago, but it only lasted two or three days so I figured it was more of a baby thing.
        Apart from that all he does is the odd bit of chewing and chinning.

        So, what do you think? Is it possible he has been mis-gendered or is he just a slow developer? We did try and have a look ourselves, but he was so fluffy down there it was hard to pinpoint the right spot, and by then he’d had enough and was squirming out of my hands.

        Thanks for any help!


      • Roberta
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          If he is a boy they will be there but there is a real knack in knowing where to look. At 14 weeks unless you can discern the difference in the main bit, which frankly, most people can’t, you will need to look higher for the tackle. At this stage he won’t have testicles as you would normally expect but on his tummy approx 1-2cm out and up you will see two thumb sized patches of pink skin… That is where the testicles will come from. They do not reside on either side and immediately adjacent to his little tinker. Boys can be done from 12 weeks but not if the testicles haven’t descended, most commonly boys are done from 4-6 months.


        • Starah
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            Thanks for the tip! I’ll have a look later tonight – that sounds much simpler than other things if read online phew!


          • Roberta
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              It’s a lot easier. I discovered it after trying to sex two oops litters… I have found it way more accurate than trying to decide between the line or dot….(hence the oops litters)


            • Hazel
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                Roberta is right. You can look for the patches of skin as she said, they are visible even in quite young buns. Oscar’s dropped somewhere between 4-5 months, he’s close to 6 months old now and getting neutered in just over 2 weeks. By the way, they are able to “suck them up” into their body, Oscar does this every time we try to check him. When he’s down on the floor hopping about they are easy to see though.


              • Irina
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                  My vet also told me that boys can be neutered as soon as the testicles are down. He says it can happen anytime between 3-4 months. I brought mine in to be checked (and sexed- I thought I had 1 boy and two girls, but actually had 2 boys and 1 girl!). Perhaps you can have them checked and if your vet feels the testicles, your boy is ready to be done!
                  (My boys were ready at 14 weeks- and were neutered at 4 months).

                  Also remember that you have to keep males away from females for 4-6 weeks after they are neutered as it takes that long for hormones to dissipate, and behavior to level out. Also, leftover sperm in their system can be viable for that long which means they can still impregnate females during that time.

                  Good luck!


                • Deleted User
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                    I had Henry laying on my lap on his back giving him a tummy rub – guess what I found, eeuuuwwww! I was so shocked, it was huge! My Henry was definitely a boy! At this time, he was about 4 months old. Already had him booked in to be desexed the following week – Thank fully! I don’t wanna come across that again. Lol…


                  • LBJ10
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                      AndHenry – If you’re talking about the patches of skin, those are still there after the neuter. The testicles are removed, but the “sacks” are still there. If you’re talking about something else, well, that will still be there too.


                    • Starah
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                        Thanks for the advice everyone!
                        Watching Pascal play tonight there was certainly nothing visible hanging there, so if he is a boy they haven’t yet descended.
                        I tried to look for the patches of skin, there was certainly nothing obvious just to look at him, I tried feeling around a bit but he has got wise to what I’m doing and won’t tolerate it for long. Just how obvious should the patches of skin be?
                        The mystery continues..!


                      • LBJ10
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                          Sometimes they aren’t terribly obvious, especially if your bun has long fur.


                        • Roberta
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                            LBJ is right you might have to push the fur about… They will be pink and about the size of an adult thumb pad.


                          • tanlover14
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                              I do want to add in so you realize that it’s not safe to have one altered and one unaltered bunny together. Unaltered bunnies can be VERY territorial and hormonal and can cause VERY nasty fights between the two. I wouldn’t risk it until both are altered. You run the risk of causing a fight that can either seriously injure one bunny or make it impossible to ever bond the two in the future.


                            • Starah
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                                Well we had a good look around tonight, blowing on his fur slightly to move it around and pushing it around. I saw nothing…I think I need to enlist the help of a vet to get a definite answer.
                                For now will work in the assumption that he is a boy anyway-better to be overly cautious when bunny gender is concerned right?!


                              • Deleted User
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                                  Hi everyone and LBJ10 – No I came across Henry’s pride & joy about a week before I had him neutered – it was as Roberta described above, though at the time I was so shocked (had no idea it would be that big?!?!, lol), was horrified! Wasn’t looking for it, and thought it was “ALL” hidden! Finally got to pick him up for a nurse and cuddle. And yes – took a photo, and send it to all my loved ones (my adult kids) titled “look what I found”, lol, to there disgust. LOL! I would put the picture up for those who don’t know (like me at the time), but am worried I may be charged with bunny porn????? Hope you found this funny – I still have a chuckle…. All the best.


                                • Muffinluv
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                                    AndHenry, LOL.


                                  • Starah
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                                      Thank you for this great tip! It really works and is so much easier than trying to distinguish between the line and the dot.

                                      Pascal is a boy after all!
                                      (Perhaps slightly insulted by my days and days of complaining I couldn’t see his Crown Jewels though!)

                                      Since they have a tendency to suck them up as you said, I am just having a daily check to see if anything is visible hanging as he runs-is this ok? Doesn’t seem much point getting him checked over by the vet until they hang down obviously right?
                                      Thanks for your help!


                                    • Irina
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                                        Hi Starah! Just a tip – I had my boys at the vet when they were just under 4 months. I knew Tofu was a boy, could see and fell his jewels, and thought Butterscotch was a girl because I couldn’t see or feel anything. Since they were the same age, I fumigated it should be similar. Turns out Butterbunny is a boy, the vet was able to draw his jewels down, AND he was ready to be neutered. I would have the vet check for you!


                                      • Starah
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                                          Oh really?!
                                          Thanks for the advice! It seems a vet trip may be worthwhile after all then! I think I’ll have to ‘toe the line’ getting Pascal done -I’d like him done sooner rather than later, but he is quite dinky so I think he’d do well to grow a bit more to give him a bit of extra support for surgery. Mind you, some days it seems like he’s grown huge just in the time I’ve been at work!


                                        • Irina
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                                            Sorry for all the typos- I am writing on my cell phone… I hate auto correct!

                                            I would recommend asking your vet when the best time for surgery is. Mine is adamant that younger rabbits deal with surgery better, and recover more quickly. That is assuming they are otherwise healthy (and that all the appropriate bits are in the right places .

                                            It is obviously in the best interest if the buns, but it still feels somehow wrong to get their b**** cut off. Poor little guys.


                                          • Starah
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                                              I shall definitely get the vets opinion. I’ve a feeling she said they wait until 4 months when I asked while they had their injections.

                                              Haha yeah! Neither of my previous buns were neutered but they were both angels (I was lucky I think!) but since I’d like to bond Patsy and Pascal together again neutering and spaying is a must! Perhaps if I get his b**** cut off before he really notices he has them then he won’t miss them when they’re gone! :p


                                            • Irina
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                                                Ha!

                                                I still say “poor little guys!”

                                                Good luck!


                                              • Hazel
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                                                  Posted By Starah on 10/31/2013 11:55 AM

                                                  Since they have a tendency to suck them up as you said, I am just having a daily check to see if anything is visible hanging as he runs-is this ok? Doesn’t seem much point getting him checked over by the vet until they hang down obviously right?
                                                  Thanks for your help!

                                                  Yes you can try to look for them while he’s hopping around, or when he stands up. If he’s good about being pet, you can also try to check when he’s flopped down. Oscar loves to be pet while he’s laying down, he would actually let me pick one of his back legs up and have a look back there.

                                                  I guess you’re going to the vet soon anyway though, that will make things easier. 


                                                • JackRabbit
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                                                    Hi Starah.  I’m still new to posting, but am pretty much where you are bunnywise.  My babies are 12 weeks.  Took them to the vet yesterday afternoon on a bunny testacle hunt.  Vet found Moshi’s — said that he could barely get hold of them so he’s not quite ready to be neutered.  We go back in a couple of weeks so hopefully he’ll be ready then!  Hoping to get his sister Marlee done ASAP as well.  My older bunny, Kieko, was done around 4 months (turned into attack bunny when we adopted the babies).  The vet that spayed Kieko said that she will do females as long as they weigh at least 2 pounds.  She said the younger ones are easier to do because the uterus hasn’t developed huge amounts of blood vessels, etc.  This vet told us to limit Kieko’s activity (she’s acrobat bunny) and limit her to one level of her condo for 10 days.  Kieko disagreed and was “redecorating” that level of the condo after a few days.  Hoping for descended testacles along with you!


                                                  • tanlover14
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                                                      That’s interesting, JackRabbit. Most vets prefer to wait until 6 months old or close – the younger the rabbit is the more dangerous surgery is – also I’ve heard that leaving their hormones be until 6 months can help with bone strength and growth.

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                                                  Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Should my bun be ‘mature’ yet?