So you’ve got yourself a litter of adorable baby rabbits, and you need to find out whether they’re male or female. Maybe you’re planning to sell them. Or, maybe you just want to be able to refer to them properly when you’re talking about them to your friends. (I mean, let’s be honest, “that one over there” gets a bit confusing after a while.) Whatever your reasons, performing a vent check of “sexing” rabbits is actually pretty easy once you know what to look for. Here’s a quick guide on how to do it.
What are some of the reasons you will need to sex your rabbits?
When rabbits are younger than eight weeks old, you don’t run much of a risk of keeping them in the same pen/enclosure. However, after they reach around twelve weeks of age, they may begin mating. If your plan is to breed or sell your rabbits, one of the best practices you can do is to limit inbreeding. Breeding a nephew to an aunt or a cousin is acceptable. However, breeding a sister to a brother may lead to an increased risk of genetic abnormalities or increase the likelihood of physical deformities. The best way to avoid this is to sex your rabbits and keep them housed accordingly.
Additionally, it’s best to avoid your female rabbits getting pregnant if they are younger than six months old. Young pregnancies often come with an increased risk of complications. Additionally, an immature rabbit may make a very poor mother.
How to “sex” or perform a vent check on your rabbits
When it comes to sexing baby rabbits, there is only one real, sure-fire method to get accurate results. This method involves looking at the genitalia and is referred to as a “vent check”.
First thing first: if you have a rabbit, you already know that when they are scared or uncomfortable, they will scratch. Before doing a vent check, it would be best to go ahead and put on a long sleeve shirt and some gloves. This ensures that you don’t have to stop mid-check to attend to any injuries.
Additionally, if you have an aggressive rabbit, you may want to cover it with a towel when you take it out of the cage. The towel acts as an additional barrier from their claws, but it also enables you to cover the rabbit’s eyes which may prevent it from panicking.
To handle, place one hand over their chest and hold them close to your body in an upright position. Place your other hand under their bottom to keep them comfortable and support their weight.
How to do a vent check
To do a vent check, simply hold your rabbit in one hand so that its rear end is facing toward you and its head is pointing away. If someone else is holding and you are checking (a far easier way to do things), you can use the handling method previously discussed. Use your other hand to part the fur on their bottom and look for their genital opening, which is located just above the base of the tail. Gently part the fur and squeeze.
The real key to accurately sexing is to push with enough pressure that the protrusions do not stay hidden. Do not be afraid to push too firmly! Most mistakes are made by owners who try to gender just by looking at their rabbits’ slit. Without a firm enough push, most juvenile rabbits will look like they have female genitalia.
After pushing, if you see what looks like a taco or an “I”, your rabbit is female. The vulva will be oval-shaped with a slit-like opening.
If the genital opening looks more like a burrito, or an “O”, your rabbit is male. The testicles should be visible, with the penis protruding from the sheath.
Are there other ways to check?
Some people believe you can tell by looking at your rabbits’ anuses. Allegedly, male rabbits tend to have smaller anuses, while female anuses are larger and more pronounced. I can’t really recommend this method as a lot of this depend on the breed of your rabbit.
Additionally, some people also believe that you can differentiate by looking at your rabbit’s tail. If the tail is pointing straight up in the air, they believe it’s more likely that it’s a boy. If, on the other hand, the bunny’s tail is pointing down toward its bottom, they believe there is a higher chance that it’s a girl.
You may use these methods to supplement your vent check, but I don’t recommend using them as your sole way to sex your rabbits.
Sexing your baby rabbits
To accurately sex your rabbits, the best method is to perform a vent check. This involves looking at the genitalia and is considered the surefire way to get accurate results. Additionally, you can supplement your vent check by looking at other physical characteristics, such as the tail or anus. However, these should not be used as your sole method of sexing your rabbit.
