How to Tell Male and Female Rabbits Apart: A Few Simple and Practical Methods

Rabbits are the collective name for all genera under the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha in the class Mammalia, with tubular long ears, tufted short tails, and strong hind legs much longer than the front legs. It is very difficult to distinguish male from female rabbits under two months old, because when young the male rabbit's testicles are hidden inside the abdomen, and only after about 3 months do they gradually descend into the scrotum. Let's take a look below at how to tell male and female rabbits apart!

Newborn baby rabbits

For newborn baby rabbits, male and female can generally be identified by observing the shape of the genital opening and its distance from the anus. Those with a flat and slightly larger opening that is closer to the anus are female rabbits, while those with a round and slightly smaller opening that is farther from the anus are male rabbits.

Baby rabbits that have opened their eyes

For baby rabbits that have opened their eyes, you can hold the tail between your index and middle fingers, and gently push the genitals upward with your thumb. Those whose opening is shaped like an "O" are male rabbits, and those whose opening is a longitudinal slit shaped like a "Y" are female rabbits.

Young rabbits

At 8 to 10 weeks after birth, male rabbits grow testes (testicles). If you hold the rabbit and feel the genital area near the anus with your hand, one that has a lump of flesh slightly larger than a broad bean is a male rabbit, while one without a lump is a female rabbit. However, the lumps vary in size, and some are difficult to distinguish as male or female, and adult male rabbits have no hair on the scrotum.

Adult rabbits

When rabbits grow up and begin to go into heat, the male rabbit often strikes the ground forcefully with its hind legs to make a sound and chases after the female rabbit. During this period it is very easy to tell the male from the female. This behavior of the male rabbit is courtship toward the female rabbit and a way of showing the other that he is there. When the female rabbit is in heat, she can secrete a special odor and raises her tail, constantly wagging it to spread the secreted odor outward, thereby luring the male rabbit.