We inherited a rabbit from a neighbor. He said she was female and I never bothered to look. She is hard to keep caged and is currently running loose. We also have a timid, tolerant Austrailian shepard mix dog (female). The rabbit is trying to mate with the dog! What is this? Is this a spring thing? If there's an answer, I know this forum can come up with it. What a great pool of knowledge there is here. Thanks for your help and your previous ideas that have helped us out on the old farmette. Joyce

-- Joyce Mahoney (joycemahoney@qwest.net), April 23, 2001

Answers

I think your "female" rabbit aint. Males can get... frustrated so to speak. We give one of our males a teddy bear to help calm him down. I dont like to keep high strung rabbits, so his name is on the list of eating rabbits. Females will very occasionally get the urge, but only with other rabbits from what I have witnessed. If this strange behavior ends in a week or so, I suppose it could be a 'feeling the spring time blues' female. If this becomes a problem, male rabbits can be fixed at vets. One question... does the rabbit spray urine when around the dog? if so, it is for sure a male.

-- Kevin in NC (vantravlrs@aol.com), April 23, 2001.

Joyce -

I couldn't tell you if its a female or not. Female rabbits will hump anything they think they can take authority over... Other female rabbits, male rabbits, cats (declawed) and dogs. It doesn't sound like spring fever either... Its a domination thing. I have one doe that will try to hump anything that moves - and some things that don't!!

However, the fact that she keeps getting loose would suggest a male, if only because they seem to be more adamant about those things. Still, it is not an accurate judgement, because young rabbits of both sexes like to play the escape artist.

I'd suggest you look.

-- Sue Diederich (willow666@rocketmail.com), April 23, 2001.

Oh... something else...

You can't tell by putting her in with a buck, either. First off, they will fight anyway. Second, if she isn't ready to breed, she'll be the one humping him - and tearing his fur off if he tries...

-- Sue Diederich (willow666@rocketmail.com), April 23, 2001.

Joyce,

Hold your bunny and turn it over so you can see it's "private parts". Real easy, if it is a mature male, there will be naked, fleshy testies inside the leg, on either side of the penis where the thighbone meets the hip. Mature is over 6 months.

I have one doe who will jump the male before he even greets her. Scares him off a little but she can't seem to wait. I think yours may be a male.

-- Dee (gdgtur@goes.com), April 23, 2001.