We welcomed a litter of Silver Marten babies yesterday! It’s so exciting to see those little ones wiggling around and mama so proud!
Earlier this year I saw a post on a rabbit group claiming you can sex a rabbit at birth. I had never heard of this, so I’ve decided to try it with this newborn litter and see how it turns out in the end.
Traditionally, you need to wait until the rabbits are about six weeks or older to see if you’ve got a male or female. To check this, turn the rabbit over on its back and clasp the base of the tail between your second and third fingers. Using your thumb on the same hand, press down at the top of the genital area. This will cause the area to open and you will see a slit opening for a doe and a round opening for a buck.
Older bucks protrude a lot – there can be no doubt you’re looking at a penis! Another clue is whether testicles have descended, they would be located on either side of the genital area. The funniest thing I’ve read is about a gal who was too embarrassed to sex her rabbits and would sneak out at night with a flashlight to shine under the cage and try to catch a glimpse of testicles!
The post I read recently claims you can sex your rabbits at birth! They posted the following picture and explanation:
“Both pictures of a buck, the one on the left is actual the one on the right is marked in red to make it a little easier to see. There is a little bit of a gap between the penile opening and the anus. This will not be present in the newborn doe.”
According to our observations last night of the newborns, we believe we have three does and three bucks. We have put a mark with sharpie on the left ear for our buck guesses and the right ear for our doe guesses. Now it’s just a matter of time to see if we guessed right! I’ll be sure to update and let you know!
“This is a doe. The anus and vent will be touching.”
Mad Hatter Rabbits & MicroFarm 