Rabbit Siblings

[McFunnyFarm]

** Edited to add that there are some explicit bunny genitalia in comments. For help with sexing them.

Ok, we just recently decided to get into meat rabbits and we went ahead and bought 7. Two Adult Females, 2 adult males and was supposed to be 3 four month old girls. The 3 girls were siblings from the same litter and they have never been separated, all housed together in the same pen. However, last night when we let all 5 "females" out to play and run around for awhile... there was one that mounted one of the adult females. Everything that I have read... says that you can not breed siblings. Should I be worried since he was in the pen with 2 of his sisters? I have read that females could get pregnant as early as 12 weeks but also, not to breed them until they are 6 months old (at least). I don't want any issues and just want a healthy group of rabbits! Any suggestions? Should I have them checked out by a vet?

Also, anyone else that raises meat rabbits, I have read that rabbits should get out of their pens for at least 3-5 hours a day to play and run. How often and how long do you get your rabbits out to play? (Yes, I am sorry, I am new in the rabbit world and so all my knowledge is reading about it. Any real-life experiences/information would be greatly appreciated!!) Thank you so much everyone for your time! I'll post some pictures soon!

 

[EverythingDucks]

Check them again to see if they're female. Gently turn them on their nacks and a put a bit of pressure on their lower belly, and take a photo. At this age it should be easy enough to tell.

Chances are they were both females and that was just a dominance thing, which is very common.

Something to be aware of though is that once rabbits reach sexual maturity (around 5-6 months) they can often become very territorial, aggressive, and polar opposites of their previously sweet bunny demeanor due to hormones. If you are litter training, their progress will likely regress. Males are known to start spraying at this time, and females may become aggressive towards eachother.

With pet rabbits, it's easy as just getting them fixed. After which, some can be bonded together.
But, as they grow out of their "teenage" phase, they'll chill out and become friendly again to those willing to bond with them.
Some rabbits you'll get lucky with and hormones won't effect their behavior much. But if you notice your girls fighting suddenly and need to separate them, this is why.

As for the playtime, that's great! A lot of people leave them in their cages all day long, but giving them exercise is so important for both their mental and physical health.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

If you're breeding just for meat, I wouldn't sweat it if they're brother and sister. It's It'sn oopsie batch, happens more than you'd think unfortunately

 

[McFunnyFarm]

Check them again to see if they're female. Gently turn them on their nacks and a put a bit of pressure on their lower belly, and take a photo. At this age it should be easy enough to tell.

Chances are they were both females and that was just a dominance thing, which is very common.

Something to be aware of though is that once rabbits reach sexual maturity (around 5-6 months) they can often become very territorial, aggressive, and polar opposites of their previously sweet bunny demeanor due to hormones. If you are litter training, their progress will likely regress. Males are known to start spraying at this time, and females may become aggressive towards eachother.

With pet rabbits, it's easy as just getting them fixed. After which, some can be bonded together.
But, as they grow out of their "teenage" phase, they'll chill out and become friendly again to those willing to bond with them.
Some rabbits you'll get lucky with and hormones won't effect their behavior much. But if you notice your girls fighting suddenly and need to separate them, this is why.

As for the playtime, that's great! A lot of people leave them in their cages all day long, but giving them exercise is so important for both their mental and physical health.

I will have my son help me double check all of them when he gets home from school. I'm wanting to get a weight for all of them as well. They will all have their own cages by this weekend. As for right now, we did separate that one from the other two!

 

[McFunnyFarm]

I will have my son help me double check all of them when he gets home from school. I'm wanting to get a weight for all of them as well. They will all have their own cages by this weekend. As for right now, we did separate that one from the other two!

I'm guessing out of these three... I have one female. Meaning the supposed to be 3 girls is 2 boys and a girl!! (Unless I'm wrong ). Guess I'll be checking myself instead of taking their word for it!

 

[JacinLarkwell]

1 looks male
2 is female
3 is male

 

[McFunnyFarm]

1 looks male
2 is female
3 is male

Thank you!

 

[JacinLarkwell]

For the record though, I wouldn't blame the old owners too much for the mix up. When we bred rabbits for show, we would occasionally sell a buck or doe that wound up being visited by the magic sex faerie later on and ended up being the wrong sex.

Plus little males do tend to look like females when they're younger.

 

[McFunnyFarm]

For the record though, I wouldn't blame the old owners too much for the mix up. When we bred rabbits for show, we would occasionally sell a buck or doe that wound up being visited by the magic sex faerie later on and ended up being the wrong sex.

Plus little males do tend to look like females when they're younger.

Oh, I'm not too upset, just an earlier start to putting meat up! With 2 adult females, we will have plenty of bunnies soon!!

 

[JacinLarkwell]

What breed are they?