The Problem with Gender Identification

Gender identity seems to be a hot topic for our culture right now. After some research, I have discovered a segment of this topic that is being vastly ignored and underreported. Could the reason that it isn't being discussed is because it only affects a small portion of the population? Is it simply too embarrassing for the affected individuals to discuss in polite society? My plan is to share the current spotlight of this topic to those hidden in the shadows of shame.

I am guilty and here to share my story. 

Correctly determining the gender of a rabbit is difficult. There. I said it. While these creatures have no problem communicating their gender to each other, they do not obviously present this fact to their owners. 

I grew up on a farm and I am no stranger to the biological differences between various domesticated animals. This experience made me overconfident in my ability to correctly determine the gender of these cuddly creatures. When this happens, nature has a way of slapping you in the face with reality (and bunnies). 

We started raising French Angora rabbits several years ago with the purchase of one buck (male) and one doe (female). The identification was told to us by the breeder and since the animals were a bit older, it was more obvious. I never knew that I would eventually be found guilty of misidentification in the future. 

Fast forward to the winter of 2022. A dog busted into our rabbit enclosure and killed all but one of our rabbits. Bugs was the only survivor. It was heartbreaking. After some reflection, I decided that I really did enjoy raising these animals and began looking for a doe to mate with Bugs and restart our small rabbitry.

I quickly discovered that the market for French Angora rabbits in our area is very slim. I eventually found three does but they were several hours away from our home. I arranged to purchase these rabbits from the breeder. The day before our scheduled pickup, I received a message from the breeder stating that after careful inspection, only one of the three rabbits were female. Even the professional breeders struggle to get the identification correct! I decided to make the trip anyway. 

I'm going to step away from the story for a minute to discuss some of the reasons why misidentification of rabbits is possible and problematic.

     - These rabbits have a lot of fur. Their identification cards are hidden beneath a layer of soft hair, between two powerful back legs and under a fluffy tail. You must really get up close and personal with your rabbit to attempt this identification. 

     - French Angora rabbits can breed as early as five to eight weeks of age. It is recommended to wait until they are at least six months old. This isn't an issue if you can correctly make the identification at an early age. 

     - The anatomy is very similar when the rabbits are young. I have utilized many books and watched videos on the topic. While the presenters try to make it look easy, I believe they are lying. Here's an example of an illustration of rabbit genitalia:

Now, back to my story. 

We traveled the long distance to purchase the doe (female) and named her Blue. She is very sweet and a great addition to our farm. 

After getting Blue settled into her new home, I decided to give Bugs a needed grooming session so that he would be in his most handsome state when he was introduced to Blue. At this time, Bugs was a mature rabbit. During the grooming session, I discovered that Bugs wasn't actually a male but rather a female. I had misgendered this rabbit at an early age and failed to spend much time on her undercarriage during previous grooming sessions to confirm this identification. Bugs was renamed Lady-Bugs. 

Now, I was trying to restart my rabbitry with two very sweet female rabbits. Biologically, this was just not going to work. I began my search again, but this time I was searching for a buck (male). I could have contacted the breeder of Blue, but I knew that she currently had only one buck for her breeding program and that wouldn't allow me to breed any buck obtained from her with Blue. I needed fresh genetics.

I searched for months. I found a buck in Illinois (over five hours away). This buck was registered and intended for presentation at select rabbit shows. I am not interested in that part of rabbit raising and wasn't thrilled about the distance or the price but was resigning myself to the possibility that this would be my only option. 

Then, it happened. It was as if Facebook was listening to my personal conversations describing my frustration of finding a French Angora buck. On my newsfeed, was a post in a rabbit group from a lady looking to sell a French Angora buck only two hours away from my home! I jumped on this opportunity.

After further discussion with this owner, it turned out that she was having difficulties with her goats breaking into her rabbit pens and eating all of the rabbit food. She had tried multiple things but was simply frustrated and wanted out of the rabbit raising business. As a goat-owner myself, I could sympathize with her plight. While curious as to why she was parting with the rabbits rather than the trouble-making goats, I didn't question my good luck. The only catch was that she had four white does that also needed a home. She wanted to sell them all and gave me a great deal on the lot.

What was I to do? We wanted to expand and relocate our rabbit housing area anyway, so why not push this up on the priority list? The hubby agreed and we became the proud owners of five more rabbits. 

Meet Peter:

And Strawberry:

Dandy, Whiskers and Snickers all look like Strawberry but weren't nearly as camera-ready. 

We arrived home after a long day and settled the rabbits into their new homes. The new rabbits were on the thin side as their food was continuously being pilfered by mischievous goats. We knew that with some extra care and food, they would return to a healthy weight.

We placed the females in the extra-large cage with Lady-Bugs as she was larger than Blue and was enjoying the large cage. This was a temporary arrangement, but they had enough overall space and we let them out on fresh grass whenever the weather allowed. 

Then, life happened, and the rehoming project was delayed. The rabbits seemed content with their living arrangements, and they were gaining weight so we weren't concerned. 

One day, I received a call from the hubby stating that one of the new does just had babies. We didn't even know that she was pregnant! We felt like horrible rabbit owners as we hadn't provided the proper bedding material for the new mama. Unfortunately, the babies didn't make it. 

We assumed that the rabbit must have been bred RIGHT before we purchased them as it had been roughly a month. The gestation time for French Angora rabbits is 28 to 33 days. Since the rabbits were housed together, we struggled to determine the identity of the mama rabbit. Then, it hit us. If one of these rabbits was bred prior to purchasing them, then they all may be! They were definitely plump. We provided nesting boxes in the current hutch for any possible deliveries overnight while the hubby worked hard to build the new rabbit accommodations. 

The next day, our suspicions were proven correct when we found four small bunnies in the nesting box.

The hubby worked tirelessly to complete the new hutches while I tried to determine the identity of the mama from the previous day. Dandy had terrible knots in her fur. I assumed that this was due to pulling out the fur for a bed. When rabbits are due to birth kits, they will pull out their own fur to provide a warm and dry spot for their babies. We brought Dandy to a quiet location to cut out any knots and untangle the fur. During this grooming session, we discovered the presence of testicles. It turns out that Dandy could not have been the mama but was very likely the father. We didn't purchase the rabbits as bred; we unintentionally caused the breeding! 

Responsible animal owners, as we like to believe that we are, work hard to ensure that their animals are properly cared for. And yet, we were so incompetent that we housed a buck with four does and were surprised when baby kits arrived. How embarrassing! 

The hubby has provided us with separate living quarters for each rabbit. We have welcomed four more kits to Strawberry.

The four older kits are growing in size, developing more fur as well as exploring their home.

We are suspicious that Lady-Bugs may be expecting soon and she is set up with everything she may need for a successful delivery. 

We are in the process of getting the permanent water, food and elimination removal systems in place. Meanwhile, our son discovered that he was missing out on a lot of fertilizer with the rabbits in their previous rotational system. He is working to collect more of the pellets and may even try to capture their urine for a natural pesticide. 

We are working to recover from the error of misgendering our rabbits. I know that many owners avoid this complication by simply housing each rabbit separately. We simply wanted to provide the rabbits with the most natural setting (out on pasture when possible) and companionship while we worked to build the new system. This was obviously a mistake. I wonder if others are suffering from the same feelings of shame, surprise and frustration associated with misgendered rabbits. 

Have you experienced issues with identifying the sex of your rabbits? If so, how did you solve the problem? Do you have any tips for us? If so, please provide them in the comments below.