Determining the age of my bunnies

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kooldude1305

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Hi,
We have recently got two bunnies (dwarf cross) for our home. However we forgot to ask the age of the bunnies when we got them. Can anyone throw some light on the age of the bunnies thanks. Photos attached for reference.
 

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They look like they could be young, maybe10-12 weeks. Baby rabbits have a different look to their eyes usually, and sometimes the look of their fur. As they progressively get older and until they fully mature at around 4-6 months, you can usually tell to some extent, what growth period they're in from the eyes, head, and how the fur looks. After that, it's really hard to tell the age of a rabbit. It might help if you can post some clear close up photos, that also show their head and eyes. But just based on those photos, my guess is 10-12 weeks.

Just be aware, that if they are this age, soon they'll start showing hormonal behavior. If they're male/female, they'll need to be separated very soon, Usually by 12 weeks old they need to be separated, as males become too hormonal, constantly pestering the other rabbit to mate. By 16 weeks, a female rabbit could become pregnant, which could possibly be a risk to her health.

Female/female can sometimes stay together longer, just depends on how hormones change their behavior. But at the first sign of aggression occurring, it's recommended to separate, before it escalates into a fight where injuries can occur. If they're male/male, they usually need to be separated at 12 weeks at the latest. Certainly once humping starts occurring, or fighting and very serious injuries can occur.

If you're wanting to keep these rabbits together as a bonded pair, they'll both need to be desexed first. Males can be neutered once the testicles drop, females as soon as the vet says they're old enough and developed enough for a spay, usually around 5-6 months old, depending on breed, and when the vet is comfortable doing it.

Once they're desexed, if they're both female and you had to separate them, rebonding can be started, sometimes as early as 2 weeks post spay, but usually you have to wait at least 4 weeks for the hormones to have faded enough to start rebonding. If they're both male, or male/female, you have to wait at least 4-8 weeks for homones to have faded enough that they don't interfere with bonding efforts.

Just be aware that desexing doesn't guarantee rabbits will bond. It all depends on their personalities and if they're a good match. Usually two very dominant rabbits won't bond successfully.

Here's some info on spay/neuter, as well as the bonding process and rabbit body language. It's good to read up on all this and be ready when the time comes, especially understanding the signs of aggression, as you'll need to know when it's essential to intervene during bonding, before a fight can escalate where injuries occur.

https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Spaying_and_neutering_rabbits
http://rabbitvet.net/AustralianRabbitVets.htm
https://rabbitsindoors.weebly.com/bonding-bunnies.html
https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Bonding_rabbits_together
http://cottontails-rescue.org.uk/information/bonding-bunnies/
https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Understanding_your_rabbit
http://language.rabbitspeak.com/
 
Thanks for all the information, it is really helpful. Below are a couple of close up shots of the bunnies.
 

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Thanks for all the information, it is really helpful. Below are a couple of close up shots of the bunnies.
They looks so cute 😍 they look like mine when they were three months old. Also I recommend getting a heavy water bowl instead of the water bottle because it's hard to drink from and can get dirty really quick.
 

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