How can I get my rabbit to let me sex her?

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SaruCharmed

SaruCharmed

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I got Ripley on Tuesday. Before I got her, I had the employee hold her tummy up so I could try to check because I really wanted a boy. I could barely get it to pop out though and I thought I saw a slit, so I think she's a girl (and I decided to get her anyway because I really liked her), but I can't be sure unless I can actually get it to come out. Problem is when I was doing this she was so terrified her little feet were shaking. Now it's Sunday of the same week and already she seems very comfortable with me for the most part. She sniffs me, nudges me, licks me, climbs on me, eats from my hand, and lets me pet her, but she's still not very comfortable with being picked when her feet are on my chest but you can just forget it if she's on her back! Even on the ground she won't let me flip her over. I don't want to try too hard or force her out of fear that I might undo all this trust she's developed for me. Do I wait until I can get money for a vet visit? (Which I'll probably end up doing anyways at least once) Or is there a way I can make her feel safer when I do this? I'm using clicker training and I've tried clicking when I'm holding her and then giving her a treat while I'm still holding her so she'll learn to associate being held with something good. Is there anything I can do get her to let me check long enough to be sure? Thanks for any help.
 
Pick her up and flip her on her back and put her in the crook of her arm. Hold her securely enough that she can't wiggle around much, but not enough to hurt/crush her. ;)

Then you can use your free hand to check.

How old is she? Do you have experience checking genders of rabbits? It can be hard if you don't know how to tell/what you're looking for, or if she's not old enough to determine the difference.

Emily
 
Ripley sounds like a name that's unisex enough that it'll stick regardless of gender. If you're planning to have Ripley spayed or neutered, you'll need a vet to confirm the gender first anyway.
As far as flipping them over, you just need to be firm. I generally put one hand under their chest and one on top of their lower back and sort of flip them into the crook of my arm (so the head is by my elbow). If you're holding the rabbit securely, you won't have to worry about it kicking too much.
 
According to the pet store she'd be about 3 or 4 months. I've seen photos showing the difference between males and females and correctly determined a rabbit as female in the past but I've never got them to "show" before. I hold her with a hand around the chest under the front legs and under her bottom but she still tries to kick some and if I move her even a tiny bit when she's against my chest she'll start kicking and trying to get away. She doesn't succeed but I don't know how I'll hold her with one arm, especially on her back, if she's trying to scrabble away. I'm not worried about the name. I chose the name cause I expected to get a boy bunny but it works for a girl too. My family and I watch Haven so it makes them think of Lucy Ripley. xD I just really want to know because I really wanted a boy and even though I already love her it would make me that much happier to find out that she is one.
 
I would just work on flipping a little bit every day. Build trust and a bond. Don't try sex Ripley right off, just work on building that trust. Maybe the first time you get her flipped for a second or two. Then immediately let her go and offer a treat. Reward with a treat every time, end positive, so she associates being flipped as a good thing, and then build towards being able to have Ripley flipped longer and longer.

I do agree that there is a fine line there between establishing trust and then pushing too far and ruining a bond especially with her being new and just learning to trust you.

I remember feeling that way with grooming Agnes. Since she is a double mane Lionhead, she needs it! But yet i didn't want her to associate a negative feeling towards me. I just did a little but every day and now grooming is no biggie. She doesnt even complain at all :)

That being said sometimes no matter how much they trust you and bond with you, Ripley may never like being picked up. If you feel in your gut that you aren't making progress, maybe just wait until the vet appt. After all, not much you can do to change the sex anyway :)

One last thing, you can try wrapping her in a towel. Sometimes buns feel secure all bundled like a burrito and tolerate being flipped then.
 
I've heard about the towel wrapping thing but then I still wouldn't be able to see what I need to if it's covered, and if the towel's not covering her behind she may not feel secure anymore. Next time I let her into the playpen, I'll try and encourage her to lay down on her side or back and let me touch her underside a bit and give her a click and treat, and just try to do more each time. Thanks, guys! I'll just try to be patient and hope we become closer and she completely trusts me someday.
 
..."Problem is when I was doing this she was so terrified her little feet were shaking...."

A LOT of rabbits' feet tremble when you turn them overon their back...it's no big deal. We have to get our young rabbits used to being turned over. Just do it little by little until she doesn't freak out. Make sure you support her well or she'll feel like she's going to fall. You can expect some resistance, but persistence will pay off. It alsomight help if you have someone to help you the next time you try to sex her.
 
Ripley's a boy!!! x3 He finally let me check properly. I had him on my lap leaned against my stomach belly up. He was still scared but not so much that he tried to get away apparently. And he still likes me because I gave him treats after xD Anyways it definitely looked like a tube with a round tip, so yay!
 
I had to take my bunnies to the vet where technician checked them and she didn't need to flip them over. She wasn't looking - she was feeling the testicles on males. SO she was holding them in a regular manner, not upside down. They didn't charge me anything.

Congrats with the boy!!!
 
If you can feel testicles you can be pretty confident you have a male, but if they haven't dropped yet or if they're really nervous (or if they've been neutered) you might not feel them so I wouldn't rely on lack of testicles to tell you you have a female.
 
He's only about three or four months and he looks to be a standard rex which is a medium breed right? So they may not drop for another three months or so. However, I feel pretty confident that he's a male because female rabbit parts looks pretty distinct and that's not what I saw. It looked the most like the third picture from http://www.rabbitnetwork.org/articles/sexingboys.shtml

And thank you, Thumperina! I'm very glad. :)
 
Hi,

I had a similar problem. I've always been able to flip bunnies but my girl just won't stand for it. Tried all the tricks like covering her eyes and such but just didnt work.

What I did instead was hold her securely against my chest, facing me - so like she was lying down on my stomach, but I was vertical, if that makes sense. When she was calm I then slowly put my right arm around her, and slowly moved her so she was sitting up with her back against my right...like a teddy bear would sit. She fought a bit, but after a few tries and with holding her still I was able to get her to be quiet for long enough.

I think they feel more secure sitting up than with their stomach completely exposed. Not the nicest thing to do, but it's only once so she wasn't too upset.
 
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