Um....... which rabbit are you again?

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zombiesue

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I brought home two more rabbits yesterday (I AM SO EXCITED) from a local shelter. They are a year and a half old now, and they were born in the shelter and have been there all that time... =(

They are Havana / New Zealand mixes, siblings, while my current rabbit is a Havana / Rex mix, so they all look very similar. During their introduction, two of the staff even commented that they all look like little clones.

Thankfully(???) my rabbit is significantly more... round.... than the brother and sister are, but I have a lot of trouble telling the brother/sister apart, and it will become important when I'm trying to bond them so I can quickly pick out who's being troublesome and whatnot.

Any tips on how to tell my new rabbits apart until I get used to them? :thud:

tworabbits.jpg
 
Haha try a little food coloring on their fur. Female gets a red streak/green streak and male stays the way he is. Dont know how you would keep him/her from licking it off though. Stay away from collars as they're terrible for rabbits to begin with.

When I bought my German they had taken a sharpie to his inner ear to tell him and his sister apart. Not sure how I feel about though. I was crazy and thought about ink poisoning and what not.
 
They are cute! That was one of my concerns when looking for a new friend for Watson, I didn't really want to have 2 bunnies I couldn't tell apart (plus I'm a photography fiend and my camera thinks Watson is a dark shadowy place and not at thing I want to take pictures of so that's also a challenge).

Lots of breeders will use sharpie in the ears so that was my first thought as well.
 
All right, I'll have the vet confirm their genders and mark one of them with a sharpie.... lol. I assume if it's unsafe somehow he'll tell me so.

Thanks for the ideas, guys.
 
Did the shelter tattoo them when they are fixed? Many do, but some don't. It is a permanent way to ID them and tell them apart. Even if they were not tattooed, you can try contacting a local breeder to have it done. Some use a pen (similar to what is used on people), so you could just get a letter or something in the ear. Most rabbits don't seem too fussed about it.
Using a sharpie in the ear can work as well, but you would need to redo it fairly often. Many breeders use them at some bigger shows where the rabbits are in coops, the coop number is written in the ear.

You could cut the fur on one of them. A litter trimmer could be used. Again, this would need to be done on a regular basis.
 
I dont think so. I only have 3 pet rabbits, I expect I will be able to tell them apart eventually without help lol.
 
I would look into having them tattooed, either by a veterinarian or a reputable breeder in your area. Sharpie can wear off within 24 hours.
 
A friend of mine got 2 white bunnies, both sisters, who were identical. At first she gave them kitten collars to tell them apart but now she just has to watch them as they have very different characters - one is more dominant and is always the first to investigate and the other is more calm and chilled out. I'm sure you will be able to tell them apart before long just by watching them
 
PolishRabbitmama said:
You can get them tattooed cheaply at the local 4-h group. Usually only cost 1-2 dollars.
Click to expand...

I have no idea where this would be or even how I'd find it. I don't know anything about 4-h lol. I'm not even sure what it IS.

I really think the sharpie will be fine, if it's not I can get it tattooed later. You think he'd rather have mom with a little heart around it or a tribal circlet? Ba-dum-tsss.
 
You know, I always wondered how you would go about telling two similar buns apart (or cats, etc.)...
Interesting to find out!
 
zombiesue said:
I have no idea where this would be or even how I'd find it. I don't know anything about 4-h lol. I'm not even sure what it IS.

I really think the sharpie will be fine, if it's not I can get it tattooed later. You think he'd rather have mom with a little heart around it or a tribal circlet? Ba-dum-tsss.
Click to expand...

Try looking for local breeder clubs. Breeders typically will tattoo their rabbits and can be open to doing it for other people. It doens't hurt to contact someone and ask. It might cost a couple dollars for each rabbit. If they use the pen, you can pretty much get anything you want done. I would keep it small, so a heart could be easily done. 4-H kids seem to go to breeders as well, so they might not have their own equipment to tattoo, but some might. You would have to look up local 4-H rabbit clubs.
 
I don't think there are any.

If it was like, spring I know there'd be an ARBA show or even the Iowa State Fair there'd be rabbit breeders there, but it's hard to network now QQ
 
You could just contact the club president and ask if there is anyone in your area who might be willing to do it. It doens't have to be at a show. Some bigger shows don't allow rabbits that are no entered, so you could have trouble there anyway.
 
As you get used to them you'll probably be able to tell them apart by eye without the need for an aid. For the moment I agree with some sharpie in the ear. Otherwise, the male probably has a broader head, the difference is likely subtle, but it's there.
 
Mmhm, actually, I think the male's face is crooked... lol, I'll have to get a picture of it. But yes, I'd rather a temporary solution
 
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