Buck Problems

I have been having problems with a Californian buck that I got 2 months ago. He has not grown at all since I got him and his testicles still have not dropped. He is 8 months old. Sherry Patton - the lady that sold him to me - said that it is because of the cold. The only thing is all of my other bucks have testicles and are breeding. What do you think?

Emily

(that made me snort).

I would think there's a problem with the buck.
It's cold here in Ontario and all my bucks are firing well.

Most of my bucks are fully dropped by 3 months. And when you flip them over there definitely there even though it is pretty chilly out. I would say either he is a she does he have a penis? If so you may have a problem with undescended testicles on your hands.

As for size, are you going by weight? Because I've noticed when you by rabbits close to maturity you don't notice them growing as much as per say if you bought them at 8 weeks. I bought my Brun buck back in October at 3 1/2 months and I could have sworn he hasn't grown a smidge, but according to his last weigh in and the weight he was when I got him he has grown quite a bit.

He is definitely a buck.
He is smaller than my 5 1/2 pound Mini Lop. I have not weighed him yet but I think that he is lighter too.

Emily

He doesn't sound like an actual Californian then. He's probably just a cross of something small. The Cal colour comes in a bunch of other breeds as well (usually called Himalayan though). He's probably done growing, undescended testicles can be a huge problem health wise.

It sounds to me as though the seller was grasping at straws for excuses. She may not have known there was a problem when she sold him to you, but I doubt very much that this rabbit is going to grow significantly if he is already eight months old.

Is he eating and drinking well? Does he seem healthy other than the problems you have mentioned?

I think I would take him back to the breeder for a trade. I really don't sell my rabbits usually but if I did I would replace one for someone within a certain time limit of course.

My buck's testicles are where they are supposed to be & it has been really cold here too.

I think that he is a full blooded Californian and there is something wrong with him. When I bought him the lady said that he was a show prospect and that he was out of show lines.

I called the breeder because she would not reply to my emails and she told me that the problem was the cold but she could not guarantee that he would ever breed. I told her about the size problem and she told me that all of his siblings were all bigger than Mini Lops and that the problem could be my feed. The feed is not the problem though. All of my other rabbits are gaining normaly.

Emily<br /><br />__________ Thu Jan 14, 2010 8:49 pm __________<br /><br />

so basically someone who doesn't stand behind their stock. Bummers that.

It is a bummer. She was so nice and informative before I bought him.

Emily

Wow if she told you he was show prospect then his testicles MUST be present. He also must meet min. weight for his age class. If he didn't meet these when sold then she wasn't telling the the truth. http://www.arba.net/Breeds.htmThis shows Max. adult weight.You would have to go into the breed clubs for exact weights for each age class. In other words if he hadn't descended when you got him then she couldn't possibly know if he was "show prospect" yet!!

I think that she was just trying to get rid of him. I did not have any experience with Californians so I trusted her opinion. I had a feeling that there was a problem when I got my does that were his age and so much larger than him.

Emily<br /><br />__________ Mon Jan 18, 2010 2:55 pm __________<br /><br />

when do male rabbits testicles drop?
I was resexing my gang last night - now I'm back to thinking does and bucks - arrgghhh

It depends on the rabbit My Brun buck had already dropped when I got him at 3 months. I've had Mini Rex bucks drop before 2 Months.

usually by four months at the latest

The only other answer to this is that the buck was way younger than the lady said. Like impossibly young :shock:

Do you have any pictures of him? (thats going to become my nickname;"Got Pics?" lol)

Well it could be 'ambiguous genitalia', I've seen does that looked like bucks or bucks that looked like does. Also bucks can pull their testicles inside their bodies, had a buck that often appeared to only have one, tap on him and he suddenly had two. Seen it happen at shows too, DQ for one teste, rabbit comes off the table and he's got two visible. Size bothers me, at eight months he should be bigger, sounds stunted, or younger than she initially told you. I've had rabbits from large litters be smaller and slower growing because I didn't cull kits and let them all live, and I've had just plain old runts stay small for whatever reason. That could be your situation. Doesn't sound like your going to get far with the breeder, it is for the most part a buyer beware situation in the rabbit world, thats why I always have someone esle check out buns before I buy them, in case they catch something that I miss. You've also had him two months, bought him at 6 months, his testicles should have been visible then. I myself wouldn't refund or replace a rabbit that had been out of my hands for 2 months, but then I would have sold him with a clear conscience, or not sold him at all. Sorry your in such a bummer of a situation, hope it wasn't an expensive lesson.

He's now about 10 months old now and 6 pounds. He still has no testicles and no interest whatsoever in any of my does.
I'm going to bring him to the raffle table at the next show with a note on the cage saying pet only. He would make an excellent pet for a young kid. Small, sweet temperament, doesn't spray...

Emily<br /><br />__________ Fri Mar 19, 2010 10:54 pm __________<br /><br />I put him on the raffle table last Saturday. Looks like he will have a good home.

Emily