Split Penis Question

Teddy2511 · Dec 7, 2013

Hey All,
I know I haven't been around in a long time, my life is far too busy these days!

But I do have a question for you all.

I found out recently that one of the bucks born out of my father/daughter breeding (I have bred this cross now several times), which I thought was a doe, is a buck with an obvious split penis.

I have had 4 total surviving kits out of this cross from different litters. One doe, one split p buck, one buck (so far looks normal), and one other buck who is only 6 weeks old, but I am watching closely for a split p as "he" occasionally look like a "she".

First Question: Would you recommend that I cull the father and daughter from my herd to get that line out of my rabbitry?

Those two are the only bunnies in my herd that are specifically from those lines. I have only one other doe in my herd who has a little of the same bloodlines, but I do not intend to cull her as she is not too closely related. Though I will watch her offspring, for caution's sake.

Second Question: If a young rabbit, under 8 weeks, looks like a normal, healthy buck... Does that mean that he will not turn out with a split p later in life?

Thanks in advance for your help; I appreciate having a place to go to with these funny questions. 8)

ottersatin · Dec 8, 2013

First Question: Would you recommend that I cull the father and daughter from my herd to get that line out of my rabbitry?

Hello Teddy,
I would definately, but the choice is yours.
how important could they be to your breeding program
if they may end up producing more of the same?

Second Question: If a young rabbit, under 8 weeks,
looks like a normal, healthy buck... Does that mean
that he will not turn out with a split p later in life?

I would believe that it would not, unless you just happened
to miss the oddity at the time or times you checked.
Ottersatin.

ldtimer:

CochinBrahmaLover · Dec 8, 2013

Just curious... Is split p a sign of inbreeding? Like in pigeons when they get webbed toes?

Teddy2511 · Dec 8, 2013

Okay, thank you Otterstain.
Could you explain your second answer, though? I'm not sure that I understand...

CochinBrahmaLover, I don't believe that split penises have anything to do with inbreeding, but most people do agree that it is a genetic trait passed on by carrier rabbits.

dangerbunny · Dec 9, 2013

I've heard it is generally a genetic thing but occasionally can be a birth defect, regardless I wouldn't breed a pair that produced and would look at culling those animals.

skysthelimit · Dec 9, 2013

Here's what I did when I found the split penis.

Supposedly some research says it travels with the does, so if a buck carries the gene for the split penis, it will manifest, but if he does not have a visual split penis, then he is ok, but the does from that litter, doe relatives and dam, you would not know because they have a split anyway.
Then you would cull the dam and all doe relatives. If you cull the sire and dam, still cull all doe litter mates. Then you would probably cull what ever you have of the doe line. If that's too much, breed the sire to the dams relatives, and the dam to the sires relatives, to see what's what.

I culled the buck in question, culled all his doe littermates, and his dam died a few months before anyway. About 8-10 rabbits. I have had almost 100 kits from his sire and have had no other problems.

Very recently, I discovered another split penis buck. Absolutely no relation to the previous bunch. He was ok around 4-5 mos. Sometimes it takes a while for the penis to close properly. In my slow maturing bucks, I have some that look like weanlings until 45 mos. Not an adult bucks penis. And it just never closed. He was housed with a young doe till 8 mos old. I finally got a litter from them.
Then he was housed with another doe for the last two months. No litter, so I checked him and found the split. Explains why he was together with the first doe for so long before I got a litter, and why the other has not had one.