• Forum/Server Upgrade If you are reading this you have made it to the upgraded forum. Posts made on the old forum after 26th October 2023 have not been transfered. Everything else should be here. If you find any issues please let us know.
  • Please Note - Medical Advice

    Please keep in mind that posts on this forum are from members of the public sharing personal opinions. It is not a replacement for qualified medical advice from a veterinarian. Many illnesses share similar symptoms but require different treatments. A medical exam is necessary for an accurate diagnosis, without which appropriate treatment cannot be given.

    You should always consult your vet before following any suggestions for medication or treatment you have read about. The wrong treatment could make your rabbit worse or mean your vet is unable to give the correct treatment because of drug interactions. Even non prescription drugs can do harm if given inappropriately.

    We are very grateful to members who take time to answer other members questions, but please do be clear in your replies that you are sharing personal experience and not giving instructions on what must be done.

    Urgent Medical Advice: If you need, or think you might need, urgent medical advice you should contact a vet. If it is out of working hours phone your vet's normal number and there should be an answer phone message with instructions on what to do.

Development problems with rex buck

Lu_x

Mama Doe
Hi all,

I've not been on here a while due to life generally being hectic.

I took Velcro my little rex buck to the vets yesterday to find out if he's ready to be neutered. When they came to check his bits out the vet couldn't find his testicles and took him off round all of his colleagues to see if they could find them! After about tens minutes they were discovered but apparently they are very small and they are not happy to neuter him when they are so underdeveloped!

He's 10 months old and only weighs 1.2 kg's which I know is very small for a rex! He's never had any health problems, and the vet check has shown no other problems. He eats lots of hay and is on excel pellets, which he only has 1 egg cup full a day and the rest of his diet is vegetables.

I know he has only put on 100g's in weight in 7 months. Any ideas why he may be so under developed!?

Thanks for reading!
 
Is he really a Mini Rex or a Micro Rex. I have a Micro who is about 3 years old and weighs just over 1kg.

Is your Vet Rabbit Savvy ? It is often possible to tease the testes down once the Buck is anesthetised.
 
When I got him I was informed that he was a rex, but when he didn't grow I did wonder whether he may be a mini rex, but I don't want to just resolve that he is a mini rex when there could be something amiss.

I didn't get to see my normal vet (same surgery different vet) but the vet that I did see was confident with the buns and he had a lot more knowledge than vets I have dealt with in the past. I am under the impression that my usual rabbit savvy vet was one of the vets he took Velcro to for 'further investigation'.

His testicles are definately very very tiny even if you accept that he may be a mini rex. The vet said that he could neuter him but until we monitor his growth for a month he wouldn't recommend it, just to stay on the side of caution!

Do you think it's more likely that he is a mini rex? He weighs 1.2 kg just and he's all in proportion and has no health problems ( and eats well)!

I'm really worrying about his size, sorry if I seem silly for it! :oops:
 
Anyone who has experience of under developed Bucks, I'd really appreciate your input... Thanks :D
 
my dutch is a tad underweight but he eats all day long! its a mystery, the vet just said he was a small little guy. no problems, i guess he's like a midget!
 
We have had a few under developed bucks here, although not specifically rexes. Although we do have a very tiny female mini rex who is only around the 1kg mark at 2 years old.

The reason for the male under development of our bucks has been for different reasons as far as we are aware. Elvis is a dutch who weighs around a kg and couldn't be neutered until he was 8 months due to lack of boy bits, this appears to be due to severe neglect in his first 6 weeks of life.

Other males that haven't developed have had underlying congenital problems leading to their slow development. It is possible that body x-rays could show if specific major organs haven't developed properly, although unfortunately a lot of congenital problems can not be identified until post mortum.

If you have no reason to rush his neuter ie he is a single bunny and also doesn't show any hormonal behaviour, then I would wait a while longer. If it needs to be done asap then I would suggest possible x-rays, and pre surgery bloods to see if anything shows up, but as I stated above, even if they do come back clear it can't rule out all underlying problems.

I hope that helps a little

Hopefully Velcro is just a healthy, happy tiny bunny :) I also love the name Velcro, I think its fab :love::love:
 
Thank you so much Hugos There. I'm relieved to know that someone else has experienced this with other buns. I don't know much about his past, I was told that he was a rex and I have seen his brother who has grown a lot more, but still doesn't look as big as a standard rex normally does.

He shows no typical hormonal male traits and as a result we have started the bonding process with him and Josie and they are truly in love. He is such a lovely calm lad but will see what happens on the neutering front in a months time.

Thanks again.
 
Back
Top