How to tell a rabbit's age?

The paperwork I have for my adopted Dutch boy, André, doesn't specify his age. My girls are almost 1 and River is 2. I've been assuming he was a little older then River, but I've noticed some significant differences between him and the other three. He lounges around and naps a lot, and rarely runs around binkying. He doesn't seem to have much trouble getting into his litter tray, but he doesn't jump up on things around the pen like the others. For example, he will use the ramp inside the hutch if he wants to sit out on it rather than just jump up from the outside. He also has lots of grey hairs, whether or not that means anything. Due to his lower activity levels, I'm starting to wonder if he's a lot older than I first assumed. If he is an elderly bun, or moving toward late adulthood, are there any adjustments I should make to make life easier for him? Or should I just leave him be, since he's still eating, drinking and using the toilet properly?

Hi. I have found that when bunnies are young their claws are sharp like little pins but when they get to 3 plus, the claws thicken up and get quite tough. Also as they age they start to feel a bit boney across their back where they lose a bit of muscle tone, probably through lack of exercise. In an elderly bun they take longer to get up when they've been lying down, they get a bit stiff. I've had the occasional bun who gets a bit grey around the mouth and they look a bit strange as the gums recede around the teeth (long in the tooth). These are just things I've noticed over 30 years of keeping buns but don't take it as gospel. Good luck with Andre and I hope you have many years with him. Our rescue have to put a suspected age on the paperwork when they microchip.

A rabbit's toes tend to go a bit wonky with age as well. If the toes on their front feet are nice and parallel and straight (compare them to your other bun's toes), they are likely to be reasonably young. From about 4 or 5 years, they seem to start to point in different directions and are not as neat and tidy as when they were younger.

Fluffybunny54 said:

Hi. I have found that when bunnies are young their claws are sharp like little pins but when they get to 3 plus, the claws thicken up and get quite tough. Also as they age they start to feel a bit boney across their back where they lose a bit of muscle tone, probably through lack of exercise. In an elderly bun they take longer to get up when they've been lying down, they get a bit stiff. I've had the occasional bun who gets a bit grey around the mouth and they look a bit strange as the gums recede around the teeth (long in the tooth). These are just things I've noticed over 30 years of keeping buns but don't take it as gospel. Good luck with Andre and I hope you have many years with him. Our rescue have to put a suspected age on the paperwork when they microchip.

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I have noticed his back feeling a bit boney. Will definitely have another look at his claws, thankyou for your information.

Shimmer said:

A rabbit's toes tend to go a bit wonky with age as well. If the toes on their front feet are nice and parallel and straight (compare them to your other bun's toes), they are likely to be reasonably young. From about 4 or 5 years, they seem to start to point in different directions and are not as neat and tidy as when they were younger.

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Just checked a photo and his toes are pointed a bit differently. Should I assume he's 4 or 5?