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Are there any health complications for rabbits born with no sex organs?

Bunny Buddy

Wise Old Thumper
I've come across a few people that have had bunnies that are both sexes (hermaphrodite) I can't remember who, I think Sky-O had one? There were others, but this one (currently at Bunny Camp Sanctuary) has neither. He's been thoroughly investigated and nothing could be found. 'He' doesn't even have a penis but the outer 'bit' looks more male than female.

I suspect this is very rare but wondering if lower urinary tract issues may be likely, and something you couldn't (presumably) insure for.

Any insight would be appreciated.

Strangely enough his sisters had been neutered but only the ovaries were removed, not the womb - not sure how usual that is?
 
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When you say thoroughly investigated, do you mean cryptorchidism was ruled out by a vet?

They opened him up to look for female organs (searched very well for them). If male then there also should be blood vessels to supply the scrotum - there was sort of branches to this area but nothing more, it wasn't the result of previous surgery either. He was dumped at the rescue so no history known. He's believed to be only about 20 weeks old.

Sorry, I didn't directly answer you question but yes, cryptorchidism was ruled out in and amongst other searching for clues...
 
I see. In over 30 years I've never heard of this, have you tried emailing the RWAF? They have rabbit specialist vets.
 
I've come across a few people that have had bunnies that are both sexes (hermaphrodite) I can't remember who, I think Sky-O had one? There were others, but this one (currently at Bunny Camp Sanctuary) has neither. He's been thoroughly investigated and nothing could be found. 'He' doesn't even have a penis but the outer 'bit' looks more male than female.

I suspect this is very rare but wondering if lower urinary tract issues may be likely, and something you couldn't (presumably) insure for.

Any insight would be appreciated.

The story is in bulletins here:

https://www.facebook.com/The-Bunny-Camp-Sanctuary-129268973824770/

Strangely enough his sisters had been neutered but only the ovaries were removed, not the womb - not sure how usual that is?

As mentioned on the FB thread there were the P@H VIP Rabbits who were neutered at 6 weeks :)evil:) They were also micro-chipped and vaccinated, all done in Spain before the poor Babies were exported :cry: Were the dumped Rabbits scanned for a micro-chip ?

The risk of uterine cancer once the ovaries are removed would be minimal as it is mainly the ovaries that produce oestrogen.

Not ever seen an intersex Rabbit myself, but on researching it this came up and the last paragraph had me :shock: :shock:

https://books.google.co.uk/books?id...Q6AEISDAH#v=onepage&q=intersex rabbit&f=false

I dont know for sure, but maybe an intersex Rabbit would be at higher risk of osteoporosis ? In humans a congenital condition effecting the adrenal gland can cause intersex in the Baby. I have no idea if adrenal gland hyperplasia in Rabbits can cause kits to be born as intersex.
 
As mentioned on the FB thread there were the P@H VIP Rabbits who were neutered at 6 weeks :)evil:) They were also micro-chipped and vaccinated, all done in Spain before the poor Babies were exported :cry: Were the dumped Rabbits scanned for a micro-chip ?

The risk of uterine cancer once the ovaries are removed would be minimal as it is mainly the ovaries that produce oestrogen.

Not ever seen an intersex Rabbit myself, but on researching it this came up and the last paragraph had me :shock: :shock:

https://books.google.co.uk/books?id...Q6AEISDAH#v=onepage&q=intersex rabbit&f=false

I dont know for sure, but maybe an intersex Rabbit would be at higher risk of osteoporosis ? In humans a congenital condition effecting the adrenal gland can cause intersex in the Baby. I have no idea if adrenal gland hyperplasia in Rabbits can cause kits to be born as intersex.

Thanks. The bunnies are far too young to be VIP bunnies, only about 20 weeks old, that crossed my mind too but they also have a mid line excision whereas I think the Spanish vets just did keyhole excisions directly by the ovary (?). I remember discussing the P@H VIP bunnies with FHB at that time that saga was happening, she said she had no issue with the womb being left as the cancer risk comes from the ovaries. I believe she shared her rather robust opinion with P@H at the time though .... ;). What a shame these people had the rabbits spayed then dumped them without passing on this important information :roll: I'm wondering how many vets in the UK use this method and that could somehow be a way of tracing ownership?!
 
Thanks. The bunnies are far too young to be VIP bunnies, only about 20 weeks old, that crossed my mind too but they also have a mid line excision whereas I think the Spanish vets just did keyhole excisions directly by the ovary (?). I remember discussing the P@H VIP bunnies with FHB at that time that saga was happening, she said she had no issue with the womb being left as the cancer risk comes from the ovaries. I believe she shared her rather robust opinion with P@H at the time though .... ;). What a shame these people had the rabbits spayed then dumped them without passing on this important information :roll: I'm wondering how many vets in the UK use this method and that could somehow be a way of tracing ownership?!

I know Romain Pizzi does it

http://www.rzss.org.uk/conservation...-team/other-researchers-at-rzss/romain-pizzi/

http://www.romainpizzi.com/
 
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Yes, I have a hernaphrodite bunny. Three of the five of them had genital defects and it was decided this was due to a trauma the doe suffered at the point the genitalia were developing. I wonder if that is possible in this case too?
 
I had Josie, about 5 years ago. Checked the thread I made at the time and I said this:
Josie has no reproductive organs! No scar, or evidence they've been removed. Plus she has an 'abnormal vulva', or possibly a penis that hasn't formed completely?!

Her rectum and colon are extra large, and her caecum is 'pocketed'. She's quite deformed down there, which I guess explains her caecal problems and diarrhoea. Basically, she's a medical freak!

The vet thinks 'it' looks slightly more like a vulva than a penis, so we're sticking with female!

I don't know about health complications though. Josie got nodular myxi, seemed to recover, then died from pneumonia. :cry: I think that was the result of myxi scarring, but being so deformed inside might have contributed.

Did the vet say that everything else looked normal inside?
 
Yes, I have a hernaphrodite bunny. Three of the five of them had genital defects and it was decided this was due to a trauma the doe suffered at the point the genitalia were developing. I wonder if that is possible in this case too?

Yes, I wonder. There are four rabbits the same sort of age assumed to be siblings but all female and appear to be 'normal', maybe he was just unlucky. The rescue would normally blame inbreeding but the two older rabbits, assumed to be the parents are different breeds to not inbreeding.
 
I had Josie, about 5 years ago. Checked the thread I made at the time and I said this:


I don't know about health complications though. Josie got nodular myxi, seemed to recover, then died from pneumonia. :cry: I think that was the result of myxi scarring, but being so deformed inside might have contributed.

Did the vet say that everything else looked normal inside
?

Thanks. I'd forgotten Josie was one of the 'unusual' rabbits. I haven't been told the vet said everything else looked normal but it was a very long discussion so if he had commented on anything then I'm sure that would have been passed on, he did a lot of rummaging around looking for a uterus. He's done spays/surgery for the rescue for many years so has a lot of experience of rabbit physiology.
 
I had Josie, about 5 years ago. Checked the thread I made at the time and I said this:


I don't know about health complications though. Josie got nodular myxi, seemed to recover, then died from pneumonia. :cry: I think that was the result of myxi scarring, but being so deformed inside might have contributed.

Did the vet say that everything else looked normal inside?

I remember Josie's Myxi but I hadn't realised she was also the one with the 'intersex' issues. Crikey, she did have a lot to cope with.
 
Awwwww, well he's certainly a handsome Bunster even if he hasn't got all his bits and pieces xx

The breeder who volunteers there (yes, you did hear right!) is very clued up on genetics and said the colour and type for the younger rabbits could well be off-spring of the older rabbits who were dumped, which seemed the logical conclusion. This would mean that his mother is an uppy eared English cross and his father is a rather smaller helicopter lop. So the inbreeding theory is unlikely. Ruth was baffled by what I was telling her and felt there was 'more information' that was missing. Given that his sisters have been spayed it seems more logical that he/she had also already been done, though the vet that operated seemed to be confident of what he saw (or didn't see!). .... curiouser and curiouser.

His colour is opal apparently, which is what I've always believed Elijah to be. :love:
 
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