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• Part 1 of 3: Discovering a rabbit's general age
• Part 2 of 3: Assess whether you have a baby or young adult rabbit
• Part 3 of 3: Determining the difference between an adult and an old rabbit

Unfortunately, it is true that there is no easy way to determine a rabbit's age. It is certainly not possible to determine the age of a rabbit up to a specific date or number of years. But by looking at some specific signs you can determine whether the rabbit is young (birth to adolescent), adult or old. In fact, with a little research you can probably determine if a rabbit is very young, young, or a young adult rabbit, but that's the best you can achieve.

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Part 1 of 3: Discovering a rabbit's general age

1. Use general age ranges to categorize the rabbit. This will give you a good way to start your assessment. A young rabbit is up to 9 months old. An adult rabbit is approximately from 9 months to 4 - 5 years old. An old rabbit is 4 - 5 years or older.
   • Some rabbits live up to 10-12 years old.
2. Don't expect age to be easily determined. The reason rabbits age is so difficult to determine is that they do not have any prominent features or traits that change with age. Unlike many other animals, young adult rabbits and old rabbits can look very much the same.
   • This is in contrast to horses, whose age can be estimated quite accurately from their teeth. They have unique markings that grow out with the teeth as the animal ages. Even if there were useful markers on rabbit teeth, markings affecting the molars would be difficult to see because they are located at the very back of the mouth and require special instruments to see them.
3. Assess the rabbit's overall appearance and behavior. List your rabbit's contributions to help you estimate what age he may be. Things to watch for include:
   • Activity level: Does the rabbit engage in playful behavior on a regular basis or is he sleeping and eating mainly? Does the rabbit move with smooth, elegant movements, or do they look stiff and painful?
   • Overall Appearance: Is the rabbit's coat soft and lush or wiry and coarse?
   • Physical wear and tear: Does the rabbit have spots on the heels?

Part 2 of 3: Assess whether you have a baby or young adult rabbit

1. Find out if the rabbit is still a baby. Is the rabbit still growing and does it spend a lot of time with its mother? Baby rabbits are born blind and deaf. They are very small and are fed by their mother once or twice every 24 hours, usually at night.
   • After 6-8 days, the eyes and ears open and have a thin coat. By 2 weeks they will have a full coat.
   • At two weeks old, rabbits begin to take an interest in nibbling grass and herbs. When they are three weeks old, they regularly leave the nest and respond quickly to noises.
   • Young rabbits are weaned by their mother when they are 4 - 5 weeks old, by which time they look like adult mini bunnies. Weaning is usually completed (the young no longer nurses from the mother) by the age of 8 weeks.
2. Determine if your rabbit is fully grown. To find out, you need to know how big your rabbit's breed should be when fully grown. If you are unsure whether you have a small breed rabbit that has grown or a young rabbit that is still growing, take weekly pictures of the rabbit and compare the pictures.
   • If necessary, you can add a fixed object every week as a reference or as a yardstick.
   • Depending on the breed, rabbits will continue to grow until they are 6-9 months old (the maximum for larger breeds).
3. Assess the rabbit's reproductive behavior. When the rabbit is young adult it starts to produce reproductive hormones. This usually occurs from the age of 4 months, with 4-6 months being a typical age when rabbits become interested in the opposite sex.
   • Young adult rabbits are often very curious and inquisitive, and love to explore their environment. If they encounter another rabbit of the same sex, their triggering hormones can cause them to fight. A young rabbit is usually reactive, limiting itself to many steps with hind legs for perceived dangers. But when they meet the opposite sex, they can try to mate.

Part 3 of 3: Determining the difference between an adult and an old rabbit

1. Look for behaviors that suggest you have an adult or old rabbit. Adult rabbits can also display hostile mating behavior, but they are often less inquisitive about their environment. Adult rabbits are often active when awake and eating, dividing their time between activities and sleeping. When awake, they give the impression that they are alert and interactive.
   • Older rabbits sleep more and eat less, and may lose weight and become lean. When awake, they may be less responsive to what is happening around them and less interested in their environment.
2. Assess the rabbit's overall appearance. A young rabbit is still growing, so you should be able to see a difference in size. An adult rabbit is at its peak in physical strength and likely has a shiny, shiny coat, bright eyes, good weight (possibly even plump), and moves in an easy, fluid manner.
   • In contrast, an older rabbit may have a dull coat from not brushing itself as often. It may have impaired vision or hearing and may not interact with its environment as much as an adult rabbit. When he moves, it can look stiff, he can move awkwardly, maybe shuffling more than hopping.
3. Watch for painful heels. There is no scientific link between painful heels and age, but some rabbit owners have found that older animals are more likely to have painful heels. This condition is caused by the animal's body weight pressing on the thin skin of its hocks, rubbing the fur away and forming calluses.
   • There are several variable factors in the development of painful heels, including the weight of the animal (the heavier the rabbit, the more likely to form calluses), the thickness of their bedding (lack of bedding is a risk factor), and how clean or dirty the bedding is (urine-soaked bedding will scorch the fur and cause it to fall out).
   • A young rabbit is unlikely to be affected by all of these factors, so painful heels are rare in a young rabbit. However, the older the rabbit gets, the more likely these factors are to occur, resulting in calluses on the heels.
4. Look at the rabbit's teeth. Rabbits can suffer from overgrown teeth at any age, as this can be caused by their diet and the teeth not getting worn down, rather than by age. But older rabbits often eat less and therefore their teeth are more likely to overgrow.
   • The symptoms of overgrown teeth may include the rabbit chafing its teeth or having a wet chin from drooling.