Telling the exact age of an adult rabbit is a lot harder than you may think.
Trust us, we’ve been raising rabbits for years and the only way we’ve been able to accurately track their exact age is by intentionally taking notes on their birth and subsequent years of life.
Our local vet has even told us that without our yearly records it would be impossible for her to know the exact age of our adults!
However, up to a certain point it is easy to tell just how old your rabbit is and there are some factors that can hint at the age of adult rabbits.
In this post we will go over all the best tips and tricks for aging your rabbit accurately, so read on!
How To Tell A Rabbits Age: Age Of Baby Rabbit
The most accurate approximation you can make on your rabbit’s age occurs when it is still very young.
This is because from 0-6 months there are key developmental stages that can be recognized in baby bunnies.
No wonder, as rabbit kits are born hairless and blind!
Take a look at the table below for more info on the developmental leaps made by baby bunnies.
| Recognizing Age of Baby Rabbits | |
| 0-7 days | Low mobility, no fur, with skin covering the eyes. |
| 7-14 | Short fine coat of fur, potentially open eyes, sloppy movements inside the nest. |
| 2-3 weeks | Longer, soft coat of fur, open eyes, moving around in the nest actively. |
How to Tell A Rabbits Age: Immature Bunnies
After the first three weeks, you can tell how old immature rabbits are based on more general developmental clues.
3 week to 1 month old
At this age bunnies are very furry and are walking and exploring a bit outside the nest. They will also be nibbling at some hay/grasses, but are still nursing.
1-2 month old
During this time, immature rabbits will be eating hay and grass daily and will start to nibble at rabbit pellets.
These young rabbits will be furry balls of soft fur, may still be nursing, and will start to gain weight fast during this time.
2-4 month old
Shedding of the baby coat (which may result in coat color change) usually happens around 2-4 months old.
They will start to grow their adult coat which is less soft and fuzzy than their baby coat.
These bunnies are also now completely weaned and are eating only hay and pellets and gaining lots of weight!
4-6 month old
Most rabbit breeds reach sexually maturity around the 6 month mark.
At this time the rabbits will undergo some physical changes: the males’ testicles will drop and the females will start to develop their dewlap (fat band under their chin).
They may also start to exhibit behavior changes: the males start to urine spray and the females exhibit increased territorial behavior.
6-12 month old
At this point rabbits have most likely arrived at their adult weight and are fully sexually developed.
However, sometimes they have yet to grow into their body features (their head may still seem a bit small) and they can still have bits of soft, wispy baby fur.
There we have it, up until a year you (or your local vet) can usually place the age of your bunny using these developmental clues and signs.
But once they reach adult size and weight according to their specific breed, there are only a few clues left that can help determine their age range.
How To Tell Bunnies Age: Adult Rabbits
Four of the most popular and useful features that can be used to age-approximate adult rabbits are their nails, hocks, teeth, and coat.
Aging Rabbits Based On Their Nails
The condition of your bunnies nails may help you distinguish if your rabbit is just a few years old or getting on in age.
This is because the older the rabbit is, the more yellow and thick their nails will be.
For example, rabbits of only 1-2 years or so will have whiter, thinner, and slightly softer nails than bunnies of 3+ years.
Aging Rabbits Based on Their Hocks
The hock on a rabbit is the heel of their hind feet.
Rabbits that have been around for more time will exhibit hocks that are
- Worn
- Calloused
- Lightly fur-covered
While younger rabbits will still have soft, uncalloused, and furry hocks.
Aging Rabbits Based on Their Teeth
Rabbit teeth never stop growing, which is why a high fiber diet is so important for rabbits…not only does it keep their guts happy but it helps wear down their ever growing teeth!
As such, teeth can be a telltale sign of rabbit age because the longer a rabbit lives, the more aged and yellow their teeth can become (although very yellow or brown teeth is a sign of bad diet and bad health).
Older rabbits are also prone to teeth issues because they naturally start to eat less, which leaves their teeth to grow unchecked!
So if you are raising your rabbit on a balanced high fiber diet, but their teeth seem to be more yellow than white or are not being naturally worn down, they may be quite old!
Aging Rabbits Based on Their Coat
A very simple way to age a rabbit is by looking at their coat.
Young rabbits of 1-2 years will have soft, full coats while older rabbits of 2-5 years may exhibit coarse back hairs.
And very old rabbits of 5+ years may have thinning patches or worn areas due to aging.
Our Thoughts On A Rabbit Age Size Chart
We haven’t found rabbit age size charts to be very helpful when thinking about the age of our rabbits.
This is because each breed and each individual rabbit is a little different when it comes to growth, development, and overall adult size.
What can be helpful is to know the maximum and average adult size of the breed of rabbit that you have.
In that way, you can estimate if your rabbit has finished growing and can see if it exhibits all the features of an adult of its breed. This in turn can help you determine an age-range.
Frequently Asked Questions Related To How To Tell A Rabbits Age
What Is A Rabbit’s Age Limit?
Domestic rabbits usually live between 8 to 12 years!
How Old Is An Adult Rabbit?
A rabbit is considered an adult when it has reached is full weight and is sexually mature. For rabbits, this is usually between 6 to 12 months of age.
Final Thoughts on How To Tell Age Of A Rabbit
Aging rabbits isn’t easy, and by far the best way to accurately know just how old your mature rabbit is is by recording their date of birth and subsequent years of life.
However, not all is lost if this information is unknown to you!
You can still get a general (but never specific) idea of how old your rabbit is by examining their body and noticing the state of their nails, hocks, teeth and coat of fur.
This video does a great job of sharing tips on how to age your rabbit accurately