Q: Our children were given two rabbits, and they'd like to know each bunny's sex before they name them. We parents would like to know, too, so we don't end up with a house full of rabbits.
How do we tell what sex each rabbit is? If one is female and the other male, can they be neutered to prevent a household population explosion, or should we just try to keep them apart?
A: A male is called a buck, and a female is a doe. One way to determine their sexes is to look at each rabbit's groin. [Here's a shortcut link to an instructional video: arkansasonline.com/1018rabbit]
A far easier way to sex your new bunnies is to schedule a physical exam with a veterinarian. If your new rabbits are not yet sexually mature, it will be particularly difficult to determine their sexes without your veterinarian's help.
In males, the testicles descend around 10 to 12 weeks of age. Small and medium-size breeds are sexually mature at 4 to 6 months, while giant breeds don't gain sexual maturity until around 9 months of age.
Once you learn that both rabbits are healthy, request an appointment for sterilization surgery, even if both of them are the same sex. Sterilized rabbits live longer and behave better than unsterilized rabbits. Rabbits are social creatures, and sterilization will help your two bunnies get along more harmoniously.
Females should be sterilized, or spayed, to prevent uterine cancer, which occurs in most unspayed does and is fatal. In addition, spay surgery decreases urine spraying and aggression.
Males are sterilized, or neutered, to prevent urine marking and aggression. Urine odor is also reduced after neutering.
Moreover, sterilization reduces overpopulation of pet rabbits. Bunnies are the third most common species living in animal shelters, awaiting permanent homes.
To help you and your children give your new bunnies the best possible care, consult the House Rabbit Society website at https://rabbit.org. You'll learn about diet, litter box training, finding an expert rabbit veterinarian and much more.
Q: The big box store has a sale on sago palms, and I'm thinking of buying one for my living room. However, we have a new puppy that sometimes chews outdoor plants. Will it be a problem if he chews the sago palm?
A: Yes, a deadly problem, so don't buy this plant. The sago palm, also called a cycad palm, resembles a pineapple with large, thick, dark green spiked fronds growing from the top. These low-maintenance houseplants also thrive outdoors in warm climates.
All parts of the sago palm are poisonous -- even if the dog only chews the plant but doesn't swallow. The seeds are particularly toxic; eating just one seed has proved fatal.
Two poisons are most responsible for the sago palm's toxicity: cycasin, which causes liver failure and other gastrointestinal toxicity, and an amino acid called beta-methylamino-L-alanine, which damages the central nervous system.
Toxic signs include regurgitation, diarrhea, anorexia, lethargy, loss of coordination, tremors, seizures and coma. Death occurs in up to half of patients, so immediate veterinary care is essential for any pet exposed to a sago palm.
So, say no to sago palms. Instead, choose pet-safe plants from the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center's website. Here's a shortcut link: arkansasonline.com/1018pets.
Lee Pickett, VMD, practices companion animal medicine in North Carolina. Contact her at
vet@askthevet.pet