It was the classic gender mixup, which apparently happens more often than I had thought. Baby’s previous owners had told me the young rabbit was a girl, which is probably what they were told by a pet store or breeder.

I spent almost a month mulling over different names, and finally settled on Baby Anne. It was in honor of my favorite book character, Anne of Green Gables. But then, my family and I started noticing some warning signs.

Boy or Girl?

It started after my rabbit and I became friends. At first, Baby was jittery and was cautious about leaving his cage. After a few weeks, the bun was more comfortable with me and loved hopping around the living room. The hopping gave way to other habits.

The rabbit started running circles around my feet and making little honking noises. I found it so cute and thought he was just really excited to see me. The honking was odd, but I brushed it off. Baby’s behavior started to get really annoying though, when he started mounting my arm. From my past experience bonding rabbits, I knew even girl buns mounted to establish dominance. It was clear that the previous owners had not fixed the rabbit, so it put it on my to-do list.

Baby behaved even worse when I brought him with me on a visit back home to my parents’ house. My sister has another Lionhead rabbit named Pepper, who happens to be a girl. One day, while we were all home, we let them both out to see if they would get along. In retrospect, it was a horrible idea! They immediately started fighting. Baby started mounting Pepper (who is fixed) from the front, which can be very dangerous for rabbits. It’s easier for them to get hurt because of the easy biting access. We separated them. At that point, my mom shared her suspicions with me. Maybe Baby Anne was a boy?

Suspicions Confirmed

When I got back home to New York, I scheduled a visit to a local veterinarian for an initial look. The vet I chose mostly treated dogs and cats, but she said they did take in rabbit patients. The first appointment went smoothly. I shared my concerns with the vet, listing off the various incidents. She reassured me some girl rabbits can be quite territorial, so the behaviours could stop once the surgery was done. Baby Anne it was.

Then came the actual surgery a week or two later. With much nervousness, I dropped Baby off at the vet and headed off to work. The office told me the procedure would be several hours. But I got a call from them about an hour later.

Vet: “Ummmm, so I have some news for you.”

Me: “Yesssss?”

Vet: “Baby Anne is actually Baby Andy.”

I was furious. Vet appointments are not cheap. Almost $80 for them to tell me the wrong gender. I love Baby either way, but the incompetence of a vet that “sees rabbits” was disappointing. It can be very difficult to find care for rabbits and other small pets, and I thought I had landed a good one. 

It had been several months since I had brought Baby home, so he was already used to his name. For the most part, I had shortened it to Baby when I called him, so that wasn’t too big of an issue. I did not take the vet’s name suggestion, mostly out of spite. 

Instead, I went with Baby Man. Dumb name? Maybe. But I thought it was a good way to make light of the story, while  emphasizing the change to my friends and family.

Lessons Learned

The stressful mixup taught me to research veterinarians before settling. Check with other pet owners in your area. Read reviews. If there aren’t many options, I’d recommend traveling to a reputable vet. Some just don’t cut it. If they can’t take the time to properly sex a rabbit, think about what would happen in a real rabbit health crisis!

I love my rabbit, boy or girl. But it’s much better knowing which he is and being able to rely on a good vet.

What’s the hardest lesson you’ve learned as a pet parent? Let me know in the comments, so we can learn together!