# buck vs. doe



## nicolew07 (Jan 22, 2013)

Hey everyone!
I am new here but I am going to be getting a dwarf hotot bunny soon and was wondering what your preferences are.. buck or doe? The person I am getting it from says bucks tend to be nicer and that is a lot of what I have read. I know when I was little and had rabbits my bucks were always nicer but does it really matter? I don't plan on getting it spayed or neutered..
any input is greatly appreciated!


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## agnesthelion (Jan 22, 2013)

You will get varying opinions on this. Truthfully, I think it completely depends on the individual rabbit. You can have "nice" does and you can have "nice" bucks. You can have grumpy females and grumpy males.
So, personality with rabbits is pretty hard to guarantee based on breed or sex. They are all individuals and you just never know.
For my two, it just so happens that my female is my cuddly and chill bun and my male is the more difficult of the two.
Now, with all of that being said, if you aren't going to spay or neuter there there are some things to consider. My preference would be female. Intact males tend to have more behavioral issues vs. unspayed females. The males will hump and grunt and "court" you not to mention they can spray which can get REALLY messy and stinky. Unneutered males can shoot urine really far!
Unspayed females the biggest behavioral risk would be cage aggression. But not always and even if they have cage aggression they can be sweet as ever out of it. Some females will have mild courting behavior but not like the males.
Lastly, if you aren't going to be showing or breeding I would highly recommend getting him or her spayed/neutered. Overall it makes them better companion pets. Personally, I would never want an unfixed rabbit as a pet.


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## agnesthelion (Jan 22, 2013)

Oh and hello fellow Iowan!


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## BinkyBunny (Jan 22, 2013)

I think you will get a lot of opinions, but I know a few breeders who won't even place their does as pets. Part of that is that they want their does in show homes, but also because they don't make the best pets when unspayed and not everyone spays. I think if I were going to get strictly a pet I would get a buck and get him neutered. 
Having said this my first two was a bonded pair of females and they were indeed very friendly and lovely. I spayed before they got hormonal. They did have grumpy days, but overall great pets. I hope that helps...maybe I just confused you more haha!


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## Korr_and_Sophie (Jan 22, 2013)

If you don't plan on getting the rabbit spayed or neutered, you may have to deal with hormones and that makes a huge difference. While intact bucks may spray, hump and want to mate with everything, they tend to be friendly. Intact does don't usually spray, but can hump, they can be more moody and aggressive though, but that does vary from rabbit to rabbit. 
I would say that if you are ok with the humping and possible spraying, then a buck would be better. 
There are also health considerations with does, so getting them spayed is not just about behaviour. Personally, just for then health considerations, I would get a female spayed.


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## nicolew07 (Jan 22, 2013)

I have been looking into it a little more and talking to the breeder I am getting one from and she said she would make me a deal and have a buck neutered for me before I got it even. I think I am leaning toward a buck. I just know when I had rabbits as a kid we never got them spayed or neutered so I wasn't sure how big of a deal it was not to.


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## victoriamarina (Jan 22, 2013)

Mine is a buck and he's so docile and a very nice personality  My first house bunny and he is 4 months old.. I just got him neutered a few days ago and hes recovered quickly and is now back to his usual cuddly and well mannered nature!


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## BinkyBunny (Jan 22, 2013)

Spaying is a bigger deal for females. Keeping an intact buck as a pet would be doable, but an intact doe could be a bad experience!


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## PaGal (Jan 22, 2013)

My vote is for buck. I was told by my breeder that bucks tend to be more affectionate. Of course, I'm sure females can be wonderful especially when spayed.

I have a Flemish giant buck who will be a year old next month. He is not neutered. I have no problems with him spraying, aggression or any other unwanted behavior due to hormones. Although males can be difficult due to hormones. 

Does should be spayed to reduce the chance of cancer. Also, from everything I have read you are more likely to have behavioral issues with a doe not spayed than a buck not spayed.

Every bun is an individual so there are not guarantees.


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## agnesthelion (Jan 22, 2013)

I don't see much difference in neutered males or spayed females it more depends on the rabbit so a neutered male will be great! I couldn't handle an unneutered male and some couldn't handle an unspayed female....as I said varying opinions 
I had my first bunny 20years ago and we didn't spay/neuter either. I think there is more awareness now and more knowledge about the benefits so it's a more common thing. 
Congrats on your new bunny to be!


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## ldoerr (Jan 22, 2013)

When I was looking for bunnies last year my mom said that I could only get a doe because the bucks make BAD house pets. They spray. We were not considering getting it fixed (did not know that was posible, + I had been a breeder for 4 years so that affected things). I do wish that I had gotten a buck instead of a doe. I got Beauty (doe) and then a week later got Shiny Things (Doe that I had breed and sold). It has been a constant battle to get them bonded ever since. Beauty is also my problem bun. She is skittish and not friendly at all. Shiny Things on the other hand has warmed up to me a bit and now occasionally wants attention. On yet another hand Shiny Things likes to bite me. I remember that wile I was raising rabbits my favorites were normally the bucks. I had 3 does that I liked out of all the rabbits that I had. They were named Tiger RIP (my heart bunny, mini rex doe) Rollie RIP (Tigers sister that died tragically) and Ping Pong RIP (californian doe). My favorite bucks were Freckles (mini rex buck, first rabbit, dad of Tiger and Rollie), Shian (cant spell) (mini rex buck, brother to Tiger and Rollie, Son of Freckles), Chocolate Chip (mini rex buck, Shiny Things uncle), Jumbo (californian buck), King Kong (californian buck, Ping Pongs brother), Unforgetable (mini rex buck, fauther of Chocolate Chip). As you can see I have had double the males that I liked vs females. These are only some of the rabbits that stick out in my mind and that I remember after 6 years. If I get another rabbit one day, it will be a buck.


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## Ape337 (Jan 22, 2013)

I'd say to get a male just based on the fact that you will not be getting your rabbit fixed. The risk of a non-breeding, intact female getting cancer is rather high.
Personality-wise, you really can't be absolutely sure until the bun is mature. You roll the dice with babies.
Good luck on your choice! :biggrin2:


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## OakRidgeRabbits (Jan 22, 2013)

On the whole, bucks tend to have a more laid back, friendly personality. And with only one rabbit in the house, spraying would be less of a concern.

I don't find that females are aggressive, but they do tend to be more shy and sometimes skittish if they are not handled often. They tend to have more territorial behaviors though, like chewing or digging.

I've had both genders as unaltered house pets and really do not have a preference. With only one rabbit in the house, hormonal behaviors are less of a concern. But if you have other pets around, I would probably lean more towards a doe if you don't plan to spay/neuter.


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## woahlookitsme (Jan 22, 2013)

OakRidgeRabbits said:


> On the whole, bucks tend to have a more laid back, friendly personality. And with only one rabbit in the house, spraying would be less of a concern.



Yep my unaltered britannia petite buck never sprayed until I housed a female next to him!


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## majorv (Jan 22, 2013)

Thinking about the rabbits we've had/still have, I would lean towards getting a buck. As some others have said, bucks tend to be the more laid back and the friendly ones. The does are more hormonal, although we have had one or two who just LOVED to be petted and scratched.

Speaking of spraying, I had just the opposite from Sarah. My Polish doe started spraying when I put a Polish buck next to her. As soon as I moved him, she stopped.


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## nicolew07 (Jan 22, 2013)

thanks for all of the input everyone! now would you say to go pick out one in person or jist to pick from pictures? its about an hour and a half drive for me otherwise she is bringing the one i pick on her way through in a couple weeks


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## BinkyBunny (Jan 22, 2013)

If possible ESPECIALLY when you want the rabbit as a pet, go meet them. They can be so different even in the way they are with different people. Charlie Bunny would have a heart attack if someone else cared for him...I'm convinced! I'd make the trip. 1.5 hours isn't bad at all.


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## Troller (Jan 23, 2013)

Many opinions, so I'll throw mine in as well. I have a buck, only recently neutered but before that he was well behaved and did not spray. I think if you intend not to fix then a buck is easier to deal with especially if there are no other rabbits around. Of course it does depend a great deal on personality. I do want to warn you speaking from personal experience, my original plan was to get only one rabbit and leave him unfixed. Well after living with and taking care of one, I've come to desire having another one so toning with a plan but be ready to change it.


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## agnesthelion (Jan 23, 2013)

nicolew07 said:


> thanks for all of the input everyone! now would you say to go pick out one in person or jist to pick from pictures? its about an hour and a half drive for me otherwise she is bringing the one i pick on her way through in a couple weeks



Is the breeder neutering the buck for you? That's what your previous post said anyway. If that's the case you wouldn't be able to pick him out in person, right? I would do some more checking on that. Although possible, it isn't common for a breeder to pay to neuter a bun for you.

So depending on what the situation is there, then definitely try and meet the buns and pick one out. If you are going to fix then there really isn't a difference between m/f. So you might fall in love with a certain one and I would follow your gut  as I said my female is the super cuddly affectionate one. My male is the grumpy, complainer. So it just depends on the individual rabbit.


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## nicolew07 (Jan 23, 2013)

if i picked one out from the pictures she said she could take it to get it neutered before i got him or if i go there soon to pick one out she could do that also she has a low cost vet near her thats why she would do it


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## majorv (Jan 23, 2013)

If the rabbits you're selecting from are old enough to be neutered now then, personally, I would prefer picking one out in person rather than selecting from a picture...that's the only way you'll know his personality, unless the breeder can describe to you how each is. If the drive up there would be difficult then that might be an alternative.


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## BinkyBunny (Jan 23, 2013)

Troller said:


> Many opinions, so I'll throw mine in as well. I have a buck, only recently neutered but before that he was well behaved and did not spray. I think if you intend not to fix then a buck is easier to deal with especially if there are no other rabbits around. Of course it does depend a great deal on personality. I do want to warn you speaking from personal experience, my original plan was to get only one rabbit and leave him unfixed. Well after living with and taking care of one, I've come to desire having another one so toning with a plan but be ready to change it.



Bunnies are like pringles! ONCE YOU POP YOU JUST CAN'T STOP!!!:hbunnysmell:


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## Hyatt101 (Jan 23, 2013)

Personally, I've had the best experiences with females, but that's just me


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