Sexing and Mixing

Hamsters can be very aggressive towards one another and should be kept on their own.

Rabbits and guinea pigs can be housed singly or in groups (though two males may fight with each other), and rabbits and guinea pigs can be mixed together if their living accommodation is large enough.

Gerbils are territorial animals and will fight any intruders to their cage. However, two females (or a male and female if you wish them to breed) will live happily together if carefully introduced at a young age. Males may fight quite fiercely with each other no matter how they are introduced.

Young rabbits can be sexed by applying a little pressure to either side of the genital opening; females have a slit-like opening, while in males it is round. Sexing mature rabbits is much easier, when the testicles of the male are clearly seen on either side of the penis.

Guinea pigs are sexed in a similar way to rabbits. Males have a round genital opening whereas it is ‘Y’ shaped in females. Gentle pressure around this opening will cause the penis to be extruded in males.

Hamsters are relatively easy to sex once they have reached puberty because the male’s testicles form an elongated point at the hind-quarters, whilst the female has a rounded end with no bulge. Young hamsters may be sexed by the greater distance between the anal and genital openings (the ano-genital distance) in the male, though it is easier to tell if both sexes are present for comparison.

Gerbils are more difficult to sex than hamsters; the ano-genital distance is greater in the male when compared to the female, and adult males tend to be larger.