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Pet Forum / Mammals / Rabbits / July 2008Spaying/ Neutering?
Hey APR, I was wondering: what's your general position on spaying/ neutering your rabbits? I personally have just one rabbit, so I don't really see a need to (except to prevent him from trying to mate with everything in sight, but that doesn't really bother me.) Anyway, what's the general consensus? > Hey APR, I was wondering: what's your general position on spaying/ > neutering your rabbits? I personally have just one rabbit, so I don't > really see a need to (except to prevent him from trying to mate with > everything in sight, but that doesn't really bother me.) > > Anyway, what's the general consensus? Well, for females it's critical. Studies have shown that intact females have rates of reproductive cancer as high as 85% in 4 years. It still has benefits for males as well. They will smell less, and it cuts back on territorial behaviors. Rabbits in the wild are pretty much designed to mature fast, have lOTS of babies, and then get eaten. Their hormones are revved very high to maximize benefit to the species as opposed to the individual. Speutering reverses that imperative, and you tend to have calmer healthier animals who live much longer. My Pepper was a cute babybun who was dumped in a part at puberty because she was a hormonal mess - territorrial, aggressive, etc. Even the ACC intake people described her as "very hormonal". She was only 6-8 months old. Wendy Zski & Pepper As Wendy said, for the females it is very important for their health - preventing certain types of cancers. For the males, I think it helps keep them mellowed out. Having their hormones on an even keel makes them less aggressive which can curb certain behaviors that can be annoying to us humans like spraying. I think it also generally helps out with the bunny-human bond too. If you decide to go ahead and get your boy neutered, be sure to find a vet that specializes in rabbits. A lot of vets don't have special rabbit knowledge, so it's good to do a bit of research beforehand. You are in the DC area right? http://www.rabbitsinthehouse.org/vets.html has some links of good vets in the area to investigate. Marie > As Wendy said, for the females it is very important for their health - > preventing certain types of cancers. [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > > Marie there was just a bun in apr who died from cancer.. If she had been fixed.. she would never have gotten that. I think it is good for the bunny to be fixed/neutered. It makes them calm and to not think about mating constantly. They are more at ease and at peace... I think you should do it.. just my opinion. marylee My Cocoa boy was neutered, mostly because he started spraying ME! He was in love :) I think for their sake, they must have a more enjoyable life when they aren't driven crazy by their hormones. For some rabbits, it also cuts down on chewing behaviours. I think my Cocoa and I were much better off for him being neutered.  SignatureGod Bless, Arlette, Cocoa & Brownie in heaven (See us here) http://www.flickr.com/photos/11393346@N02/ Need a vet? Click here <http://www.rabbitvet.net> For Cocoa's body sling vids Click here <http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=cocoa3c> Thanks for all of your input... I think I'll start looking more into getting him neutered then. Buster is choc full of hormones and for a while tried to have a love affair with my foot, but we sort of accidentally stumbled upon a stuffed animal which is his current "girlfriend." Maybe it's not altogether that pleasant to some, but it's better than the alternatives. Oddly enough, thanks to some form of pavlovian conditioning or something he only mates with her when I'm in the room... While I worry slightly over the ethical implications of modifying his personality so much, my current solution is kind of a hack and not really too natural itself... Anyway, thanks again for your help =). Just make sure you get a rabbit savvy vet as not any vet can perform rabbit ops safely. This is VERY important!!!!! SignatureGod Bless, Arlette, Cocoa & Brownie in heaven (See us here) http://www.flickr.com/photos/11393346@N02/ Need a vet? Click here <http://www.rabbitvet.net> For Cocoa's body sling vids Click here <http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=cocoa3c> > Just make sure you get a rabbit savvy vet as not any vet can perform rabbit > ops safely. This is VERY important!!!!! I definitely will. Thanks again for all of the help. Additionally, though you are sure you have a boy -- and you are probably right, there is a possibility you actually have a female. Many of us have been fooled! Even some vets have been. It is just not always easy to sex a bunny, and the females can demonstrate aggressive sexual behavior and humping, too. It really is very important to have females neutered. Not to do so is virtually certain to sentence her (if it perchance is a her) to reproductive cancer. Nona |
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