Why should I spay/neuter my rabbit?

-Rabbits who are altered live longer than unaltered rabbits:
Risks of cancers and other diseases (ovarian, uterine, and mammarian for females and testicular disease, abscesses, haematomas* and cancer for males) are greatly lessened by spaying or neutering. Males who are neutered won't be as sexually aggressive; therefore, they won't be tempted to fight with other animals.

-Altered rabbits make better companions for humans and other animals:
Rabbits which are altered become calmer, more loving, and dependable once they no longer have the urge to mate. They also tend not to be as destructive and aggressive after the surgery takes place.

-Avoidance of spraying:
Females and especially males often spray their urine to mark their territory. Their urine can develope a strong, unpleasant odor.

-Easier to litter train:
Rabbits who are spayed or neutered are easier to litter train, and their training becomes much more reliable after being altered.

-Altered rabbits do not contribute to the problem of overpopulation:
Please see the breeding section for more information on overpopulation.

-Altered rabbits make safer friends:
Rabbits who are altered no longer have the sexual and aggressive behaviors triggered by hormones. This makes it safer to have a rabbit friend either of the same or opposite sex.

How safe is surgery on rabbits?

The House Rabbit Society's mortality rate due to anesthesia is approximately .1%. If your veterinarian is good, your healthy rabbit can be spayed or neutered with very little risk. Using proper techniques and isofluorene as the anesthetic during the surgery, the surgery will be safe. If your veterinarian does not have experience with rabbits, please find a new veterinarian.

When should I spay or neuter my rabbit?

As soon as a female rabbit is sexually mature (usually around 4 months of age), she can be spayed. Surgery is riskier on a younger rabbit, so many veterinarians wait until a female is 6 months old to spay her. Male rabbits can be neutered as soon as their testicles descend (around 3 1/2 months of age), but many veterinarians wait until rabbits are 5 months old to neuter them.

Is my rabbit too old to be spayed or neutered?

In general, after a rabbit is 6 years old, surgery and anesthetics become more risky. If a rabbit is over 2 years of age, he/she should have full blood work and a thorough health check done before the surgery takes place to make sure that there aren't any conditions which would make the surgery more risky.

How do I know if my female rabbit has been spayed or not?

A female rabbit's belly can be shaved to look for a scar; however, there isn't always one. A tatoo on the stomach may indicate that the rabbit has been spayed. If neither of these things are found, the only way to tell for sure is to proceed with the surgery.

Read here for more information!

Neutered males should not be put with intact females for at least three weeks after neutering!

Being Neutered (from a rabbit's perspective)
By Cloudy
(Bunnymom5's Rabbit)

Hi everyone! My name is Cloudy! I'm Bunnymom5's rabbit. Mommy was working on her web page doing this thing on spaying and neutering. I was sitting on her lap watching, and I thought (since both my best friend/brother Magic and I have been neutered) that I would tell you guys what I remember about being neutered. So, my mommy will help me a little to give you guys some more information about neutering, and she'll correct my spelling and stuff too. So, here it goes!

The night before I went to get neutered, my mommy told me that I was going to go to the vet's office in the morning. She had researched a lot about neutering before she decided to have me get it done. Everything was basically normal. [NOTE FROM BUNNYMOM5:] Some say that you should give your rabbit acidophilus for a couple of days before the surgery to make sure that the digestive system is functioning properly. You shouldn't change the rabbit's diet at all during this period of time. Plus, acidophilus basically acts as a treats to rabbits because by the time it would be of any use, it's been fully digested.

My mommy was on her way to school the morning of my neuter. The vet's office was on the way, so she decided that she would drop me off. I sat in my pet carrier on her lap with a bath towel. Mommy said lots of nice things to me so that I wouldn't be scared.

When we got to the vet's office, we sat in the waiting room. I was really scared. There were some cats and other animals in the room that I had never seen before. Finally they called my name: "Cloudy!" I felt my pet carrier go up, and then it jostled a little as my mommy walked. First they said they wanted to weigh me. Mommy opened my pet carrier and I jumped out! I was really scared. There were lots of nurses and people who I didn't know. One of them pulled me off of my mommy's shoulder and sat me down on a big black thing. Mommy said it was a scale. They took my weight and then put me back in the carrier. Mommy said good bye through the holes in the pet carrier. She told me that she had to go to school.

I was really scared. Not only was I in a strange place, but my mommy wasn't going to be there with me. I really wished Magic could be there with me. [NOTE FROM BUNNYMOM5:] Many veterinary hospitals will let a rabbit's companion come along to be with the patient. This will help your rabbit be more comfortable. I banged around in my carrier a lot. I wanted to get out and go home! My carrier was opened, and there was a different person than the nurse who had weighed me. She was there too, but there was a person who they said was the doctor. I jumped around a lot, so I don't remember much. Everything was really blurred together. The doctor and the nurse put their hands on me, and then I got really sleepy. That's all I remember.

When I woke up I was still really sleepy. The nurses were watching me. They put me in a cage and told me not to lick myself. Then they said they were going to call my grandma and tell her that I was ok. I didn't know where I was. The cage was different than the one from my house. It smelled different too. There were pellets and a water bottle in the cage, but I just didn't want to eat. It hurt me to walk around too much, so I just sat in the corner. I licked my paws and cleaned my face. My eyes were really wet. I started licking my tail, but it tasted weird! It was kinda bloody, and (this is really embarassing) my testicles were just like empty bags. There were stitches on them too. The nurse came back in and told me not to lick! I was still tired.

My mommy came back after what seemed like HOURS! I was sitting there in the cage, and the doctor came in. He picked me up. I was really squirmy. I thought he was going to do something to me again. He brought me into a room. It was kind of small. There was a little metal table in the middle. I was getting panicky when I looked and saw my mommy and my grandma! The doctor put me on the table and started talking to Mommy. I leaped off the table and into her arms. I had never been so happy to see my mother in the whole time that I had been living with her. She wrapped me up in a towel so I would not bleed on her. The doctor told my mommy that he wanted to show what he had done to me. He picked me up out of her arms and turned me over so my tummy was up in the air. Then he took a cotton ball with stuff [alcohol] on it. He wiped me off with it.

My mommy wrapped me in a towel when he was done, and then she put me back in my pet carrier. After my grandma payed for my neuter, we all got in the car and drove home. Mommy put me on her lap while we were in the car and let me hop around a little.

When we got home everyone was very gentle for me. Mommy made it as quiet and nice for me as possible so I would stay calm. After a little bit she put me in my cage. I did NOT want to eat at all. [NOTE FROM BUNNYMOM5:] Most male rabbits will come home from surgery looking for food. Be sure that there is plenty of food, water, and hay in his cage. Everything was pretty much normal except my mommy kept looking at me where they did the surgery. She told me she had to "inspect" it. [NOTE FROM BUNNYOM5:] Inspect the area of the surgery morning and night. The scrotum may swell with fluids. Warm compresses can help this, but they aren't necessary. This matter isn't anything to get too concerned about. If you notice any signs of infection, contact the vet ASAP! Also, she didn't want me to jump around too much. [NOTE FROM BUNNYMOM5:] Try not to encourage jumping, leaping, etc., but your rabbit knows what hurts and what doesn't, so let him move at his own pace. I didn't eat anything all that night or the next day. My mommy saw this and was really concerned. She tried to tempt me with pineapple, apple, and strawberries, but I just didn't feel like eating. When her dad got home from work he took me and her to the vet. The vet gave me a shot in the scruff of my neck so that I would eat. It worked! I started eating as soon as we got home!

That's basically all that happened to me during my surgery. I hope that my story helps you! Please visit Bunny Headquarters: Cloudy & Magic's Spot on the Web!. That's my site (and Magic's too, of course!)

Spaying Rabbits

A lot of what a rabbit goes through when he is neutered is the same as what a female rabbit goes through when she is spayed. This information tells only what is unique about a spay, so please read Cloudy's story on being neutered!

While males usually want to eat when they get home from the hospital, females usually don't. They usually want to be left alone and sit in a secure place (such as the corner of their cages). If your rabbit isn't eating by the following morning or afternoon, contact your vet ASAP!

Females often pull out their stitches. If this happens, take her back to the vet ASAP and have her stitched up again. "Belly-band" her by wrapping a dish towel around her middle, and bind it with an elastic bandage over the towel. Make sure that she is breathing normally. If she isn't then the bandage is too tight.

Keep a newly spayed female away from ALL male rabbits. If a male mounts a newly spayed female, it can cause her serious damage.

Spread the Word!

Put this graphic on your site, and link it to http://geocities.datacellar.net/Petsburgh/Haven/7837/Spayneuter.html

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