Confused and disappointed after rabbit neuter

Rabbits Online Forum

Help Support Rabbits Online Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Leo the Lop

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 13, 2019
Messages
64
Reaction score
20
Location
Puget Sound, WA
My polish rabbit was neutered two weeks ago and he has instantly changed for the worse. Before the neuter he was a super sweet and cuddly bunny. Completely litter box trained, liked being cuddled, and never bit. ... Now he’s bitey all the time! He never likes to sit and be cuddled and pet anymore. And he went from being totally litter box trained, to moving the litter box to the center of his cage but still peeing in the corner it was in. My sweet little bunny is ruined from being neutered :(
 
Two weeks, his hormones are still fluctuating and dissipating. He needs time. He doesn't even know what's going on. Give it more time. Some rabbits can take 6-8 weeks for those hormones to dissipate.

Fixed rabbits (once past hormones) will be more consistent with potty training. However, being adults, they are less likely to tolerate being handled (picked up and held). That doesn't have to do with the neuter, but just has to do with becoming an adult.

In the meantime, secure the litter box where he likes to go and be sure it's padded nicely with hay.
 
I realize his hormones aren’t all the way gone yet so I shouldn’t expect him to be better, but he shouldn’t be WORSE than he was. Not from everything I’ve read. And him not wanting to be cuddled anymore isn’t because of his age. It was instantly once he was neutered. And being neutered even though the hormones aren’t gone yet why would he be bitey all of a sudden??
 
It was likely something happened when you "caught" him and put him in a carrier. Have you ever taken him anywhere before? Has he been on car rides before? Ever even been in a carrier?
Rabbits are pretty good at holding a grudge and things can happen that we dont even notice but they sure do
 
He was still sweet at the vets right before he was neutered. The vet was in love with how sweet and cuddly he was. Then right after neuter he changed..
 
My Odin got quite the mood swings after he was neutered. He started to growl and lung towards my hand, when I was just going to fill up hay and give him food.

He started to throw toys and chew a lot waking me around 4:00 every morning.

He’s the most nicest bunny I have. He never bite people or attack people.

Dosen’t care when you pick him up from the floor without reason and will just give you kisses. He will only make sound in the cage after my alarm clock have started to ring and love getting attention from people.

But the first 8 weeks after his neutered where not fun.

Let the hormones calm down and let him heal. It takes time but he will still be a sweet and cuddly bunny when everything have gone back and the hormones aren’t messing with him.

Myself know what hormones can do to you and your body. So I would never think it’s weird for a bunny to act weird and different after being neutered or spayed, until their hormones have been flushed out from the system.
 
It's actually not unusual for some rabbits to experience mood swings and a change of behavior as the hormones fluctuate and are dissipating post spay/neuter. When this occurs, as the hormones continue to fade, the rabbits behavior will start to level out. Could take 8 weeks to completely fade, sometimes even a little longer, but you should see improvement in behavior as they continue to fade over that time.

But when the change of behavior occurs instead because the rabbit is maturing and entering the teenage/adult phase, then it's just a natural part of a rabbit maturing and unfortunately it's something you have to ride out as you work with your stroppy teenage bun, and exercise a lot of patience.
 
I realize his hormones aren’t all the way gone yet so I shouldn’t expect him to be better, but he shouldn’t be WORSE than he was. Not from everything I’ve read. And him not wanting to be cuddled anymore isn’t because of his age. It was instantly once he was neutered. And being neutered even though the hormones aren’t gone yet why would he be bitey all of a sudden??

Give your bunny some time to readjust. When I got Quinn spayed, she was in the prime of her heat, and she held a grudge against me for at least a month. Wouldn't look at me, let me pet her, bit me a lot... But she did calm down and come to trust me again. It just takes time.
 
No, your sweet little bunny is not ruined from being neutered. Yet I understand your concerns. Rabbits can hold a grudge as watermelon mentioned. Our Tan boy came from a shelter, got neutered, and it took him weeks to months to acclimate to a trusting environment. Plus when they are young they act sweet until the d*mn hormones that cause obnoxious behavior. Takes 8 weeks for testosterone to diminish after neuter.

I simply hope everyone at the vet clinic handled him appropriately. We had tons of rescue buns neutered and no one ever got crankier afterward. Some of our rescues originated from unpleasant environments.

http://language.rabbitspeak.com/

Rabbits will pick up on your emotions and the vibes you give off. Mucho patience is helpful as JBun mentioned. When our furry family is taken to the vet, most of them are scared and always become subdued; acting sweet and cuddly as they know they're in unfamiliar territory.

One abandoned female, who came to our home, immediately took to hubby. She didn't like me at all. Pre-spay and post-spay procedure. Took her a long time to warm up to me. Finally did as she mellowed with age. We perceive a woman in her past handled her roughly, and she had reasons to distrust the female scent. There's that grudge thing.
 
Rabbit Health: Spay or Neuter my Rabbit - by Dana Krempels, Ph.D.

http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/spay.html

LeoTheLop, are you redirecting him to his potty box in the corner with positive praises? Positive reinforcement? Nver ever regret that your guy was neutered by a rabbit-savvy DVM.

And rabbits will urinate or soil inappropriately in spots to voice their "political" dislike. You might be experiencing a bit of "naughty" defiance for his beneficial surgery.
 
I fastened his litter box to the corner and it fixed that problem. I still wonder why he was doing it.
He is already getting cuddlier again so hopefully that will continue.
What I don’t get is the biting of our feet when he’s out running around. He never used to do that. I guess he’s doing it to get attention and it’s not super hard but it super startling when you don’t even know he’s there and you get bit.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top