neutering a male?

[kansas]

Ok Im pretty sure we will get a male ... and wehave decided on the Jersey Wooly when we can find one. Now How old doyou neuter them? and have you that have them neutered notice a changein behavior? or spraying. That is my Biggest concern with arabbit inside. i dont want the smell from the spraying or the urine butI plan on keeping the cage clean.

thank you...

 

[Haley]

hey there!

Have you had a chance to check out the resource center? Theres tons ofinfo there on spaying and nuetering etc.http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=12040&forum_id=10

If you adopt from a rescue, your male will most likely already bealtered. This will save you some money. If you buy from a petstore or breeder, the age for neutering is around 4-5 months to besafe. Make sure you have a rabbit-savvy vet.

As for behavior, neutering did cut down on aggresson, spraying, markingetc. Although I do have one boy who loves to pee wherever hepleases. Neutering isnt a guarantee that your bunny will be perfect,but it does help behvaioral problems, in my experience.

Good Luck!

 

[kansas]

yes I have scoured the rescues first... therearent any close to me that have rabbits.. the closest one is at least 3hours and then the rest are in other states. My vet sounds to be veryrabbit savvy, he said that they used to raise them and said that it iseasier to do a Buck than a Doe.. granted it isnt easy for any animal tobe under. But he said the Buck is the better to alter. and the price isthe same as a cat. As for the pet store. Well Im notimpressed AT all with the one we have. They have 3 bunnies in there nowthat are about 12 weeks and the "box" they are in is VERY small...Imgoing to say 17 inch wide and 13 deep if that. not any room and it isnta cage it is the plexiglass inclosure with bedding it looks like cedarso they are laying in the pee and poo and there food is right therewith it. one has "stuff" stuck on its fur I feel terrible for ALL theanimals in there.

 

[Haley]

yeah, I would recommend staying away from petstores. Most of them are just awful. Finding a good breeder would bethe best option. If youre concened about personality (as its oftendifficult to discern in babies) you could see if the breeder has anybucks that need to retire..

 

[picklezon]

i know many people say stay away from petstores, but that doesnt mean you absolutley have to. I got my mini rexfrom a not so clean pet store, and he is fine! and actually after hisfirst week, he was already kissing me and begging to be petted. Pick arabbit from anywhere that you feel a connection with. and i actuallygot mine neutered last thursday, and for me it was only $35! and he isdeffinately starting to get less agressive. my parents werent sothrilled on getting him nuetered at first (because i always thought heshould) but my mom noticed how the pee smelled, and he took advantageof my stuff animal i let him live with. sooo she knew it was time. Imso glad i did, and its easy, just listen to what the vet tells youabout not feeding him before, and let him rest for a certain amount oftime, and you might want to ask them to clip his nails during thistime, and/or teach you to do it.

good luck!

 

[missyscove]

It's not always that there is something wrongwith the animal. Often, it's just the idea that you areperpetuating having animals living in bad conditions. Thatrabbit you buy will soon be replaced by another because they're makingmoney.

 

[kansas]

Exactly!!missyscove
Thats what makes it sooo sad it is just money tothem. and a lot of people tell me that you never know if they are fullbreeds and his prices are way higher than the breeders...

 

[Stephany]

Hi, my bunny is a nuetered male and he is adream. I don't know much about the age, but I do know that you shouldonly get it done by a RABBIT EXPERIENCED vet. Alot of the time theycannot handle the sleep meds like dogs or cats, so a vet who knows alotabout rabbits ensures the best care for your little guy.

I find that altered rabbits use the litter box way better, they do notspray anywhere and tend tobe better in temperment. It isalways important to spay and neuter yourcompanion animals fortheirbenifit and yours.

 

[Stephany]

picklezon wrote:

i know many people say stay away from pet stores, but thatdoesnt mean you absolutley have to. I got my mini rex from a not soclean pet store, and he is fine! and actually after his first week, hewas already kissing me and begging to be petted. Pick a rabbit fromanywhere that you feel a connection with. and i actually got mineneutered last thursday, and for me it was only $35! and he isdeffinately starting to get less agressive. my parents werent sothrilled on getting him nuetered at first (because i always thought heshould) but my mom noticed how the pee smelled, and he took advantageof my stuff animal i let him live with. sooo she knew it was time. Imso glad i did, and its easy, just listen to what the vet tells youabout not feeding him before, and let him rest for a certain amount oftime, and you might want to ask them to clip his nails during thistime, and/or teach you to do it.

good luck!

I think the main reason why people say not to get animals from petstores is because there are so many other animals that need homes atshelters and other rescue societies. It is true what they say: forevery animal purchased at a pet store three will never find or a home(or the pet storeanimal will end up in a shelter). I haveworked at a shelter for six years and worked closely with rabbits.Almost all of the rabbits that are at shelters are already nuetered andlitter trained.

 

[picklezon]

i understand what you guys are saying.. i guessmy point is though, dont limit your search and not chose a pet storerabbit. If i would have done that i wouldnt have my baby, and as soonas i held him i knew i wanted him. so like i said get a rabbit youconnect with, and not all pet stores just care about money, i use towork at one, and our main thing was the animals. If there was someonethat we didnt trust enough to take care of the smallest thing like evena parakeet, we made sure to tell them to go somewhere else.

 

[kansas]

I know not all pet stores are after just moneybut I KNOW this one is, he doesnt care if the place is clean for theanimals so that alone tells me he doesnt care. Plus the factthat there are 3 rabbits in a very small place withplexiglass and they are sleeping,eating and pottyingin thesame area tells me A LOT.

 

[Stephany]

kansas wrote:

Iknow not all pet stores are after just money but I KNOW this one is, hedoesnt care if the place is clean for the animals so thatalone tells me he doesnt care. Plus the fact that there are 3 rabbitsin a very small place with plexiglass and they aresleeping,eating and pottyingin the same area tells me ALOT.

I agree. We used to have a pet store where I am that rescued rabbitsfrom the shelter (because people don't like to go there, it "depresses"them) and found them new homes. They closed down because they refusedto adopt out animals to people who know nothing about them. Which mostpet stores will do, they want a profit. This is so sad. It is the samething with breeding though, because there is such a surplus of animalsthat need a home, and hardly any of them will get one because peoplechoose to go to breeders because they want a "purebred" that looks likethe telus bunny or something. I don't mean to sound harsh but this isfrom my experience working at an animal shelter, and the way I wasbrought up. All of our animals came from a shelter because my parentsbelieved that all animals deserve a good home. BUT that said: If youwant a certain kind of rabbit, there are plenty of "purebreds" atrescues. In fact, there is also rescues that will dedicate themselvesto one breed.

Like I said before, I am not meaning to offend anyone, this is just taken from my personal experiences.

 

[kansas]

NO offense taken I agree about the shelter thatwas my first choice but where I live the closest one that has rabbitsof any breed is at least 3 hours away. we are not in a hurry to get arabbit we are doing a lot of research. we want to be comfortable withwhat we decide. and I have my name up at ourshelter when they do get a rabbit but they said they dont getthem very often. thank you for the advice....