Neutering...uneasy about it.

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TheMadMarchHare

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Hi all,

I have a ~1.5 year Mini Lop/Lionhead mix rabbit, about 3.5lbs.
He is my first bun, had him about a year. Many thoughts going on about having him neutered, so bare with me here.

He is currently living indoors, not potty trained, cage-aggressive when it's feeding time, and not an allover "lovey" bun. He can be sweet though - loves to be petted (but you better make sure your hand isn't near his mouth when you pick him up), he's curious, energetic, etc.
I know that neutering can help begin to resolve many of these problems, but I am very hesitant to have him put under because of how fragile buns are.

We are building a covered outdoor run for him to stay in nice weather, and I have been considering getting him a friend. I know that he must be fixed if a second bun were to become a possibility, but it's not agreed upon at the moment. For now, it would solely be for the behavioral end of things.

I am a dog owner...and I do believe in the most natural life possible for all of my pets, to include diets, procedures, lifestyles, etc.

In dogs, it is my belief that spay/neuter can bring upon just as many health risks as leaving intact..vasectomy and OSS are options in canines, but I doubt it is for rabbits.

So.
Now that I have this option for my rabbit, I need help deciding what is the most natural, and the healthiest, option for him.
Like I said, this is my first bun, so I'm looking for some open-minded experiences and opinions please.

Thank you for your time in reading this.

- A very undecided bunny owner.

haigha.jpg
 
With female rabbits I'm absolutely pro-spay because they're so likely to develop uterine or mammary tumors if they're unspayed. Reproductive tumors aren't as common in males, but it's true that if you ever want to bond to a second bun, neutering is important. I also think neutering really calms the hormones down.

As for the procedure, talk to your vet about their experiences. Some vets rarely see rabbits whereas others may see many. Most vets I've worked with do not intubate rabbits because it can be very challenging, especially for a routine spay or neuter. The vet I'm externing with now does intubate, but they specialize in exotics. At his age he should be in relatively good health and your vet may be willing to do the procedure without pre anesthetic bloodwork, but bloodwork is usually the best option to check organ function before anesthesia.

If you choose not to neuter your rabbit, you may still be able to improve his behavior. Have you tried litter training him? Offer him a box with some kind of litter (paper or wood pellets are my personal favorites) but don't put any litter or blankets on the rest of his cage. Soon enough he may take to the box.
Try interacting with him on his terms. Let him go in and out of his cage on his own rather than you picking him up. Sit quietly and wait for him to come to you rather than chasing him down. Food bribes can work wonders.
 
I am pro-desexing for rabbits that are pets, (don't know where you are from) rabbits here in Australia and New Zealand are pests and in Queensland it is illegal to own rabbits at all. I feel it's part of being a responsible pet owner to ensure your pets are not adding to issues we already have with over crowded pounds and such (sorry if I'm sounding like I am lecturing I am trying not to but I am very passionate about this sort of thing and this is only my opinion) there are also health benefits in desexing if you are not going to breed, like less chance of cancer in the unused organs and in some cases less unwanted hormonal behaviours.
~Shell
 
Missyscove, his cage opens from the top (home made) so I have to pick him up to bring him out. He doesn't mind this, just doesn't like it if you don't put him back down. He is a very confident and curious bunny...hops up to me, even on or over me. I am no longer bringing him out in the house though because of excessive territory marking. Pooping is not a huge problem, but he sprays...literally jumps high in the air, and voila, I have tons of little droplets all over the carpet and the walls..
He has a playpen I take him outdoors in, and I am also looking in to purchasing mats and blankets to put down in a smaller area of the house so he can come out more often when it's too warm to be outside.

And yes, I have tried and tried litter training...and in the cage, he did okay peeing in the litter box, but still pooped everywhere. Outside of the cage, even with litter box available, he marked all over my room as soon as he was on the floor.
Potty training is a huge factor weighing in on getting him neutered, because I hate not bringing him out more.

I do need to work on the treat thing. He does not eat from my hand at all.
And we do have one vet here that works with rabbits, and has rabbits of her own. She is his regular vet and that's who I would do the procedure with.
 
My husband is mostly worried about the money. It's about $100 to neuter a rabbit, plus pain meds to go home. We got him a year ago, and had him treated for severe ear mite infection, and he went to the vet again 6 months ago when his testes dropped (he was sexed as a female originally).
So my husbands worry is that he doesn't want to spend another good bit of money if it won't help the behavioral and potty training end of things. I know that also has to do with consistency on my end, and I'm prepared for it.
Just wanted another opinion I guess.
 
In my opinion, neutering will definitely help with the spraying and litter box training. It may not completely eliminate the bad behaviours (the biting may simply require some firm training) and spraying but it will go a long way towards helping if not eliminating entirely. At his age, he should do reasonably well with correcting the behaviours, it's usually bunnies that have been spraying and biting etc for years that have the behaviours so ingrained that they're hard to get rid of.

I understand that everyone has different opinions, but if I had even a chance of getting rid of that spraying behaviour with a hundred dollar neuter, I would go for it in no time. I believe that the spraying is not something that you will get him to stop without it.

Yes there is always a risk with the surgery, can happen to any of us, but as long as you choose your vet well and you can do pre-surgery blood work if you want to double check against extra risks, then it's extra peace of mind too.
 
Your rabbit might live 10 years so in the long run spending $100 to neuter isn't really that expensive. I believe neutering makes all animals better pets, keeps them from spraying and makes them less frustrated. I always feel uncomfortable having it done though, but it the long run its the best thing.
 
$100 is a very cheap price for any sort of surgery in a rabbit. Neutering is your best bet for improving his litter habits and decreasing the spraying.
 
I had my minilop neutered. It was aroun $200 and that is with tbe cheapest rabbit savy vet. If they are charging that low you should double check on how much the vet actually knows about thw proxedure ln bunnies. As for the behavior issues my bunny literally potty trained himself after neutering. He will only pee on his potty box and will only poop on his cage. No more poops all around the place. He is so loving and loves to be around people, quite an attention needer. Neutering certainly helped A LOT! so i would def suggest going ahead with the proxedure.
 

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