Rabbit different post neutering?

[l.lai]

Hi there,

My rabbit got neutered 3 days ago (tuesday) and before the neuter he was a loving and affectionate bunny.

The last two days i kinda expected him to be recovering so as expected he's been lethargic and just sitting in the corner of his play pen, not doing much.

I've been giving him some run time in my room at night for a few hours, and usually he'll bounce onto my bed and sit on my chest for pats and lick my face, but the last few days he just hops onto the ground into a corner and sits there and doesnt move...

I thought neuterings were less invasive than spayings and that after neutering, rabbits were MORE affectionate?

Racer (my rabbit) never exhibited bad behaviour because of his hormones but i got him neutered because i plan on bonding him with my sisters mini lop.

Should i be worried or is he just recovering slowly from the operation?

He doesnt run when i pat him, nor does he appear scared, if i go to him he'll sit and let me pat him the whole time, he just doesnt come to me anymore, nor does he really move...and him being an energetic netherland dwarf is worries me!

 

[elrohwen]

Is he eating and pooping? Are you giving him pain meds? He might just not feel well still. If it's bad enough that he's not eating or pooping, I would definitely take him back to the vet for a check.

And about behavior post-neuter - it will take at least 4 weeks for the hormones to leave his system. So really, for the first month, it will be as if he wasn't neutered. Plus, he's still young and young rabbits go through weird phases sometimes - neuter or no neuter. So don't worry at all about this part of his behavior. He'll become affectionate again! I would be more worried about him being ok medically and not worry about any neuter related behavior changes at this point.

 

[~*sAbRiNa*~]

:yeahthat:

It took Sabrina about 2-3 days to be back to eating normally and its wasn't until about 4-5 days post spay that her personality was 100% back to normal.

Good luck and I hope that Racer is back to his old self soon!

 

[elrohwen]

Also, fwiw, my neutered bun has become much more affectionate since he's gotten older. He was neutered at 4 months, but around 8 he became a cuddle bug. So like I said, young rabbits sometimes go through phases where they want to love you and phases where they want to be independent, just like human adolescents. I'm sure he'll become just as affectionate again soon, especially once he's feeling better.

 

[l.lai]

Thanks for the tips guys!

He's been pooping and peeing as normal, his eating has reduced but he's still eating.

He mainly eats his treats like in the morning when i squeeze 0.1ml of metacam (pain meds from the vet) onto a small square of apple he'll eat that up quickly, in his veggie + pellet meal he'll eat some of his pellets and the carrot mainly.

This morning he seemed a bit more lively, so i guess we'll wait till Sunday (5 days post neutering) to see if he gets back to normal!

 

[Sweetie]

Yeah it took my Netherland Dwarf, Prince, about a day or two to get back to his normal self after his neuter at 4 months. It really depends on the rabbit. Prince didn't get pain meds after his neuter though.

 

[ra7751]

Most likely he is still in pain....Metacam is insufficient pain control post-op. Buprenex or Tramadol would be much more appropriate.

Randy

 

[l.lai]

ra7751 wrote:

Most likely he is still in pain....Metacam is insufficient pain control post-op. Buprenex or Tramadol would be much more appropriate.

Randy

Unforuantely the Vet didnt give me anything more powerful!

Today he looked a little better, i hope over the next week he'll continue to liven up the wound looks good, doesnt look like he's licking it repeatedly.

****, the instructions said to give him 0.1ml of metacam a day for 1-3 days, today was the 3rd dose so i chucked the rest out! argh! Should have kept it, but how do i know if he's in pain?

Well...too late now, just have to hope he'll be even better tomorrow.

 

[l.lai]

Sweetie wrote:

Yeah it took my Netherland Dwarf, Prince, about a day or two to get back to his normal self after his neuter at 4 months. It really depends on the rabbit. Prince didn't get pain meds after his neuter though.

Wow a neuter at 4 months old!

So after about a week he was normal again?

Racer tried to jump off my bed again last night but when he landed he looked weak

 

[l.lai]

Update:

He's a little better, he's binkying and flopping down next to my bed now and last night he jumped up onto my bed and gave me some licks but nowhere near as much as he used to.

Before he would sit on my chest the whole night, now he seems content to lie on the floor next to my bed rather than on the bed.

He still sits up for pats and runs up to the cage when im around but he's very different.

Then again its only been a week since the neuter, well, less, 6 days, so i guess it'll take 2-4 weeks for his hormones to truly settle down.

Any words of advice?

He seems to be eating less veggies and mainly just pellets and hay. He eat a LOT less than he used to.

 

[elrohwen]

Honestly, my bun was 100% back to himself after only 2 days. He was 4 months at the time of the neuther.

If he's not in pain or having any GI issues, it may just be a case of normal adolescent behavior. Bunnies can have behavior changes due to hormones, but even fixed buns can go through changes when they reach a certain age and are establishing their personalities (just like human teens). Some people get their bunny fixed and then see these age related changes and assume the neuter caused them, but that's not necessarily true. Sometimes the changes just happen at the same time and aren't related.

 

[l.lai]

elrohwen wrote:

Honestly, my bun was 100% back to himself after only 2 days. He was 4 months at the time of the neuther.

If he's not in pain or having any GI issues, it may just be a case of normal adolescent behavior. Bunnies can have behavior changes due to hormones, but even fixed buns can go through changes when they reach a certain age and are establishing their personalities (just like human teens). Some people get their bunny fixed and then see these age related changes and assume the neuter caused them, but that's not necessarily true. Sometimes the changes just happen at the same time and aren't related.

So you're saying that its probable that his behaviour changes are just a result of him growing up and it coincided with the neuter, not caused by the neuter, and that his personality as a younger bunny was affectionate but as a grown up bunny he is less affectionate?

 

[elrohwen]

Well, kind of. I do think his behavior may be related to his age and not the surgery (unless it's caused by pain or something that *is* directly related to the neuter; if it is, I would imagine something is wrong because pain a week after doesn't seem normal).

However, I don't at all think he will remain permanently un-affectionate. You know how teenagers can be really obnoxious and then turn around and become nice friendly adults again? Kind of the same thing ;-) My bun definitely went through a "don't pet me I want to run around and play" phase, but by 8 months he became super cuddly.

So I don't think the way he's acting now will necessarily be his final personality, just that it's normal for buns to go through stages, especially at his age, that are totally unrelated to the surgery.

 

[l.lai]

elrohwen wrote:

Well, kind of. I do think his behavior may be related to his age and not the surgery (unless it's caused by pain or something that *is* directly related to the neuter; if it is, I would imagine something is wrong because pain a week after doesn't seem normal).

However, I don't at all think he will remain permanently un-affectionate. You know how teenagers can be really obnoxious and then turn around and become nice friendly adults again? Kind of the same thing ;-) My bun definitely went through a "don't pet me I want to run around and play" phase, but by 8 months he became super cuddly.

So I don't think the way he's acting now will necessarily be his final personality, just that it's normal for buns to go through stages, especially at his age, that are totally unrelated to the surgery.

Thanks for your comments, i wasnt really aware that rabbits went through stages in their personality and have like, teenage years in their lives, but i guess he is only 5.5 months old and not even a year old yet, so when can i expect him to full settle down in terms of how he is? Like you said, around 8 months most likely?

The vet said he should be adult size etc by around 9 months and he'll stop growing, so i assume around after 9 months is when he'll be the most settled personality wise?