To neuter or not to neuter

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CrazyChickenGirl

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I have recently saved up enough money to get my bun neutered. We don’t have any other rabbits and Dune ( my bunny )
doesn’t spray or show signs of aggression, so I was wondering are there any health reasons to neuter him? I only want to do what is best for him but Anastasia has always made me nervous. Please, only respond with scientific reason not just opinion.
 
I recently had a very bad experience with getting my male fixed. By all means I am not persuading you to not do it. The only info I will suggest is find a vet that has experience with rabbits and are reputable. The breeder I got my male from suggested to not fix rabbits due to the high risk and sensitivity to anesthesia. (If I knew this information prior, I wouldn’t of fixed mine) I also could’ve went to a vet that didn’t know much about rabbits (I was told they did have plenty experience) but like I said I’m not trying to sway you one way. I’m sure there are plenty of people on here that have had successful surgeries with there buns!
 
To be honest I’ve done my research on it before deciding to schedule surgery for him. From what I understood from the previous breeder of my male(speaking with them after what happened) was that it didn’t have to do much cancer and that sometimes fixing them didn’t change there behavior 100%. My family decided to fix him because we were certain our female got pregnant. He was spraying a lot after he had a few fall offs. He wasn’t aggressive but when he saw her lol he turned literally into a beef hulk. Unfortunately he did not even make it. Mine was 7 months when I brought him. I don’t know if this helps? I can reach out to her for more information if you would like. She has been a breeder for a while now and owns a lot of rabbits
 
I'm pretty sure it's best to get him neutured. it'll benifit if you end up getting another bun in the future.
about anesthesia- i'm *pretty* sure that for males the surgery is less risky, or was it the other way around?
neuturing will also reduce the risk for certain cancers which is a huge plus because you could end up spending thousands for that if he devolops something in the future.
fixed buns are also less likely to be super territorial and have better, more stable potty habits.

some links for further reading/watching
https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/neutering-in-rabbits
 
My vet said it’s not necessary if he’s the only rabbit in the house and there’s not any behavior issues. They specialize in “exotic” animals so I trust them.
 
My free roam house bunny isn't neutered, there definitly was no reason to do it as long as he was alone, perfect house bunny, now that he has his cuddlebun there are times of the year when there are some "accidents" to mop up, and he is lucky that his girl is such a patient one.

Cancer is a concern with females, and even there imo the numbures circulated as deadbeat argument are quite overblown, but with males I don't think that risk outweigths that of surgery.

There are really not many reports from people unhappy with the results though, some saying that they are less active - which can be normal anyway when they aren't juvemiles anymore. It really depends on if your rbabit shows any hormonal behaviour and if that is any issue for you.
 
I have recently saved up enough money to get my bun neutered. We don’t have any other rabbits and Dune ( my bunny )
doesn’t spray or show signs of aggression, so I was wondering are there any health reasons to neuter him? I only want to do what is best for him but Anastasia has always made me nervous. Please, only respond with scientific reason not just opinion.

hi,I had the same thought a few months ago and spoke to a few vets and they all said that neutering would be the best way as it stops them from gettin cancer and more benefits. It also makes them calmer. Hope that helps!
 
Do you plan to ever rehome your male in the next 10+ years for whatever income or home situation may arise? On various forums the amount of "can't keep" postings is overwhelming.

Would you be 100% guaranteed he'd never be abandoned or get any other female pregnant?
Hundreds of posts re: didn't think my male would escape, etc.

RABBIT HEALTH: Spay or Neuter my Rabbit?

My inbox is full of queries from people who don't want their rabbits for one reason or another.
Strays are captured and post pandemic there is a huge influx of abandoned rabbits comin' in pregnant.

Our rescue boys all get neutered. Two experiences; One from a over-confident DVM who tackled our cryptorchid boy in 2004. I learned quickly he had a bad reputation. The other was on our FG boy who came from a backyard breeder and the person kept him on baking soda odor control bedding. I warn everyone I encounter about dangers of ingesting baking soda bedding. Necropsy was performed after his cardiac arrest while our vet was closing up.

Yes, there are certain DVMs who aren't specialized or feel confident to do an OVH. I'd find a rabbit-savvy DVM who is recommended by a rescue in your area, and a vet who can answer your Qs in detail.

All our furry family members are altered. We plan for the cost when we rescue. The stinky odor is easily picked up by my sensitive nose. Spraying would be obnoxious.
 
I don’t plan to ever rehome my precious boy. In my entire 13 years of living on a farm we have only ever rehomed one animal and that was a cow that we had been unprepared for. I spent a year and a half doing bunny research so I was well prepared for my boy. Financial reasons for rehomeing aren’t going to happen because even if I couldn’t afford something my parents would help. I agree there is a chance that for some emergency I might have to rehome him, but if came to that I’d be amazed.
As for him escaping and finding a doe. There definitely are no lose does in my area because none of our neighbors ever have owned rabbits.That almost as unlikely as rehomeing because he’s only outside under supervision due to the large amount of predators in my area. Also I can definitely guarantee he will never ever be abandoned, I love him WAY to much for that. I’m not saying I won’t neuter him just answering your questions.
 
If a vet won't spay, only neuters, I would highly suspect them of not being very experienced with rabbits.

The main reasons to neuter a male is because of unwanted hormonal behaviors or plans on bonding with another rabbit.. Reasons for females is hormonal behavior, plans on bonding, and the risk of reproductive cancer, which older females are at higher risk of developing. For male rabbits, while they certainly can develop testicular cancer, there are no studies(that I've seen) to suggest they are at high risk of developing it. The ones I've seen say it's uncommon, except for males with undescended testicles. Google 'testicular cancer in rabbits study' and it will bring up science articles on the subject.

As long as he is an only rabbit and has no unwanted hormonal behaviors, doesn't have an undescended testicle, and the low cancer risk isn't a concern to you, then it's just your personal choice whether you want to have it done or not.
 
If a vet won't spay, only neuters, I would highly suspect them of not being very experienced with rabbits.

The main reasons to neuter a male is because of unwanted hormonal behaviors or plans on bonding with another rabbit.. Reasons for females is hormonal behavior, plans on bonding, and the risk of reproductive cancer, which older females are at higher risk of developing. For male rabbits, while they certainly can develop testicular cancer, there are no studies(that I've seen) to suggest they are at high risk of developing it. The ones I've seen say it's uncommon, except for males with undescended testicles. Google 'testicular cancer in rabbits study' and it will bring up science articles on the subject.

As long as he is an only rabbit and has no unwanted hormonal behaviors, doesn't have an undescended testicle, and the low cancer risk isn't a concern to you, then it's just your personal choice whether you want to have it done or not.
Thank you for your reply!
Is it possible for males to get testicular cancer when neutered. If so how much is it’s chance decreased?
 

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