Altered rabbits are healthier and live longer than unaltered rabbits. The risk of reproductive cancers (ovarian, uterine, mammarian) for an unspayed female rabbit stands at is virtually eliminated by spaying your female rabbit. Your neutered male rabbit will live longer as well, given that he won't be tempted to fight with other animals (rabbits, cats, etc.) due to his sexual aggression.
Altered rabbits make better companions. They are calmer, more loving, and dependable once the undeniable urge to mate has been removed. In addition, rabbits are less prone to destructive (chewing, digging) and aggressive (biting, lunging, circling, growling) behavior after surgery.
Avoidance of obnoxious behavior. Unneutered male rabbits spray, and both males and females are much easier to litter train, and much more reliably trained, after they have been altered.
Altered rabbits won't contribute to the problem of overpopulation of rabbits. Over 15 million adorable dogs, cats, and rabbits are killed in animal shelters in this country every year. In addition, unwanted rabbits are often abandoned in fields, parks, or on city streets to fend for themselves, where they suffer from starvation, sickness, and are easy prey to other animals or traffic accidents. Those rabbits who are sold to pet stores don't necessarily fare any better, as pet stores sell pets to anyone with the money to buy, and don't check on what kind of home they will go to. Many of these rabbits will be sold as snake food, or as a pet for a small child who will soon "outgrow" the rabbit.
Altered rabbits can safely have a friend to play with. Rabbits are social animals and enjoy the company of other rabbits. But unless your rabbit is altered, he or she cannot have a friend, either of the opposite sex, or the same sex, due to sexual and aggressive behaviors triggered by hormones.
Spaying and neutering for rabbits has become a safe procedure when performed by experienced rabbit veterinarians. The House Rabbit Society has had over 1000 rabbits spayed or neutered with approximately .1% mortality due to anesthesia. A knowledgeable rabbit veterinarian can spay or neuter your rabbit with very little risk to a healthy rabbit. Don't allow a veterinarian with little or no experience with rabbits to spay or neuter your rabbit.
Is surgery safe on rabbits? Surgery can be as safe on rabbits as on any animal. Unfortunately, the vast majority of veterinarians aren't experienced with safe rabbit surgery techniques. Don't allow a veterinarian with little or no experience with rabbits spay or neuter your rabbit. Using isofluorene as the anesthetic and appropriate surgical and after-surgery techniques, spaying and neutering of rabbits is as safe as for any other animal.
At what age should rabbits be spayed or neutered? Females can be spayed as soon as they sexually mature, usually around 4 months of age, but many veterinarians prefer to wait until they are 6 months old, as surgery is riskier on a younger rabbit. Males can be neutered as soon as the testicles descend, usually around 3-1/2 months of age, but many veterinarians prefer to wait until they are 5 months old.
When is a rabbit too old to be spayed or neutered? veterinarians will have their own opinions on this, but in general, after a rabbit is 6 years old, anesthetics and surgery become more risky. It is always a good idea, in a rabbit over 2 years of age, to have a very thorough health check done, including full blood work. This may be more expensive than the surgery, but it will help detect any condition that could make the surgery more risky. This is especially important if anesthetics other than isofluorene are used.
Can you tell if female rabbit has already been spayed? The probability is very high that she hasn't. One can shave the tummy and look for a spay scar. However, when veterinarians use certain stitching techniques, there is no scar whatsoever. Hopefully, these veterinarians will tattoo the tummy to indicate the spay has been done, but otherwise, the only way of knowing is to proceed with the surgery.
What does the surgery cost? Most veterinarians charge somewhere between $55 and $120. Most spay and neuter clinics charge between $25 and $50 dollars. If you are a young (15 and younger) and are the primary care giver of your rabbit(s) You can usualy get the vets to cut down the cost of spaying/neutering. I can tell you from my expercience, When I was 14 I wanted to get my girl Netherland Dwarf/Holland Dwarf rabbit spayed. My brother called the vet for me while I was at school to schedule a time to get it done etc. Well, the vet was going to charge me $238.00 to get my rabbit fixed. My brother told them that I was a little 14 year old girl who is the primary care giver of the rabbit and really loves the rabbit a lot and know the importance of getting it fixed. This little girl only has $60.00 to her name. Well the vet said that they would fix the rabbit for $59.00 HEY! thats better than $238.00
What kinds of questions should I ask the vet?
Review the procedure (op and immediate post-op) with your vet. Ask how problems will be detected: how often will they (the veterinarian and the techs) look in on your kid and what will they look for?. What will they do pre-op to find any potential problems? How will they support your bun in the hours after surgery: O2, warmth, quiet (barking dogs and yowling cats in the next cage are probably not helpful), and stimulation? What are they going to do to make it come out right?! Ask questions! That will get your veterinarian's attention. Let them know you're concerned and that you'll be paying attention.
What pre- and post-operative care should one give? Give the rabbit acidophilus for a couple of days prior to surgery, just to be certain that the digestive system is functioning in fine form. Don't change the diet it any way during this time. After the surgery, continue giving acidophilus until the appetite has returned to normal.
Inspect the incision morning and evening. After a neuter, the scrotum may swell with fluids. Warm compresses will help, but it is nothing to be overly concerned about. With any sign of infection, take the rabbit to the veterinarian immediately.
Keep a newly spayed female away from all male rabbits (neutered or not), as serious internal damage can be caused if a male mounts her.
After surgery, keep the environment quiet so the rabbit doesn't startle or panic, don't do anything to encourage acrobatics, but let the rabbit move around at her own pace-- she knows what hurts and what doesn't
Some veterinarians keep rabbits overnight. If your veterinarian lets you bring your bunny home the first night, note the following:
Most males come home after being neutered looking for "supper"-- be sure they have pellets, water, and some good hay (good, fresh alfalfa is a good way to tempt them to nibble a bit)
Most females want to be left alone, are not interested in eating at all, and will sit quietly in a back corner of the cage (or wherever in the house they feel they will be bothered the least)
The following morning, or at latest by the next evening, it is important for the rabbit to be nibbling something. It doesn't matter what or how much, as long as she is taking in something, so the digestive tract won't shut down. If she isn't, tempt her with everything possible, and as a last resort, make a mush of rabbit pellets (1 part pellets, 2 parts water, run through blender thoroughly, add acidophilus, and feed in pea-sized bits with a feeding syringe through the side of the mouth) Occasionally a female will pull out her stitches. Get her stitched up again, and then belly-band her by wrapping a dish towel around her whole middle and binding that with an elastic bandage wrapped snuggly over it. If she can breath normally, it isn't too tight.
