Speying and neutering- when?!

Hi all

You may have already seen on here that I have recently acquired 4 young buns. They would have gone free to a good home and I had a large living area ready to adopt anyway so I caved in.

They are just 13 weeks- 2 males, 2 females, and I want to arrange neutering. But I'm hearing so many different things.

I have been told the following:
1- From a rabbit rescue (who successfully neuter whole litters from around 4 months successfully and who have given great advice in the past)- do them all as early as. Boys as soon as testicles are down at about 12 weeks, girls at about 16 weeks. Largely because it will stop any agression

2- From the head vet-If I want to keep them all together it is best to do at the same time as they can forget each other quickly. (Which I liked as my knowledge is that they can forget and become territorial quickly) Recommended at 18-20 weeks.

3- Vet number 2 (when went for VHD vac)- boys you can do from about 14 weeks, can I seperate them, would recommend doing the girls at 16 weeks.

4- Just rang the vets as am seriously confused as two vets at the same practice had such different advice- and spoke to the receptionist. She said... we don't like to do until the boys are 16 weeks and the girls are 20 as then they are big enough to deal with the anaesthetic better and that extra month gives them a bit extra which helps.

My vet is very rabbit savvy as is exotic and avian specialist, but I also very much trust the rescue- and all say different things! Any ideas?

I do accept that groups are not always easy and that if they have to pair off thats fine but I want to try to keep them together (in the long run) first.

Any ideas?

I'm such an anxious mum, terrified of doing wrong by them! :?

Get them done as soon as they mature, most vets will neuter males as soon as the testicals descend and females once they rech 1kg or 16 weeks, which ever happens first.

There are vets who will not spey females this early though and it does depend on breed as well as your individual vets experience.

If you send the whole group together (even if only some are ready) and the vet regroups them once those who have been operated on have recovered sufficiently then by the time you get them home they shouldn't have any issues as the change in environment and the journey will cause them to stick together for support.

If, of course, they all mature at around the same time then get them all done together for the best chance of harmony.

You may even find your girls mature before your boys both have a full set each, if you know what I mean :lol:

I think it depends on your vets as all vets are different ive noticed when it comes to this and rabbits. My vet nuetered my boys as soon as testicles dropped at 13 weeks females they say 20 weeks or when there 1 kg, depending on breed and weight at time I had to keep 3 buns seperate for a while. 2 were brother and sister so had to be spereated until nuetered and the 3rd was a bun from a differennt place. There in the prcoess of bonding and doing well. A lady has taken them for me and bonded them and they come home tomorrow, ohh I cant wait as ive missed them so much.

ETA, ive known people working in rescues to get whole litters done as early as 14 weeks including does, must be the vets

Thanks both... it's good to get on here to get more ideas.

They're mini lops if that means anything to anyone?

I feel awful challenging the vet as they're a specialist group but getting different things from the same place is perplexing! I guess the question is whether I stick with this vets or find one that will do it earlier. To be honest they should have loads of experience and maybe this is what makes them say later but on the flip side if other vets do whole litters at 14 weeks with success?! :?

You're right Sooz I don't think they'll necessarily mature male then female. One of the boys has his bits and is looked grown up now, the other is big but still no signs of balls at all! :roll: If I did take them all in and bring them back together with only the mature ones done I might have an issues with the boys still being fertile if the girls weren't done though right?

To be honest I've paired up unrelated and neutered buns before, and struggled with sisters but the keeping mixed littermates is new!

boys can be done as soon as 12/13 weeks if you have a good rabbit savy vet, girls have to be done no earlier than 5 months really as the bits are so fragile and difficult to take out they need to be a liitle older, get your boys done first, some would say female first but as they are mixing you will need to prevent more babies, they can all stay together if the boys are neutered first too, do do the girls when old enough as it will prevent cervical cancer which is common in doe's

Would like to add that spaying does as early as 14 weeks or so, would raise concerns for me, because I would worry about their bone development at this stage and what implications there might be long term by removing an organ that produces hormones needed for bone structure and absorption of calcium, which is so important for a rabbit, given the fact they have such a delicate skelletal system.

One of my does was x-rayed by chance at about 4 - 5 months of age and it showed her bones had not fused together, so, spaying at this age would not of been a good option for her.

I don't think you can know for sure what the long term effect of early estrogen removal might have, because you would only see it as the rabbit ages, but it could be setting her up for metabolic bone disease later in life, not to mention possible problems with teeth too, something I'm definitely keen to keep at bay for as long as possible.


Sue

thanks for the different perspective Sue. - and everyone

I'm going to talk again to the first vet as he had a lot of other bunny savvy advice (have never met one quite so nice to rabbits or so full of gems of advice) so will prob go what he says- and do them at 18-20 weeks.

Still undecided on the boys though so if anyone has anything more- won't the boys likely start scrapping if I leave them as long as 18 weeks?