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Healthy un-neutred rabbits?

Lessie

Alpha Buck
Hi,

I was just wondering if any of you have had any does that were un-spayed but had a healthy long life, to the age that rabbits normally pass away.

Or have any of you currently got does but refuse to get her 'done' because she is very healthy or any other reasons of not having her ‘done’?

I am just curious, as 80% of female rabbits obtain uterine cancer, but I want to know whether if the unaffected does have lived long.

Same with bucks, have any of you had bucks that were un-neutered but lived long?

Thanks,
 
My first rabbit was about 1 when we found her, she lived 5 healthy years with us until she got uterine cancer, approx age 6. We lost her 4 weeks after finding it even though they thought the spay had caught it in time you can never be 100% sure.

I would never want to see a rabbit go through this again and would always have them neutered as the risk is so high.
 
My first rabbit Sassy died from uterine cancer in 2003 when she was 6 and a half. We didn't even know females were supposed to be neutered, nor what the consequences were of not doing so :cry: 6 years of taking her to the same vets, not one of them even brought up the subject of neutering nor warned us that cancer may happen (but were plentiful in handing out the criticism to us when she passed away there from the disease :evil: )

When I was young though, a neighbour's female rabbit lived until she was around 9. I don't think she was neutered, but she was rescued from somewhere else but I am not sure how commonplace it was to neuter female rabbits 17 years ago? I have no idea of the cause of her death though, she wasn't taken to the vet to confirm anything, my neighbour told me it was VHD but I suppose it could have been uterine cancer.

It was so horrible to see though - all of my rabbits since then (male or female) have been neutered, I think that it's irresponsible to take the risk when the rabbit is otherwise healthy and has no great risk from undergoing a GA :cry:
 
My first bunny lived to 8 years old, she was unneutered as it wasn't really 'the done thing' back then.

Having said that, for me it's not just about the cancer, but I think that unneutered bunnies tend to be a lot more highly strung and frustrated than neutered ones. They seem to be much happier and more settled in life once they aren't constantly feeling sexually frustrated or territorial due to hormones :)
 
Hi, I kept rabbits when I was a youngster - about 20/25 years ago now! We had rabbits with guinea pigs, never had the mixi/vhd jabs and never got any rabbit 'done' (just seperated the males from females unless breeding) ..... they ate the 'mix' not pellets and got lots of vegs inc potatoe peelings(!) and not much hay!!

I have to say that most of my rabbits back then lived to be a good age (6/7 years plus) and we seem to have done everything 'wrong' by todays standards!

Having said that, with my 4 bun's I have now, I am going with todays trends ... I have already got one male done, one female is booked in soon and the remaining two are just waiting until they are old enough, then they will be done too :) The reason why? The males are being done to stop any pregnancies and the females because I want to bond the four of them and am told I have a better chance if all 4 bun's are done first.
 
our male rabbit years ago, Biffy, lived until he was 9 1/2 years old. The female, Miffy, (they lived seperate but bro and sis). she died at 2 years old.

what made this happen we dont know
 
I have only had two unspayed does. One died when she was 6 and the other died from uterine cancer when she was only 2 years old :cry: I have always got my buns neutered since then. I had another female rabbit at the same time as those two and got her spayed when she was 2 and she is now almost 9 years old :)
 
We never had any old ladies, but we've had an 11 year old (a month shy of being 12), a 9 year old and a nearly 9 year old all live unneutered (in two of those cases they were unneutered bucks who lived very happily together).

That was in the days when it wasn't the done thing to spay or neuter. Now 15 of my 17 are fixed.
 
Mopsy was 7 and abit when she died. I thought about her speying her when I join RU but didnt want to take the risk. I hope she had a happy yeard and half later though.

Even though, I would always have a doe speyed now.
 
Since majority of bun that are not neuter or spay live a shorter life, there is no sense to find a rare case that lives longer than average life. It proves nothing.
 
The oldest rabbit I've known was 10, I don't think he was neutered (But I didn't know the owner personally so I can't say for sure)
Can't say much for my rabbits since my eldest is only 4 (unless Cloud is older) :lol: And she's currently the only one who's neutered.
My other female is two years old and pregnant.
 
Years ago my parents hand reared a wild baby bunny called Thumper I was 7 at the time, he never went to the vet for anything and he lived for 11 years.

Think we just got very lucky.
 
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