Would you...

..put an unneutered boy with a spayed female? I know he might terrorise her but if it's a health risk to neuter the boy should he stay as a single?

If it is not possible to neuter the boy at all then I think it would be worth trying to bond the boy to a neutered female.

I think it would depend on the boy.
I was worried about getting Pipkin neutered because he has elongated tooth roots that press on his nasal passages and his breathing is a bit dodgy. When I eventually took him for his neuter (he had to have a dental anyway so I though I'd get it out of the way at the same time) the vet did say that if she didn't feel comfortable about how he took the anaesthetic they'd pull out and it might be possible to bond him with a spayed female even without being castrated.
He was always pretty laid back though. If you have a hormonal bunny it probably wouldn't be the best idea...

No, I personally wouldn't, although I know people who have and it's been okay.

Why can't he be neutered? It's a very quick and easy op for a boy and I've had quite a few done even though they weren't in the best of health.

Tricky one, I would also err on the side of 'no' - an unneutered male is likely to really harass a spayed female and that could easily result in a very stressed female and a big fight. They often get on the wrong end and hump heads too when they get excited and a female could easily bite his 'bits'.

Both of these options could result in the need to put the male under a GA anyway if he sustains injuries as a result, so if there is a valid reason why he absolutely can't have a GA, I wouldn't risk it as the end result of trying to do this bond is highly likely to result in the need for a GA at some point in the future.

Is the little chap in question likely to always be too poorly for a GA? Is there a possibility that he could be done by an exotics specialist who uses sevofluorane instead of isofluorane for a GA? When we're talking about a health risk, are we talking a huge risk or a small one?

This is for Pipkin.
http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?t=209365&highlight=pipkin
I'm reluctant to try him with a spayed female because I wouldn't want either to get hurt. But then equally I'm worried as to whether he would survive GA because he's so tiny and he has his eye conditions. His previous owners had him with a piggy because the vet wouldn't neuter him and he humped the piggy all the time hence why they didn't want him anymore. He weights 1.040kg 0but his breed is tiny anyway. We think he's a polish bunny and that would be about normal for his breed. I think I need to discuss it with the vet.

Awww he's a poppet isn't he Is he abnormally small (i.e. as a result of ill health/genetics etc) or is he just a small rabbit? I wouldn't worry too much about his size unless there are likely to be underlying health reasons for his size, because they just use the appropriate amount of GA for the weight of the bunny. Santa is around 1kg and has regular GAs for dental work and never has a problem.

I would want a vet to take a good look at his eyes though, they may well be genetic but it's worth ruling out EC as the cause of those eye problems. An eye problem in itself may not suggest a higher GA risk but the cause of it might. Maybe discuss a course of panacur prior to neutering if your vet is reasonably comfortable with his overall health?

If he spent time humping a piggy there's no way I would try him with a spayed female, it would be a recipe for disaster IMO.

Good luck

He's seen the vet about his eyes and has had panacur and baytril. There was some slight improvement in the redness on one eye lid but that's all. Apparently he has been like this since he was a baby, he's about a year old now. I suspected EC that was left untreated. His sight probs don't seem to worry him though and he runs around ok and loves his cuddles.

Have you tried eye drops? It's amazing how much better topical drops are for eye problems than systemic abx

EC shouldn't cause redness to his eyes, just cataracts

I have to say I don't think I would try it if it was me. I was terrified when we had Tiny Tim done, because he only weighs 950g - but I felt I didn't have a choice if I wanted him to have company. Also he was an agressive little lad when he first came to us! :roll: He used to hang off my jeans legs when I went in his pen! :shock:

However, I know TT didn't have the health considerations that Pipkin has I think I'd be guided by your own vet & take things from there - especially as there seems to have been some improvement in his eyesight through treatment.