Benefits of castration?

Hi everybody, if you didn't see my last post, I'm Milly, and I'm new to the forum!
Anyhoo, I have my new bun, Jasper, who I understand is not 'fixed'...
I'm just getting to know him, but last week he had no problems with getting to know my leg, if you know what I mean ._.
I spoke to a colleague who's bred rabbits (I'm not happy about that, but even so...) and he said he'd never heard of them doing that! Although it boosted my feelings about the attractiveness of my legs, it's got me wondering if and what the advantages of castration for a lone bun are. I've read it has the potential to relax them, is this true? What are the arguments in favour/against? On a side note, I understand the process to be complete castration, please correct me if I'm wrong...

:wave: Welcome to the forum.

:lol: As soon as my male started taking a fancy to my arm (he was on the settee with us), I knew it was time. The benefits are that he will stop/reduce spraying, stop humping your leg and if you do decide to bond him he won't have all the hormones and reduces chances of fighting etc. Only disadvantage of doing it from what I can see is the op itself but it is normally very straight forward for a male.


ETA, I think it stops the urine smelling as much too.

can bond them to a wifey

Thanks Bunnybabe and OwnedByRabbits
It's difficult to tell with Jasper, because we've only had him for a couple of weeks and he's constantly displaying new behaviours... added to the fact he's our first rabbit!
Essentially, it seems to me as though he's reaching sexual maturity. It's impossible for me to tell, as:
a) I don't know when buns actually reach this stage; and
b) I have no idea how old he is! I'm assuming about 6 months but it's entirely guesswork.
His urine seems a bit more smelly than when we first got him, he's starting to chuck things around and thump when he's scared, and he humped my leg!

As for a wifey bun, I'd done some reading before getting him that suggested he was fine on his own. I'm now thinking this is maybe not the case... either way, the OH and I are moving in a few months so we have more opportunity to screen a bunny friendly house!

I had a lone male for a while :wave:

Neutered males are MUCH cleaner. Honestly, before my boy was done, he stunk and he had no interest in the litter tray. He didn't hump anything or spray urine, which is common, but he made up for the lack of those by ruining the carpet!

The op is straightforward, my boy was home soon after and had no issues with eating or anything along those lines. He was a bit grumpy for a few days, but as I had just had his little friends chopped off I don't think I can blame him for that!

Obviously, it also removes the risk of testicular cancer.

As for them being on their own... Single house rabbits with a lot of attention can be ok - but it is far more preferable for them to have a friend. They're most active on an evening and very early morning, when it's very likely that you won't be around so the company is fantastic. Plus they can snuggle, groom and just generally be in love. There's nothing like seeing two bunnies snuggle

Most breeders keep their rabbits in hutches, so wouldnt be likely to have that problem (as they wont be near his legs often).

It is very common for entire males to hump their owners legs/feet. Watch he doesnt bite you as well, if he does he isnt being naughty, its just how they would hump another rabbit, normally one which isnt submitting to it, they bite down on the back to ensure they cant get away. You may also get sprayed with urine, which will be him marking you as 'his'.

There is only one negative. With any general anesthetic there is a small chance (my vet said its 1 in 2000, so 0.0005%, this is for healthy, not elderly rabbits and a figure for anesthetic in general not neutering) of them dying under anesthetic. The risk is very very small. A lot of people think it is higher than it is because in the past it was risky to put rabbits under anesthetic, but rabbit vet knowledge has moved on a lot. It is however important that you find a vet that is experienced with neutering rabbits and rabbits in general, in order to keep this risk low. An anesthetic also slows down the gut, so its important your rabbit is healthy, and is given pain relief (rabbits have a tendancy to not eat if in pain) and a gut stimulant after, and pain relief for a few days is reccommended too - this will help ensure the gut starts properly again and your rabbit starts eating again after the operation. A good vet will give you all this information and will give as standard the medcines I mentioned, but do check with them that they will.


There are a few positives.

1) The main one is that your rabbit will be able to have a friend, which is of great importance to a prey species that lives and has safety from living in large groups. Single rabbits experience high levels of stress, although we may not see it. (Illness and stress are rarely expressed by rabbits and usually only after it is serious, as they are a prey species and so have to hide weakness in order to survive.) 8 weeks after your rabbit is neutered he will be ready to bond with a friend.

2) Unneutered rabbits develop thick skin as they age, which can make it a lot harder to give them injections for medicine and vaccinations.

3) He will be a lot easier to litter train and should not spray, which as well as helping you monitor his output better and so notice any health problems early on, will also mean that he will be cleaner underneath and so less prone to fly strike. It also means for you that he will be easier to clean out.

4) He will be less sexually frustrated (at the moment he cannot express or fulfil his overwhelming urge to mate with a female rabbit), so he should be happier.

5) This one is mainly a benefit for you, he should be less territorial, less aggressive, less humpy, and generally a more pleasant pet because of these. Yes, he should calm down a little in those respects.

6) he wont smell like an unneutered bunny (smells like weed) as often! :lol: and it wont be as pungent.

edit :7) forgot to add, it removes the risk of testicular cancer


Yes, it is a complete castration. It is also worth bearing in mind that neutered pets in general live longer, although I dont know if they have specifically researched this with regards to rabbits.

Also, please note any changes in behaviours may not happen, or may not happen completely, some bunnies act like they are unneutered anyway, particularly if they are neutered late and the behaviours have a chance to become ingrained.

Thanks Steph!
I think he had a little wee on the carpet yesterday, but that was the first 'accident', he poos on the carpet next to his hutch but obviously that isn't too tricky to clear up!
Actually, we've found that Jaspie's waking pattern fits us quite nicely... I manage a Toys R Us and normally start at 7.30am, and my OH is a doctor in A&E who works a lot of unsociable shifts... between the two of us there's normally someone at home to play with him!
I'd like to get him a wife... is this a mad fact I'm making up, or have I read that almost all gestating ladybuns are at risk of cancer?
Although I love the sound of two buns in love

Thank you Nessar, I couldn't have hoped for a more full answer! Also, my sister is called Ness, I genuinely had to check you weren't her
My colleague is possibly the closest thing to a 'responsible' breeder you'll find, his buns are all house rabbits.
Having undergone a general anaesthetic myself I understand that there are risks involved, but if it'll make him a happier bun I'm all for it!
I'd like to nip the humping in the bud, I understand the biting risk as most animals do it, he came to explore my legs earlier, he started chinning and I freaked out because I thought he'd bite me!

MillyAlice said:

Thank you Nessar, I couldn't have hoped for a more full answer! Also, my sister is called Ness, I genuinely had to check you weren't her
My colleague is possibly the closest thing to a 'responsible' breeder you'll find, his buns are all house rabbits.
Having undergone a general anaesthetic myself I understand that there are risks involved, but if it'll make him a happier bun I'm all for it!
I'd like to nip the humping in the bud, I understand the biting risk as most animals do it, he came to explore my legs earlier, he started chinning and I freaked out because I thought he'd bite me!

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haha, no I dont have a sister called Milly :lol: Dont worry about chinning, its something all rabbits do to mark their territory, even when neutered, but they do it more before neutering. I doubt he'll bite you whilst chinning

Before my buck was neutered, every day when he was let out of his cage (I didnt know then that commercial cages are too small) he would go round the room and chin EVERYTHING, took him a good 15 minutes!

I'm not too worried about him chinning, he does like to let you know things are his... He has a crocheted panda that my mum made me that I don't have the heart to tell him isn't his that he takes great pleasure in chinning! The dining table, clothes horse and coffee table are all very much his ^^

:thumb: Great advice from Nessar.

With regard to ladybuns, yes you should also get them neutered. I think it is 80% chance of them getting cancer if they are not done. I have been through this with our first bunny when we knew no better. If you get another rescue bun, they are normally neutered before they are up for rehoming and sometimes vaccinated too.