Should i get her sprayed? O_o

My bunny is 9 months old, and since i got her people have been telling me all kinds of scary stories like "if you don't get your female rabbit sprayed then she has a 80% chance of getting cancer" and so on. Is that true? Should i actually get her sprayed? And is it expensive? Does it affect her personality if she gets it done?

Thank you
Vita~

This is information that I give to people who are adopting from our local RSPCA. They may be of use to you.

Potential reasons to spay http://flashsplace.webs.com/spayingneutering.htm

What you can do before, during and after http://flashsplace.webs.com/havinganoperation.htm

If you want to get her a friend it could be the difference between a successful bond and a failure http://flashsplace.webs.com/bondingbunnies.htm

In terms of spaying in general, for your average healthy rabbit, the better the vet, the lesser the risks.

Yes, I would reccommend you do. The figure you have been given is not for all cancer, but for uterine cancer - 80% of unspayed females will get uterine cancer by the age of five, which is an extremely high figure, especially as you take into account that with the right care the average size rabbit can live for 12 years. By spaying a rabbit you remove this tissue, and if the uterine tissue isnt there then it cant get cancer, simples

Neutering can also help prevent behavioural problems and improve litter training, and of course it also means that they can be bonded to other neutered rabbits, as company (preferably with their own kind) is essential for a rabbit's mental health. Neutering does not alter a rabbit's personality, it merely removes the sexual hormones and frustration so that their true personality can shine through. You may see some behaviours change, these will be hormonal behaviours, such as the very common food/hutch aggression.

The expense will depend on your vet and your area, I have seen prices from £45-120. Some prices include just the operation itself, others include the essential metacam (painkiller) injection and gut motility injection as well. Most prices dont include oral metacam to take home, again these prices vary, the smallest bottle of cat metacam costs me about £7 at my vets. Make sure when you ask the cost you ask what that includes. You also need to make sure that your vet has a lot of experience with rabbits because rabbits are classed as exotics, which means that normal vets dont have to learn much about them when training. If you can find a rabbit specialist or exotic vet that would be best.

I'm assuming at 9 months her 6 monthly booster for her myxomatosis vaccination must be coming up soon, so why not discuss spaying with your vet then?