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Castration stories (in bunnies, human stories can go under 'general chat')

Hesperus

Warren Veteran
Hi everyone,

Just wanting really to get everyone's stories and experiences about taking their buns to the plum fairy. Having read some posts on here I'm a bit concerned that at times it can cause negative changes in behaviour.

So I was wondering if I could get people's stories and honest opinions. I'd really like to hear about what changes if any there were in your buns and how the operation went. I know the arguments for castration and so I'd like just to hear about people's experiences rather than general arguments for or against!

Thanks
Suzie :wave:
 
I had Stephen done yesterday and he was not a happy boy when he came home, he hid under the table and wouldn't come out, bless his soul. However, after popping him in his cage overnight and letting him out this morning, he's almost back to his normal cheeky self although he doesn't want noserubs just yet!

It was terribly nerve wrecking, not going to lie, I gave myself a headache and made myself sick crying because I was so worried about him, but the operation was simple, straightforward and done in 20 minutes and I went to collect him 3 hours later :)

I'm sure Stephen will go back to how he was, he's almost there now, but hopefully he'll calm down and we can introduce him to his wifey bun.
 
Mostly there is little difference other than the spraying stops!

However Parsley did loose some of his joie de vivre - but then he might have lost that anyway as his head humping had lead to a nasty accident and quite a lot of his penis had to be surgically removed. - followed by his plums.
 
My buns were done a few months ago. Loki took it all in his stride and was happily eating five mins after getting home.

Thor caused us a bit of trouble as he managed to dislodge an internal suture, meaning that his little tea bag filled with blood :shock: it was rather alarming and he spent a day or so at the vets so they could monitor him, but tbh it really didn't bother him, he took a little longer to get over the anasthetic but he was eating close to normally within a day or so and the balloon of blood between his legs didn't slow him down or seem to cause him pain (we kept him on metacam just in case). It took a couple of weeks to go away but it was effectively just a really really big bruise!

The buns at work normally come into the rescue entire so I see loads of them done there. I have not seen a single male have issues afterwards. And only 3 females pull their stitches out badly enough to warrant any treatment. All 3 made speedy and full recoveries.
 
Leo was castrated two weeks ago, I was very nervous taking him in first thing on a Friday morning but it was successful and he only had to stay over night as he hadn't wee'd or pooped before the vet was happy for him to leave. He came home the next day around 11am and spent the next three days indoors (vets orders) so I could keep an eye on him. He didn't need any pain relief as he was ok.

He was a bit quiet all day Saturday and I could see how uncomfortable he was when he tried to stretch out :lol: apart from that he was munching away and exploring as usual. He bleed twice on the Sunday but it was due to him having a few too many binky run arounds which I think he might have knocked himself a bit too hard. Luckily his appointment was on the Monday and the vet said his wound was fine.

Since then he's been the same active bunny and I don't think he hates me too much for his visit to the plum fairy :wave:
 
Charlie smelled less and was suddenly litter trained!
He sulked with me for a little while (wouldn't take food off me/let me stroke him... But was fine with my mam!) but other than that, nothing negative at all.
 
Nothing negative at all. Neither of my bucks changed in personality, just Smudge stopped spraying (Mischa didn't spray beforehand as he was my only bunny at the time) and their litter habits improved.
 
Rupert's furry tea bags were removed 3 days after we met him at the centre, and he's just as cheeky now as he was then, actually, my husband was quite worried that he'd lose his personality and cheekiness a little once he'd had the chopped, but nope, he's just as cheeky :) just he doesn't spray everywhere now :D

His wound did get a bit infected tho (I think he probably pulled at the stitches) - he was still at the centre (he was being bonded with Tia, and brought them home 3 weeks later), and he took a little while to come round from his aneasthetic (which we now think was because he is younger than first thought).

Good luck! x
 
Thanks for these everyone I've enjoyed reading your range of experiences! I'm glad they're mostly positive and all your buns did well afterwards.

Ludo hasn't done anything 'naughty' yet at all and has beautiful litter habits, so I'm just a bit concerned about getting him done! I wonder if perhaps they spray less if they're a single bunny as everything smells of them anyway?

But anyway I'd get him done in spring so perhaps he'll start being naughty by then.
 
The only issue we had with Hopscotch before getting him done was humping :oops: :lol: And no problems after. Well, apart from him being grumpy for a day or 2!
 
Boris was wasn't doing anything bad before being neutered - didn't spray and wasn't particualy grumpy - he was well over 6 months when we had him done. But he did have a fluffy cushion for a surragate wife and he did love me lots judging by the chasing games we had. We probably wouldn't have had him done if it wasn't for the fact we decided to get him a female friend.

He took his time getting back to normal after the operation - but I've put that down to his personality (milked the sympathy for all he was worth;)). But his personality didn't change and if anything he has become way more friendly - he loves his strokes now and will happily lie there for hours whilst we stroke and stroke and stroke him. He still grunts when breakfast is put down and he still occasionally chases me - but most importantly he still loves his cushion and will even groom it :roll:(the cushion is the most revolting thing now best handled with tongs :D).

Every rabbit is different but I've heard mostly postive results from it.
 
had my belgian hare brothers done at 5 months. prior to surgery were spraying and rather obsessed with getting out of garden.
after surgery all spraying stopped and they were more interested in me, and respected boundary fences more .
they were in and out same day at vet- had to have limited exersise for one week - they normally have lot of free range in garden so were restricted to run. no complications and healed up quick. were a bit quiet first night but ate well.
 
Well for Beano spaying her was the best choice ever! It was a couple of years ago, I'd had her for a few months, and I have to admit I bought her on a whim when I'd just turned 14, and the little knowledge I had on bunnies was the oh they don't need much space or a partner she'll be my companion etc. And she was lovely, fine with handling and enjoyed cuddles, up until she reached sexual maturity at 6 months and become a nightmare!! She became very distructive, she was a housebun but had to be moved outside to the shed, and very bitey. Always grunted at me and lunged and bit, she was very territorial and I was actually scared of her :oops: I had to get my dad with thick gloves on to move her from the shed to her run and back and even he was scared!! I have rather a lot of scars from her, but obviously I loved her and started researching why the sudden change and thankfully came across some sites with 'proper' rabbit care and read about spaying. She went in to be done and woke up after the operation fine, she didn't eat/drink or move around much for the rest of the night but seemed comfortable in her cage inside as her base until she recovered and the next morning she was eating/drinking a bit and in a few days she seemed back to normal. The change was noticed very soon, she no longer lunged whenever hands went near here and I was able to put pellets in her bowl without the use of a mini plastic spade to put them in through the bars! :oops: She is always a rather grumpy bun and needs to be top boss but she became a lot calmer and was able to be bonded with Gordon :D :love:

Boris was very loving and there was no aggressive behaviour with him but he was terrible for spraying!! Whenever I walked past or so much as reached down near him to stroke him he'd spray and it would go all over my carpet and up the walls/furnishing and all over me!! I was always having to clean up with white vinegar and have now got rid of my carpet and have nice lino :lol: And after his neuter he woke up and was eating pretty much straight away and was just like his old self, minus the spraying! However he was nibbling at his wound a lot and reopened it twice. It also became infected but was sorted with a couple of weeks course of antibiotics. :)
 
I booked Sebastian in for his neuter, the day before he went in his hormones kicked in! He was this horrible, hyper active, biting machine which was a major change! I took him in, he came home and he was back to being the lovely rabbit I still have today! He didn't even seem to realise he'd had surgery :lol:
 
Thanks again for these!

Ludo won't be done until Spring if needed so plenty of time to see what he'll be like!
 
my buck didn't change at all, from the moment he got home he was his usual friendly self. :thumb:
Neutering meant he could be introduced to our girls though, and that made a big difference to his life :D
 
All of mine were fine, didn't want to eat straight away and took a few days to start moving around a bit and stop feeling sorry for themselves. None of them were aggressive before so I can't comment on that. Harley and Rory (RIP) stopped humping other rabbits afterwards, Flash didn't but he wasn't neutered till he was 5. They all stopped spraying, well maybe the odd time when they're digging but nothing like they used to. Flash and Harley have always been clean but Rory's cleanliness improved a lot afterwards, he was better with a litter tray and stopped spraying all over his own legs

If your rabbit is healthy and you can get the money then I really would get it done, and with females I emphasise this much much more. It's a riskier operation and more invasive but females have an incredibly high chance of developing uterine cancer if not spayed so it's not just a matter of making them a bit friendlier/cleaner/easier to bond
 
well charlie was done and quiet and very cross all night but when i woke in the morning there were loads and i mean LOADS of poo balls everywhere and he had made a right mess-he started attacking the cage to be let out(id had to confine him a bit). he never showed any hormonal behaviour as i got him done early enough i suppose. i did find he started 'buzzing' round my feet after the neuter:roll: that soon calmed down though.:love:
 
All of mine were fine, didn't want to eat straight away and took a few days to start moving around a bit and stop feeling sorry for themselves. None of them were aggressive before so I can't comment on that. Harley and Rory (RIP) stopped humping other rabbits afterwards, Flash didn't but he wasn't neutered till he was 5. They all stopped spraying, well maybe the odd time when they're digging but nothing like they used to. Flash and Harley have always been clean but Rory's cleanliness improved a lot afterwards, he was better with a litter tray and stopped spraying all over his own legs

If your rabbit is healthy and you can get the money then I really would get it done, and with females I emphasise this much much more. It's a riskier operation and more invasive but females have an incredibly high chance of developing uterine cancer if not spayed so it's not just a matter of making them a bit friendlier/cleaner/easier to bond

Yeah, he's a boy, if he were female there'd be no question about it!
 
I've only had one rabbit neutered called Diggit. He was a lovely boy and had the run of the garden, but would circle me all the time, would spray me whenever I had to catch him to put him back in his hutch and would attack the dog and the cat. To the point that both animals were terrified of him and wouldn't go in the garden if he was out. I had to stand between him and the dog or else Diggit would go for his face and really get him.

I got him neutered and kept him inside, he was groggy but perked up by the night and was eating and acting normal. He never bothered with his stitches and the change was a huge benefit.

He stopped attacking the dog, though still would chase the cat half heartedly. This meant he became a house rabbit and had the run of the house without bothering with the dog. He stopped spraying me completely and stopped circling and being frustrated.
 
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