Castrating a male rabbit...and a few other bits!

We don't have any major specific issues, he's not aggressive. In fact the opposite which is almost whats made me decide to castrate. He is very friendly but obviously I cant be with him 24/7 so figured castrated he can have a friend?
A few concerns though, as in my area the fee's seem quite steep- Local vets charge £97 which seems a lot compared to the rough costs I see on rabbit advice pages etc.

1. He's very smelly! I clean his tray every other day but he does those horrid weird poo's that stink to high heaven. Will this be helped at all by castration?

2. Will he definitely be able to have a friend?! What should I go for? another male or female? Im a bit worried about ending up with two being lonely!


A few other things unrelated to the castration, He moults big clumps from time to time which never worried me as our old rabbits used to also, recently he moulted out a whole big bald patch on his back! Its growing back but is that weird?!

He has a bit of a sticky eye. not green or gunky but the hair underneath has gone a bit yuck. Does he require a vet? Im very confident about horses and dogs and vet treatment but a little unsure on rabbits!

Re the cost, I would ask around locally. You need a rabbit savvy vet to do the operation, not sure on average costs to be honest.

1) the smell of his urine should be much better, and he won't spray urine around either, but as for the wierd poos, they sound like excess caecotrophes, squishy clumpy poos that should normally be eaten straightaway, they can be caused by for example feeding too many pellets (an egg cupful per rabbit per day is the recommended amount) too many vegetables.

2) he should be able to have a friend no problem. I would approach a local rescue and they may be able to do the bonding for you, or help at least, and they will probably have a choice of suitable friends. The normal best combination is a neutered male and spayed female, but my current pair is 2 boys (neutered brothers)

Not come across bald patches whilst moulting before, I would ask the vet to take a look at his eye, it could be he might need a dental?

My Vets charge around £50.00 for a castration. The uneaten cecals and the gunky eye could indicate teeth problems - does he eat hay and not too many pellets/meusli? I do my litter trays daily so the urine doesn't upset their eyes/nose although it might depend on the type of bedding you use.

They are supposed to eat them!?? Really how weird.
Ok looks like we need to visit the vet then anyway. He eats some food I buy from the local Country store. Its not pellets as such but green and orange round bits- a little like dried dog food. He eats more than an egg cup full! Every other brand ive tried he wont eat. Should I persevere? This stuff smells quite sweet so I have tried several times to wean him onto something else as it feels a little like feeding him junk food! He has the odd bits of lettuce or carrot but not a huge amount as he tends not to eat it.
Bedding he has shavings and paper. All dust free.
Tbh I don't feed him hay. Is that vital?

Percybunny said:

They are supposed to eat them!?? Really how weird.
Ok looks like we need to visit the vet then anyway. He eats some food I buy from the local Country store. Its not pellets as such but green and orange round bits- a little like dried dog food. He eats more than an egg cup full! Every other brand ive tried he wont eat. Should I persevere? This stuff smells quite sweet so I have tried several times to wean him onto something else as it feels a little like feeding him junk food! He has the odd bits of lettuce or carrot but not a huge amount as he tends not to eat it.
Bedding he has shavings and paper. All dust free.
Tbh I don't feed him hay. Is that vital?

Click to expand...

Absolutely essential !! Hay should form 80-90% of a Rabbit's diet otherwise Dental problems and GI tract problems are almost inevitable

You will find a lot of very useful information about Rabbit Care here :

http://www.rabbitwelfare.co.uk/resources/?section=leaflets.html

Do have a thorough read through all the leaflets as doing so will help you to help your Rabbit

Thank you, Really appreciate it

Percybunny said:

They are supposed to eat them!?? Really how weird.
Ok looks like we need to visit the vet then anyway. He eats some food I buy from the local Country store. Its not pellets as such but green and orange round bits- a little like dried dog food. He eats more than an egg cup full! Every other brand ive tried he wont eat. Should I persevere? This stuff smells quite sweet so I have tried several times to wean him onto something else as it feels a little like feeding him junk food! He has the odd bits of lettuce or carrot but not a huge amount as he tends not to eat it.
Bedding he has shavings and paper. All dust free.
Tbh I don't feed him hay. Is that vital?

Click to expand...

Just seen this, and already replied on your other thread :lol:

Absolutely vital for both teeth and digestion!