Spaying: Risks.

Hello there!

I'm a new Rabbit owner - so I'm so sorry if some of you literally groan or facedesk or anything like that, I've only started owning rabbits...since September. I just wanted to ask some advice. Sorry if this is in the wrong place, too!

So I have a female mixed breed - Her name is "Chappy" - from the anime Bleach. And she's a mixture of Lionhead, Californian Rabbit and a Dwarf. Anyway, she's reaching about 4 months old now, born at the start of August.

Anyway, literally over the past week I've noticed that she's been...getting aggressive. Growling at me, even attempted to bite me a couple of times this evening when I tried to bribe her with food! She's even bit me while sitting on the floor during one of her running around the room times.

Been reading up on this and apparently it's because she's reaching her sexual maternity which causes her to become aggressive like this? And really the best thing you can do is to spay her...and it prevents ovary issues and things like that?

Anyway....I'm thinking about it. When Chappy was vaccinated, the vet advised that I considered spaying her for this reason and for the prevention of ovary illnesses - and I can see why! She suggested bringing up spaying again when I bring Chappy in for her six-month check up, boosters and all that kind of thing.

And here comes the silly part - I'm scared to spay her. I've owned Guinea Pigs for more than half my life, and I know this is silly...they were Pets AtHome Pigs and many had genetic defaults that shortened their lives. Chappy is bred by a friend, so no worries there, but...my recently passed away piggie Cookie died during a emergency spay.

Okay, it wasn't the spay that killed her - the vet didn't pick up she had pyrometra in the months when she stopped eating and I took her in. Then she was put under at 696g. And then when they opened her up, they found that all her little body organs were pretty much dead and the decision was made to put her to sleep there and then. But this...I'm now terrified to even consider spaying Chappy. I know she's a rabbit, it's different and could extend her life...but I'm really scared it will kill her instead.

So...a couple of questions. Is spaying a good idea and will help with this new aggression? Is there minimal chance of this...you know, ending her life? And the vet I was going to use is ROWE - is this the best vet to use for spays, if I ensure I get the vet that's had most practice with rabbits to preform it? Is it hard to boot up their systems again like Guinea's after a major op?

Thank you for reading all this - I understand it's long. Have a picture of Chappy to make up for it, okay?

I completely understand your fear, I was pretty scared about getting my girls spayed too... Truth be told, I didn't spay them quite as soon as I should have. They were completely fine together, of course they occasionally humped eachother here and there but there was no fur pulling or circling, so I figured I'd just leave them be. When I tried to introduce them to my boys, however, there was a big problem. I'd never seen them so aggressive. It was then I decided to look into getting them spayed.

If you can find a rabbit savvy vet you will feel much better. I looked into every vet in town, but one stood out among the rest. The particular vet I took them to works with our local rabbit rescue and performs lots of rabbit desexing operations daily. I talked to the vet for a couple of weeks and I felt very confident leaving my girls in his care. He provided me with lots of information, explained the procedure and gave me lots of after-care advice. Don't get me wrong, you will most likely still be a little bit nervous to drop your bun off. It is still an operation and as with any surgery it comes with risks. A vet with experience in rabbits is critical as they are considered an 'exotic' pet, some vets I talked to wouldn't even perform a spay! If you can find an experienced vet like I did, you should feel much better as they've performed spays plenty of times before.

Spaying is a very good idea, it will calm Chappy's aggression and if anything will extend her life. Another reason I decided to spay was the fact that the risk of uterine cancer was something like 80% by age 5, which is usually fatal. We recently put down our cat who had bowel cancer, and I never want to see my girls in that kind of pain and misery. Most buns do survive the operation, and with a good vet there is no reason Chappy shouldn't pull through well and be nice and healthy afterwards. Right after the spay she will probably be a bit sluggish and uncomfortable, but my girls recovered almost completely in a bit over a week. You will need to keep Chappy somewhere warm and quiet where she will be comfortable and can rest. Provide lots of hay and a bowl of water, but it's not uncommon for rabbits to not feel very hungry immediately after a spay. Do keep a close eye on eating/drinking/pooping habits though, and check the wound to make sure it's healing well. If anything causes concern, ring the vet straight away. Generally though with a good vet and proper after-care a rabbit will recover perfectly fine from a spay and be able to lead a happier, healthier life.

It's great that you're looking into getting Chappy spayed, I know it's scary but I feel the pros outweigh the cons. A little bit of discomfort now will be far better for you and Chappy in the long run; she will be much friendlier, healthier, her litter training will improve and she can properly bond with another bunny friend if you ever decide to get one. I wish you and Chappy all the best if you decide to get her spayed.

I too believe that spaying is almost always the best option for pet Does. As TheTigerThief says, the risks of future uterine problems far outweigh any small risk of surgery for a healthy Doe.

This may be useful to read:

http://www.rabbitwelfare.co.uk/resources/content/leaflet_pdfs/neutering28.8.07.pdf

Good luck xx

I'm beginning to think it's a better and

I'm beginning to think it's a better and better idea. I'm struggling to pick her up now to get her out; she's growling all the time and trying to bite me. It's making me slightly scared of her which is so silly; she used to be such a nice and social bunny! I love her to bits and I don't want to neglect her just because I'm afraid of her.

On Monday I'm going to ring the vets to try and arrange something, get a quote and that kind of thing. I'm also thinking its a good idea to extend her life, too. I don't want her to get sick with any uterus related illnesses and that kind of thing...

When female rabbits hit puberty they get very territorial and this is why she has become aggressive when you try to go into the cage to pick her up. I would try to avoid picking her up now until she calms down post spay - can she not let herself out for a break from the cage?

If you don't know a lot about your current Vet you could start a new thread asking for a Rabbit Savvy Vet in your area. You would feel much more confident if you knew the Vet was very experienced with rabbits. Sorry about your piggie.

How big is her set up? There are not any cages on the market that are big enough for a rabbit to be shut in. They need constant access to a run. An area ten foot by six foot is recommended for them.

He aggression could be linked with not having enough space and so getting guardy.

I do think spaying is a good idea as her hormones could make it worse plus it massively reduces the risk of cancer.

She is GORGEOUS!