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to neuter or not neuter? that is the question!

J

jayned

Young Bun
I am thinking about having Tommy bun 'done'
Our vet said there is no medical reason why we should, but I am hoping to get him a laydee :D

I thought it would be a good idea to let him choose his own, which we wouldn't be able to do if they were both 'intact'.

So question is...do we get him neutered? It would be easier when it comes to choosing a friend for him. We were hoping to get him a spayed female from a rescue
 
harvey turned into a monster as he hit puberty. he was not aggressive but definately more stubborn adn moody.

he pood everywhere adn stopped using his litter tray. once he started humping things thats where i drew the line and got him neutered.


hes a love now, took a couple of weeks to have an effect but definately for the better, he is, and we are much happier now.

much more chilled and happy all round
 
hey sarah...not rabbit related, but about rats! (I have 9 at the moment!)

just had a nosey on the RatChat website...do you have a place for rehoming? I am trying to help a lady and am desperately trying to find a new home for 2 females...can you help?
 
definately!! just post on the forum they are lovely on there and we have loads of addicts who cant resist rehoming!

ooooh must send me pics!!! :D

9 WOW!!! what are they all like, colours etc? mine are 2 black hoodies. im a sucker for a husky so watch out if you have one of those!! :lol:

PM me if you want me to post something for you, but really jsut join, they are (we are) a friendly bunch!! :wink:

click on the link to the Forum on the ratchat homepage!!
 
If you want to get him a friend then he definately needs to be neutered :) Unneutered males will fight with other males and an unneutered male with unneutered female would equal hundreds of little rabbits. Even with a neutered female he would be so amourous she would probably get annoyed with him. Another rabbit in the house also tend to trigger things like spraying.

Welcome to the forum!

Tam
 
hi

make sure you get a vet who is good with bunnys to do the op though - some vets are shockingly ignorant about rabbit care and will endanger his life - ask them a few questions about rabbit care before you take him in for the op - see this page, and be brave - if your vet gets snotty about being questioned then they have an attitude problem!
http://www.mybunny.org/info/vet_questionnaire.htm
 
Would also have to say that it would definately be necessary to neuter a male before putting with a speyed female. Apart from the excessive attention he is likely to give his poor partner, as Tamsin says he is more than likely to spray.

If ARC get any unneutered males in who are housed particualry near any females, they usually have a lovely sprayed hutch and run area within a few days.

Janice
 
thanks guys

Our vet mentioned that it may be necessary to have him done if we get a spayed female, as he'd be 'up for it' and she wouldn't want to know :roll:
could lead to fights. He said we could wait and see, but I think I'd rather go ahead and do it!

Our vets practice are REALLY good. I have 9 rats and need a competent vet...many aren't with rats....so I have no problems that they know what they're doing. One of the vets we see has even got a couple of buns :D

He's already been for a health check up last Monday the vet said he's healthy if we wanted to go ahead with the op. Think I'll make an appointment next week
 
I had a similar situation with Kovu, I thought he may of been alright without being neutered, because he was so placid and never sprayed, but once I introduced him to my two spayed does he wouldn't leave them alone for humping and spraying, so much so poor kovu went for the chop.
 
Can I add another question here

Is if neccessary to neuter both bunnies if you want to bond them? Is it ok just to do the boy or should I get the girly done too?

sue
 
Sue and Sooty asked
Is if neccessary to neuter both bunnies if you want to bond them? Is it ok just to do the boy or should I get the girly done too?
Click to expand...

If you are going to introduce a male rabbit to a female, I woudl most definately recomend getting the male neutered, there are two thoughts about getting the female neutered, some people would say it is not necessary, others would say yes.

I personally would suggest it is important as it does protect them from getting cancer of the uterus which is a silent killer, there are many rabbits would die from it whose condition has gone undetected even at death. The rescue I volunteer with has all its females neutered and many of those who are over 2 years have early signs of chanes which may lead to uterine cancers developing. You need to weigh up the risks, ARC have had over 400 females speyed and have lost I believe 3 (male and female) rabbits under anaesthetic or soon after, these have all been due to other problems including cardiomegly and underdeveloped lungs which were undetected prior to surgery. The risk of uterine cancer developing is far higher than the risks of anaesthetic and surgery. I would certainly recomend that you find a vet who is used to neutering female rabbits.

Janice
 
I'd be a bit worried about a vet that didn't think neutering was necessary :? It is definately better to get them neutered for behavioural and health resons. I have had Hobbes neutered and Phoebe and Amber are spayed. I will be getting my new bunny neutered when he is old enough so that he can live with Amber without harassing her :D
 
Estelle said:
I'd be a bit worried about a vet that didn't think neutering was necessary :?
Click to expand...

I have n worries at all about the vet. I fully understand what he meant. Testicular cancer is quite rare in rabbits (not like in dogs or cats) so there isn't any health reason to get them done. Obviously we'll get the female done as over the age of 5 there's a far greater risk of ovarian cancer.

The vet meant, rather than put Tommy through an op that wasn't 'strictly' necessary, we could wait to see what he's like with a spayed female. If he bothers her, he'd be done.

He doesn't need it for his beahviour or temperament as he's good and very affectionate and is way past his 'terrible teenage' phase!
 
Estelle said:
I'd be a bit worried about a vet that didn't think neutering was necessary :?
Click to expand...

that's not always the case there is two school of thoughts on neutering, I know many people who would be horrified at the thought of having rabbits neutered. The risk of infection and death from shock after neutering is quite high.

I'm not saying don't neuter buns, all mine are, but to just promote neutering as the be all and end all to health problems isn't always a good idea, as it can cause more problems then cure.
 
Its just that my vet thinks neutering is a good idea and gave me a rabbit care book by Intervet which recommends neutering them. I'm not saying your vet is bad as they all have their own opinions, its just that I prefer to go to a vet who shares the same views as me!
Hobbes was constantly under my feet before i got him neutered, he also used to bite my ankles and wee and poo everywhere. He doesn't do that now although he does still like to play piggy backs with Phoebe :roll: :lol: I guess even after neutering he still gets the occasional urge, but nowhere near as bad as before :shock:
 
the reason I'm undecided about getting Tommy neutered is that he's not aggresive, in fact he's a rather licky bun! And he's clean and he's about 5 years old, so not a hormonal teenager.

He's in good health and it would be fine to have him done, but is it worth the risk, when we're getting a spayed female for him.

ach! I don't know :?
 
hi

you can't put an unneutered male with a female, spayed or not - he will get fruity and his behaviour will change - you may not recognise your dear little boy!

Having said that, if he's perfectly happy on his own, you could always keep him as a contented singleton...or have you got a craving for more bunnies?
 
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