Bunn reached sexual maturity

[BaileyBunn]

Hi,:wave:
my bunn Bailey had just turned 4 months old, im pretty sure in the past week shes reached sexual maturity, she runs around me in circles, licks my clothes whenever she gets the change, grunts+honks, seems to of forgotten litter training and generally wont leave me alone... which is ok, other than the litter training part and she is really getting under my feet more than usual when i walk around because of the circling which is dangerous as im worried i might step on her.
I know you can get bunns spayed and that usually stops the behaviour but im not sure i want her spayed. basically im wondering if the behaviour will stop and if she'll go back to normal on her own? also what are the benefits of spaying are the chances of cancer really that high?
sorry ive rambled on, any suggestions are much appreciated
x

 

[Rhian33]

Hi

Not sure what your reasoning is behind not speying. It's much better for them health wise as you will eliminate the risk of uterine and mammary cancer of which 85% plus of females will have by the time they are 5 without the op.

Also, why do you want her to have a litter? There are 33,000 unwanted rabbits handed into rescues each year, it's really not a good idea to risk adding to this statistic.

Don't take my word for this stuff, please do some reading and make your own mind up based on all the evidence. I just wanted to throw a few stats and facts in there to show the other side of things :wave:

 

[Stator]

Letting her have one litter won't make her happier at all. Rabbits aren't like humans, they don't think in the same way. They do have feelings but they don't have thought processes. When a mother bunny cares for her babies she is relying soley on instinct and these instincts kick in because of her pregnancy. If she never has babies she won't sit around wondering what it would be like to have babies, she will simply never think about it. If you leave them unspayed the hormones that circulate make them into grumpy buns, very territorial and aggresive to other rabbits and to you as well. Once spayed these hormones reduce and the bun because a much happier rabbit. They aren't concious of what you've done to them. They might be a bit upset that you took them on a scary journey, but they won't have any idea what happened. As far as they are aware what has happened to them might be entirely natural and what is meant to happen to buns. They won't know that they have been neutered, so try not to imagine your bun with the feelings that an infertile human woman might have as these simply won't happen in a bun.

I hope you find my thoughts useful

 

[Santa]

:wave:

First and foremost, are you absolutely certain that she's a girl? The behaviour you describe sounds much more male to me...turn her over and have a look, I'll see if I can find you the link on how to sex.

Edit: here you go: http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?p=2614165#post2614165

You are quite right that spaying isn't natural, but nor is keeping a rabbit alone in a housed environment. Natural is being out in the wild (and, I might add, at huge risk from predators and disease etc). In these circumstances, it's not what is 'natural' that is important, but what is best for the welfare of the rabbit, and it is widely regarded by all the key welfare organisations that neutering both sexes is a good way to help achieve this. His/her hormones will continue to make him/her very sexually frustrated and will more than likely result in territorial behaviour and a loss of litter training. This is unlikely to get better once the 'teenage' phase is over, because it is driven by the hormones.

If she is a girl, I would agree with the previous poster that a litter is not a great idea. Rabbits carry all kinds of genes which can cause very serious diseases, so without knowing a detailed genetic history back several generations, you could well be unintentionally and unknowingly causing all sorts of problems to the babies as they grow up - most commonly dental problems, especially if your rabbit is either a dwarf or a lop breed. This is why reputable breeders will only breed rabbits (both male and female) that they know the history of for generations.

Have you also thought about what you'd do with the babies? There could be several of them which would need separating into sexes at 8 weeks old. If you want to keep them, they would need neutering otherwise you'd need about 8 hutches! And if you're going to find homes for them - please bear in mind that this could mean that there are fewer homes for rescue bunnies, of which there are 33,000 - especially if each of those people takes the same view of having a litter (one rabbit could produce 8 offspring...if each of those has 'just one litter', over 4 generations that's 8*8*8*8 - over 4000 bunnies in a year! It sounds daft but rabbits breed so profusely that it's entirely plausible )

Some studies have shown that up to 80% or more of female rabbits can get uterine cancer by the time they are 5 - if you ask rescues on here, they will tell you that their vets regularly find cancer or pre-cancerous changes in rabbits that are spayed through the rescue. It really is alarmingly common and it is much safer for your bun to be done when she is young and healthy rather than as an emergency later in life.

But that aside - first I would check the sex of your bunny as it really does sound more male behaviour to me.

 

[bunny babe]

I lost a rabbit through uterine cancer as I knew no better at the time. I would NEVER want to put a rabbit (or myself) through that again (my current rabbit is spayed and she is very happy).

She was approx 6 when she died (older than most who get it), she had an emergency spay and we thought it had been caught but it must have made it to the lymph nodes and we lost her about 4-5 weeks later after intensive nursing.

 

[BaileyBunn]

Ok thanks for everyones thoughts, ive read up more about chances of uterine cancer and yes it is a very high rate and obviousley i wouldnt want to put my bunn through that when it can be avoided by spaying,
as for the litter the reasoning behind that is; you might not think it but the area i live in has a shortage of lops (it took me 5 months to find my lop) and ive had friends and family say that they would take on the kits, (i do understand theres rescue bunnies that need rehoming and the option of her having a litter isnt 100% decided yet)
but ether way she is only 4 months so i wouldnt consider her for a litter or spaying untill at least 6-8, but my question was, will her behaviour calm down in the next few months before spaying as ill be leaving spaying till 6months at the earliest anyway as ive been told its a safter age for the op...
also she basically refuses to be put on her back so after the previous note from santa im again questioning wether shes a boy or girl as i havent been able to have a proper check (so litter may be out of the question anyway!)
thanks for any replies

 

[Stator]

Generally no, behaviour becomes hormonal until about 1 year. Most vets recommend a spay at around 6 months and I think this is probably about right.

 

[biscandmatt1]

not only all the points mentioned above, but if she had a litter would you know how to properly care for them and there could be complications for the mother aswell, and some even die from the complications, then you would have kits to raise properly aswell as dealing with the death of your doe and having to know it was because you let her have a litter. don't risk it. there is no reason too. anyone who is looking for lops, point them in the direction of the rescues. some even rehome out of their area.

take your rabbit vets advice, have her spayed when she is 6 months ish, and enjoy her as a pet, knowing you have done the best for her. :wave:

 

[Furries]

If you find a rabbit-savvy vet who uses the new anaesthetics then the operation is safe (obviously there is a risk with any operation). I had my doe neutered at 4-months and she sailed through the post-op. The younger you have your rabbit neutered, the lower the risk of any problems.

My doe drove me nuts when she became a teenager and I booked her in for the op as soon as I could. She is now a much friendlier rabbit.

The natural (wild) life of a rabbit is short and brutal; reproduce as rapidly as possible so that even when so many are picked off by disease and predators, the population remains sufficiently high. They are also riddled with parasites, particularly tapeworms in their guts.