Hello from Amy (human) and Penny (bunny)

Hiya, this is Penny and she is a nearly 5 month old minilop. We are in the process of looking for a friend for her but are cautious about getting a boy and neutering him because out of 3 previous of my pet bunny neuter operations, none have been successful and it is so hard losing a bunny because of a surgery you have put them through. I know I should get Penny spayed due to uterine cancer risks but at the same time I don’t have a lot of faith in the neutering/spaying procedure. Unfortunately I live just outside Brighton and there isn’t a RWAF recommended vets for 40-50 miles.


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Hi welcome to the forum, penny is lovely, maybe another forum member may be able to recommend a rabbit savvy vet near you. Have you looked into getting a rescue rabbit male for a friend for penny, advantage there is they would already be neutered so less of stress for you having to have rabbit done, also they will be vaccinated

Hi Minilop
Yes I have contacted several rescues and I seem to be outside of the catchment for the rescue centres I have found online due to the home visit.
Hopefully there are some other West Sussex people on here who can help!


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Hello, and welcome to the forum:wave: hopefully someone local can recommend a vet, I agree with what Minilop1 has posted.

Maybe you could post entitled rabbit savvy vet required near (insert town name) and hopefully someone can help.

hi there!

I'm sorry you haven't had a good time with neutering. unfortunately bunnies are extremely fragile and can pass away, especially with the hands of a inexperienced vet. sadly a lot of procedures done with a vet who don't know what they're doing end in disaster, from poor advice or just doing the wrong thing. one is starving a bunny before operation. I'll create a new thread in rabbit talk, so hopefully somebody may pop by to offer a good vet.

once you have found a good one, it is really really vital to get Penny spayed. I realise you haven't had a good time, but it is extremely important. uterine cancer is a huge risk, but does are often grumpy and aggressive not making them good pets as harsh as that sounds. the risks do far out weigh the benefits, when you have a vet who knows what they're doing.

along with that, male x female really is best, they get along better and it is easier to bond. not to say female x female can't work, but it probably won't if they both aren't spayed.

welcome to the forum anyhow

amybunnies said:

Hiya, this is Penny and she is a nearly 5 month old minilop. We are in the process of looking for a friend for her but are cautious about getting a boy and neutering him because out of 3 previous of my pet bunny neuter operations, none have been successful and it is so hard losing a bunny because of a surgery you have put them through. I know I should get Penny spayed due to uterine cancer risks but at the same time I don’t have a lot of faith in the neutering/spaying procedure. Unfortunately I live just outside Brighton and there isn’t a RWAF recommended vets for 40-50 miles.

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Click to expand...

Welcome to the Forum :wave:

Penny is absolutely adorable!

If you want to find a good vet in your area then you can start another thread in Rabbit Chat with the header:


Rabbit Savvy Vet needed in (your location)

...and members will help you out with their recommendations.

Alternatively you could look here:

https://www.harcourt-brown.co.uk/vetfinder/vets-owners-recommendations


I hope that helps

Hello and welcome to the forum. Penny is beautiful [emoji177][emoji177][emoji177]

If you're not having any luck with rescues near you, you can try Windwhistle Warren (Gloucestershire) or Honeybunnies (Leicestershire) who both rehome nationally.


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I know a vet in West Sussex, and if you are interested please PM me :wave:

of my warren, I only had the boys neutered...mainly because I thought spaying was very traumatic

only one of the boys had a complication...mainly because he got loose, started a fight, and tore a a suture, so had to stay at the overnight vets, the others recovered quickly, the younger ones (10 weeks) seemed to recover very quickly...just a couple of days

recently one of the younger girls (5 years old) had some behavioural changes and after extensive tests she was diagnosed with uterine cancer...we operated immediately, and here is hoping she will fully recover

but the spaying itself was very traumatic for her, she was off her food, and had to be syringe fed multiple times a day, I tried fresh herbs etc...only after two weeks of hand feeding, painkillers and gut stimulant, she got to a point where I wasn't frantic with her progress

maybe it would have been easier for her if we had it done when she was 10 weeks old, but I feel I gave her every chance of a natural life without resorting to surgery and pain, until absolutely necessary

I suspect some of my other warren members may have passed due to uterine cancer, but one was 7 years old, whilst the other was 4...its a difficult decision, if I had spayed early the surgery might have ended their lives a lot sooner, but by not spaying, the onus is on us to spot symptoms early enough to save them...this is one reason I would encourage people to have no more than two bunnies at any time, you can devote all your energy onto them and easily spot any behaviour changes

if anyone can't live with only 2 bunnies, there is a huge warren in eversley that would appreciate cuddles anytime

Hi Amy :wave: Welcome to the forum . Penny is very beautiful

I think most of us can identify with that horrible dilemma of whether we put them through the op. I've been thorough it on a number of occasions, with thankfully good outcomes, but it never gets easier.

Pining - it's interesting that you mention about behavioural changes in your doe. We just booked one of ours in (after previously deciding not to because she is over 5) because her behaviour has deteriorated so much (I have a thread in Behaviour). We rescued her so didn't have the opportunity to have her done when she was younger. I'm just hoping so much for a successful outcome x

I would agree and disagree spaying is traumatic. yes it is an invasive surgery.. but with the right precautions and a good vet, it usually goes well. some may opt for before surgery bloods, which can flag any issues. boys can have just as many problems. I have had two boys go through fine, and my only doe having issues, but she also didn't come from a good situation so I don't think I can comment too much on that. but its also going to be 10x more expensive and harder on them if they are older & already unwell. its easier and cheaper (as horrible as that sounds) to have it done when they're younger. you offer a stress free life away from hormones & phantom pregnancies. its important to remember animals are not humans, they are here to pass on genes and that is it. they do not feel the same happiness of becoming pregnant or starting a family, for them it is stress. spaying takes away that stress and being a slave to their hormones. I personally believe rabbits are happier and healthier being spayed. and it removes any possibility of uterine cancer which is a big killer, whether you take that from hearing about all the does who die, or the small and highly argued study of 85% of does dying due to it. I would always advocate spaying a rabbit unless they can not due to a medical issue.. a good vet, funds in case of issues, pro-caution measures and a support network such as RU and the risk is honestly minimal.

Awhh she's so cute!

Totally get what you mean about spaying tbh. Find a good vet - it's still a major op imo but I guess getting them done is the right thing to do - females around 6 + months can get a bit nasty too ime so it really does seem to be the best for them and everyone involved - but I really do understand and feel the same as you tbh.

I just had two sisters spayed a week ago, who I adopted a month or so ago, because otherwise I'd have had to separate them as I'm not sure they would've been able to stay together, and they really do love each other they're both doing okay and are not fighting anymore etc. I'm sure this is a very rambled post sorry! But consider buns needs a friend not spaying seems impossible imo [emoji38]

I agree with previous advice- just find a really good vet you're happy with

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