Housing after a spay

[Cristian]

Hi,

I'm having (Bluebell) the last of our three rabbits spayed on Thursday, but unsure of how to house her afterwards.

She is currently housed on her own in the biggest run/hutch. This is basically a hutch sat inside a 2mx1m enclosed run. (Orignally housed 2 buns before they started to scrap!)

Now having had one rabbit spayed and one neutered, I'm anticipating the twice daily antibiotics sessions. My problem is that Bluebell is quite timmed, having been previously housed with a dominating (and aggressive) female. Any attempt to pick her up, often results in her hiding under the hutch, where I can't get to her.

I'm thinking of swapping hutches with her with the other (recently spayed) female rabbit, as it will be easier to look after her and provide the antibiotics. Both hutches will be scrubbed out first, but I'm worried about the impact on Bluebell. I guess that she may be feeling a little unwell and "moving house" may not help her.

Has anyone else, done anything similiar, if so, how did their rabbit take it?

Cristian

[Sooty]

Can you just give her the antibios on her chopped veg as i do. Sooty gets too stressed if i try to pick him up. Just squirt it over a chopped cabbage leaf or her favourite veg. It works. Sooty is on long term antibios and i've been doing it for ages

[donna-arc]

Hi Cristian
Moving her will stress her and she needs as little stress after an op as possible.

I have had to block off all spaces here (like under hutches) or I have trouble getting some of the rabbits back into their homes. I think if you do this your life will be much easier.

Does your vet always give antibiotics after an op? I would say that it isn't necessary unless an infection occurs. We have only had 2 infected spay wounds out of many hundred spays. Giving an already nervous bun antibiotics she doesn't need will only cause her more unnecessary stress.

Hope all goes well for her (and you!) x

[Mad_cat_rabbit]

Both my females have been spayed, and both reacted differently post op.
Marmalade barely moved for 2 days and was sort of out of it (best description is she looked stoned!! ). She stayed inside for 2 days on top of a nice fluffy hot water bottle inside her rabbit tent.
Treacle on the other hand was quiet from the moment I picked her up from the vet until about 10pm later that night, then she was very lively and full of beans. She stayed inside for 1 night with the fluffy hotwater bottle in the rabbit tent, but the next morning she was stood at the door pining for the others.

Treacle went to be checked out today and the vet couldn't believe how quickly she'd healed. There's only a tiny little scar which is half covered with new hair growth.

Every rabbit responds in a different way, and you should let her dictate her needs to you. If she needs to spend time indoors, create her a lovely little quiet area..... if that's not what she wants put her back into her own hutch in a quiet corner of the garden.

Hope that helps.

[Cristian]

Thanks for your comments. I think I'll leave Bluebell in her own hutch and see how it goes.

When Coco was spayed, she was pretty quiet for a day or so (I can relate to the "stoned" comment!) But livened up enough to have her run fully opened up for her. Incidently, she managed to chew off her stitches after a couple days, but the wound healed so well, it wasn't a problem.

Bluebell goes in tomorrow, so it'll be interesting to see how she takes it.


Cristian

[Sooty]

Good Luck with her. Keep us up to date

[Cristian]

Bluebell got on fine today. She's a little quiet, but that's to be expected, and resting in her "bedroom" section of her hutch.

I've blocked off any hiding places, ready for her first antibiotics in the morning.

Cristian

[loopylop]

Aww, glad she is doing ok!