Hi,

I'm looking for some advice on the bun situation I have going on at the mo please.

I have a 6 month old, neutered male bun called Alfie and my friend has recently ended up with a 3 month rescued bun who is female and not spayed, when Alfie met her he fell in love and they bonded very quickly.

My friend can't keep the female rabbit and I would love to take her but I'm worried because the reason she was unwanted in the first place is because she can't be spayed. The little mite gets so stressed travelling and being at a vets that she hurts herself or becomes very ill, apparently this happened when she received her vaccinations and the vet advised against putting her through anything similar again which put the original owner off.

So, my concern is that her and Alfie are best pals now but when she reaches sexual maturity could she become aggressive towards little Alf?

Me and Alf both really want her but is it practical to have a female bun that can't be spayed with a male bunny?

 

Any advice would me much appreciated, I'm a bit stuck!

 

 

Thank you,

 

 

Alfie & Mum

I am curious to learn how bad it really is. I have never heard of a vet saying a bun shouldn't be spayed because they get stressed out by going to the vet. If the rabbit was that out of control and hurting itself, then you would think they couldn't go to the vet for anything. What kind of vet would recommend never having check-ups? What would happen if she was injured or sick?

Something doesn't make sense here. This isn't the same vet you take your bun to is it? I would be concerned. Another thought though is perhaps your friend just doesn't want to get her spayed and made up an excuse. I would look into this more.

I agree with LBJ10. I would get a second opinion on this. She is not ready as of yet to be spayed anyway - she would need to be at least 6 months old.

Sure, going to the vet is stressful for any rabbit and yes, they don't like it, but that should not keep you from spaying or getting vet care. That just does not make sense to me.

I agree with LBJ10 and Sarita. I think it would be best to get a second opinion from a rabbit savvy vet. The House Rabbit Society has a good list of rabbit savvy vets. My concern would be that rabbit's are actually a lot different from other animals, so even though a vet might take a rabbit or appear to know about them, they might not really know how to treat rabbits. I've never heard of a vet recommending that a rabbit shouldn't be spayed unless they know a rabbit has a condition that would be dangerous to go under anesthesia with. Unspayed rabbits have an 80-85% chance of developing uterine cancer at an early age, they usually really push it. I have heard that rabbits should get regular check ups because they can be so good at hiding pain and sickness, and the only way to check their back teeth is with a special tool.

I wouldn't recommend putting an unspayed rabbit with another rabbit. Unspayed rabbits can go through false pregnancies which can be dangerous and can be aggressive towards others. 

I also think LBJ10 has a good point, maybe your friend didn't want to say that she just didn't want to get the rabbit spayed. Spays can be expensive. Also since the rabbit is only 3 months old and females usually are spayed at 6 months, it would be a little early to make a decision like that.

I hope you're able to find a solution!

I agree with the others! Find a new vet! As they said above she may just not want to get her spayed or is not allowed to! I could see a kids mom telling her she can't get her spayed because of money or something and the kid doesn't want to admit it so she just tells you she doesn't travel well. I am not saying she was necessarily lying, most rabbits do hate traveling, but I don't think it would be that severe that she couldn't go to the vet!

I agree with the others. All rabbits get stressed when going to the vet, but there will always be times when a vet visit is necessary, so this rabbit will have to come to terms with it. It would definitely be the right thing to spay her, for her own health and so that she could have a companion.

I have never used it, but there is a homeopathic medicine called Rescue Remedy that can be used to calm down rabbits. I'm not sure how effective it is, or if it could be used before a spay, but it may help.

I agree! I've never heard of anything like that. Lots of animals get stressed at the vet, it's temporary. It sounds like an exaggerated story or maybe an excuse on the person who gave the bunny up?

Hi all,

Thank you everyone for replying.

I got a bit more detail on the little lady last night including her vet's number, so I spoke to the vet this morning. He is a very good vet and said that the bun has a sinus issue which presents itself when she is stressed and it makes her pant. For this reason she couldn't go under an anaesthetic but he would never recommend not bringing her to see a vet if she needed help, just to  clear that bit up.

We brought her home this morning anyways before my friend took her to a rescue so I guess I'll just have to see how it goes!

 

 

That was wise to call the vet to get the real story. I think that now that she is yours, I would take some steps concerning her care. First, you may be a LOT better at handling your bunnies than they were, since you already have practice. You probably own a better carrier as well. It sounds like you have a different vet, so I would gently get her into the carrier, give her a minute to rest in it with a treat, then bring her to your own vet for an exam. Explain ahead of time, or then, about what the other vet said. She will probably want to check that sinus issue to ascertain whether it is a permanent condition for her (like a deviated septum in humans) or something that needs treatment to get rid of (which I'm betting.). It may have been that she couldn't get spayed right then, but not ever. He may also be skittish about anesthesia due to a past bad experience, so ask your vet how comfortable they are with anesthesia and if they concur with his assessment of her. I'm willing to be that your vet may be much more confident about performing the procedure. (I also agree that they weren't going to spend the $ on a risky procedure, especially if they were ready to give her up.)

If your vet thinks it's OK, you could always bring her in the night before and get her set up comfortably in a cage at the vet's. That way, they could have her there, calm, before the procedure starts and not have to factor in the travel stress. If that works for all of you, she would be given something so quickly that she would probably be under before her breathing is an issue.

If all else fails, and she can never be spayed, you will have established her with your vet of choice for medical care. An unspayed female will be aggressive, but at 6 months I expect her hormones are already active, so I think it's likely that she will bond well with minimal harm to him. It's just that she may be in for a hard time in a few years if she develops cancer, which is likely. Let her get to know you, your home, and your vet, and see if she manages. I bet she does better in your home already.