To take away his man hood or not…

[LindsBeck]

I have one male rabbit who is going to be 5 months soon.  I’ve been debating for a while if I should get him neautured or not.  I keep reading how all bunnies should be etc.. good for overall health and what not.  My bunny is very gentle and he hasn’t been aggressive yet. My friend had a male rabbit and she didn’t get it neautured and it lived to age 13(dog ended up killing it…).  I’m just not sure if the trauma and stress a bunny goes through to get fixed is worth it if I’m not planning on getting anymore bunnies.  Is there something I need to know that would change my mind on this topic?  I don’t mind paying the expensive vet fees, but I’d love to save my bun the stress of it all. 

[LBJ10]

If he is for sure a boy, then it isn’t imperative that he is neutered. As long as there aren’t any other bunnies around, there isn’t much to worry about unless he starts developing behavioral issues. Since he’s only 5 months, that could still happen so watch out.

The need for a female rabbit to be spayed, on the other hand, is a completely different story. It is definitely for their health since unspayed females have a very high risk of reproductive cancers.

[tanlover14]

Personally, I would get him neutered. If you EVER do decide to get another rabbit (it may not be in the plans but we said that to and now I have four!) then it will make life A LOT easier. Plus, aggressive habits or behavior can pop up at ANY time un-neutered. Your seemingly wonderful rabbit can turn into an absolute terror overnight. And the stress on boys (if you have a good rabbit-savvy vet) is very, VERY miniscule. Both of my boys were hopping around and banging on their cage after the neuter like nothing had ever even happened.

I would always rather be safe than sorry.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

There’s very little trauma and stress Besides the behaviour, there is also the health benefits. Prostate and testicular cancers happen. A colloquial ‘my friend’s animal’ story does not negate the fact that statistically speaking, fixed animals live longer.

As an example-I know a lady at work who swears against the vet because she had one dog once that she never took to the vet and he lived to be 12. So what? It doesn’t prove anything…it’s one dog! He may have lived longer if he went, he certainly suffered through a few illnesses or injuries in his life that she didn’t bother to bring him in for, but he survived. It doesn’t mean he was better off.

I urge you to think about what it would be like to be a sexual being, with sexual urges and instincts, but living alone and unable to act on them.
I’m not saying breed him, I’m saying, make him a happy male, with no unsatisfiable urges.

My two cents

[Roberta]

My Piglet is done… Aside from not wanting any more babies I found that when he started to spray he reached spectacular heights. He seems a much happier bun since he was done. He was always mellow but he is more loving.

[Snowytoshi]

There are medical concerns associated with unneutered males, including testicular cancer.

Here is a website with more info: http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&A=489

[Hazel]

I would have him neutered.
Because of their short life span in the wild, rabbits have an INSANE sex drive, hence the saying “multiplying like rabbits”. An intact male will be consumed by the need to procreate, even if there’s no female around. Every other aspect of his life will be on the back burner, even his relationship with you. Over time it will cause him a lot of anxiety and frustration that he’ll deal with his entire life and will never be able to release. The small amount of stress that comes with neutering is really nothing, compared to the alternative.

[Sarita]

Neutering is neither stressful nor traumatic and I second everything KK mentions as well.

[LBJ10]

I agree with everyone on the behavioral stuff. Neutering will definitely help with that. Like I said, he’s only 5 months so things might change here pretty soon.

[Craig H]

buddy was neutered 2 weeks ago today,a few weeks before his surgery he was marking spots all over and peeing and leaving poops on the bed,i kept in his cage for about 4 days and then started to let him have time out when i could supervise, i went around and nic-ed under the bed so i wouldnt have to shoosh him out of there if he was misbehaving/peeing/pooping,like i said its 2 weeks later and i am gonna remove the block off i thouhg would be there for month

 

    in the 2 weeks he has not marked at all and now has access to the bed because he hasnet even dropped on stray poop,also he never really flopped before but now its an all the time thing

    i honestly cant believe the dramtic change in the short time its been but i would definetly recommend it, i waited and saw a huge change but if you get it done earlier then i did (almost 2 years) maybe you will avoid the marking and other such behaviors

[Monkeybun]

I have spayed and neutered all my pets, and I am a firm believer that it is in their best interest, whether you plan on another bun or not. Dogs and cats are always recommended to be altered, why not your rabbits too? Especially since mating is a constant thing for them.

[DUSTBUNNY-CLYDE]

just got the 2 boys neutered today. Can’t believe how fast and easy it was for the vet. My cats were way more involved and sore!! Now they can start bonding together again in a month or two!!!

[LindsBeck]

Thanks for all of the information. I’ve thought about it and plan on going ahead with getting him fixed. He’s 5 months in three days so I should book the appointment soon!

[tanlover14]

So glad you’re getting him fixed !! Keep us updated on the appointment date and how he’s doing afterwards.

[Roberta]

Sounds like you are an awesome bunny mummy LindsBeck.

[Bam]

Hazel, what you wrote makes a whole lot of sense: “An intact male will be consumed by the need to procreate, even if there’s no female around. Every other aspect of his life will be on the back burner, even his relationship with you.”

I wasn’t planning on getting my bun neutered, until he fell INSANELY in love with my dog. He would chase her, circle her and even bite her! It was all he could think of, he wouldn’t even take treats from me when the dog was around. Poor dog, she didn’t know what to do, she tried to get away but he’d follow her everywhere unless I stopped him. In the end I had to confine the bad bunny to the bathroom and I had to keep the door closed, putting in a baby-gate only made him deperately try to break out to be with his loved one again.

I then had him neutered, after advice I got here on this forum. He was sore and sluggish for 1,5 days – and then he was back on track. Now his hormones seems to have died down, he can hang out with the dog in a sensible manner, and he both poops and pees in one litterbox, sth I never thought he’d do, since before he always scattered his poop everywhere and I had sort of given up on trying to make him poop in the box only.

 

PS: My rabbit was not a “teenager” when this happened, I’d hade him for more than a year and he was fully grown when he came here, so this all-consuming urge to procreate was “late-onset”, so to speak. So of course, having had this experience, I recommend that you neuter your boy.

[Hazel]

Thanks, bam!

Your poor puppy! At least she didn’t get peed on, though. That’s what happened to me.

When one of my buns became a teenager, he chose me as his love interest (although I didn’t realize it at the time). He followed me everywhere, groomed me all the time and did circles around my feet. I thought it was so adorable and I was sure I had the most amazing relationship anyone ever had with their pet bunny! Then one day, he started marking me. That’s when I finally realized his true intentions. What a letdown that was!

 

LindsBeck: I’m glad you decided to have your boy neutered. You won’t regret it.

[tanlover14]

HAZEL, that is HYSTERICAL! I just laughed sooo hard.

[Author]

Messages