To spay or not to spay

[becki]

Hi all, i am new to rabbits, ended up with josie as i felt sorry for her, she was being given away because she was a “grumpy” rabbit, I however have found her calm and very loving. I have read the pros and cons but would like your views on whether to get her done, also if you recommend any jabs etc many thanks x x x

[Sarita]

You definitely should get her spayed – unspayed rabbits have up to an 80% chance of contracting uterine cancer so it’s important for health reasons.

I am not familiar however with jabs because I’m in the US and we don’t have vaccines for rabbits…what country are you located in? That can help so those members in that country can address that question.

[becki]

I am in the UK, I also need helping with identifying her breed as well x

[Eepster]

To make breed guesses we need pictures and information.

With a female it’s more a question of can you get her spayed. Is there a major reason you are hesitating? Is she of advanced age? Do you live in an area where it is hard to find a rabbit vet? Does she have a medical condition that makes surgery extra risky?

[becki]

as I explained i am new to rabbits hence asking advise, i am not hesitating i am just wanting to make the best decision for her and to make that decision i need to armed with all the information i can get, i really dont appreciate the tone you displayed to me

[JackRabbit]

It really is important to spay female bunnies because of the uterine cancer risk. I’ve read about females having uterine cancer as young as two years. I had both of my girls spayed as soon as they were old enough and have no regrets.

Have you tried to post any pictures so we can try to help with figuring out her breed?

I don’t think anyone meant to upset you, we just ask alot of questions so we can get as much info to be able to give the best advice.

Determining breed can sometimes be iffy, but we LOVE bunny pictures and would gladly offer what we can!

[Flopsie]

For female buns, it is important to spay for health and behavioral reasons.

First and foremost, spaying will reduce the risk of uterine cancer significantly. If a female rabbit is unspayed by age 2, she has a 80% chance of getting uterine cancer (please correct me if my numbers are off).

Second, spaying will greatly reduce aggressive behaviors as well as behaviors related to hormones. Before Flopsie got spayed, she was humping my leg when she got the chance. Not enjoyable

Third, spaying will greatly assist in litter training. From my understanding, litter training can occur pre spay but a rabbit isn’t considered really litter trained until spayed. I can confirm this based on personal experience.

Good luck

[Beka27]

Eepster was simply asking follow up questions to better assist you. There was no hostile tone in the post, at least none that i detected.

I will copy/paste this section. Please review this again. If there is anything here that is applicable to your situation, let us know. We would be able to offer suggestions.

Eepster wrote:
With a female it’s more a question of can you get her spayed.

Is there a major reason you are hesitating?

Is she of advanced age?

Do you live in an area where it is hard to find a rabbit vet?

Does she have a medical condition that makes surgery extra risky?

If any of these apply, this will complicate your decision. If not, awesome. You can definitely get her spayed and you really MUST to ensure she has the best chance of a long healthy life!

[Beka27]

If you already have a rabbit vet, has she had an exam yet? What does your vet recommend?

[becki]

hi we are off to the vet on friday, it is a practise i have always used for my animals, they have a rabbit specialist there. I will post a couple of pictures of her. Already she is responding to her name, using litter tray and stopping dating the sofa when i say no 🙂 thank you all for your help and advice, as i said i want to ensure she has a fabulous quality of life x

[Deleted User]

I’m in the UK and also a new bunny owner. My rabbits were vaccinated as part of their purchase, I read that UK bunnies do need to be vaccinated because there’s something here that’s not in the US (but I can’t remember what it is right now!)

[GD29]

I have a pair of mini lops who are of the opposite sex and not spayed indoors, which is why I’m here. My rabbits are all only semi pets however. I’ve had no issues with behaviour ever, but you will want to get yours spayed since she isn’t breeding you should. It is kinder to spay a non breeding animal, healthier to. No need to give her any frustrations. The sexual behaviour comes and goes in peeks, so bear in mind sometimes it may not be noticeable.

[becki]

thank you all, i would also love to share pics of her but cant upload them for some reason. She will definately be going for the op x

[manic_muncher]

Sometimes I find it glitchy when trying to upload pics.. and also I run into it being too big (I always forget to check!). Just so you know, the size limit is 500kb! Can’t wait to see pics. Oh!! and welcome to BB!

[BrunosMama]

Haha, I don’t have much helpful info. But I noticed your screen name is “Becki”. That’s how I spell my name! I haven’t seen many others spelled like that. You have an awesome name! Lol oh, and welcome to BB!

[Eepster]

I wasn’t trying to be hostile. You seemed to know all the reasons spaying is recommended but were still asking about it. I saw no point in simply repeating things I felt you already knew about spaying and thought it would be more helpful to address any specific concerns you might have, so I asked if there was something.

Also, sometimes people really can’t spay their rabbits, and if you can’t you can’t. I thought if there was a reason you couldn’t it might be helpful to hear that it’s ok to make whatever decision is best for your particular rabbit and situation, even though it isn’t typically what is best. Medicin should never be a cookie cutter or one size fits all thing.

[Author]

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