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Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Bunny without a Uterus?!?!

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    • lunavenus
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        A couple days ago I posted bout being scared to put my bunnies under for spaying. Well, It’s Friday and I dropped them off this morning to get them spayed… I just got a call from the vet and he told me that he couldn’t find Venus’ uterus?!?! Has anybody has this happen to them before???????? She’s 4 months old and a small holland lop dwarf so she should have at least some of her Uterus formed already D: I thought females of all species are born with an uterus that get developed more as they get older (or maybe I’m behind in my sex ed) >.< But apparently Venus doesn't even have signs of a uterus in there. LIKE NOTHING. The vet told me that he dug around for a bit too and he just could not find it or even part of it. She's definitely female though because her genitals are female. Now I'm worried. If she has a reproductive deformity, that means there could be other deformities in her organs that may show up in the future (according to the vet). SO please tell me. Did anybody else have this happen to them??????? 
        Oh and he said Luna is too skinny and he is nervous to put her under surgery so he wants me to wait a lil longer like 3 weeks (in hopes she will gain some weight) by then, to do the surgery….. 


      • Brambino
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          I’m a novice so I’m sure someone will be along soon to give you detailed advice. My first thought is I think 4 months is a little young for spaying? Maybe she needs a little more time to develop? Although nothing at all does seem strange! Hope you get some answers


        • Mikey
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            I agree four months might be a little too young. Most vets prefer to wait until female bunnys are six months to a year old before spaying. I also want to note, female and male rabbits easily look like all females when theyre younger….. So dont be surprised if you start to see testicles appearing in the next few months. It also might help to get another ultrasound or xrays done once every month or two on her until her sex becomes obvious


          • lunavenus
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              I actually got her gender checked 3 times prior to her spay to make triple sure that she isnt a male bun bun. 2 diff vets AND the breeder i got her from confirmed that both my bunnies are in fact female. I just spoked to vet again right now on the phone and he says it looks more like a deformity than an under development and this vet has done countless spays so I’m sure he knows what an under developed uterus/reproductive organ looks like. He literally told me that he couldnt find anything that looks remotely like a uterus in there…. Plus, I’ve read countless times that male bunnies mature alot faster than females so at 4 months I would have started noticing the humping, honking, spraying and all that good stuff if she were a male bun…
              Also read that dwarfs and small breeds mature quicker than bigger breeds like the flemish giants…
              The vet also says she most likely has some kind of genetic deformity or MAYBE POSSIBLY BUT HIGHLY UNLIKELY a rare genetic disorder that makes her mature sexually very slowly.
              He doesnt recommend putting her thru another surgery and says shes most likely sterile…..


            • LBJ10
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                The first thought is always that maybe it’s a boy. But testicles should be present at 4 months, unless there was a problem there too.

                Now a bunny with underdeveloped or missing reproductive organs is not unheard of. It can happen and I’m sure if your very has done many spays, then he should know what a rabbit uterus looks like. What about ovaries? Did the vet find anything that resembled ovary tissue? Sometimes there will be underdeveloped ovaries and then no uterus. Keep in mind that this is rare, but can happen.

                It might be worth waiting until she is old enough to be full blown sexually mature and seeing if the vet can do a blood test.


              • Mikey
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                  Male rabbits can suck in their testicles. It can make them look like a female rabbit unless you look further or notice something while mounting. Until you see testicles or find out why she has no uterus, theres a possibility shes a male. I had a “female” bunny before that after a year or two of age, she started to grow “tumors” by her parts. We were all convinced she was a girl until that point. The vet had a good laugh at my mom for freaking out over those “tumors”, lol. Also note, not all male buns act like that. My little Badger is about 5 months, shows no signs of aggression or sexual maturity (not even marking), and keeps his testicles tucked in at all times unless you catch him off guard to see them

                  I would still wait a few months and get an ultrasound, xray, and/or blood test done. Just to make sure shes not just growing slowly and to make sure all of her other organs grew correctly. How is your other bunny doing after her spay?


                • jerseygirl
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                    I have read of this happening before. Either no uterus at or or very under-formed uterus. It’s also possible for there to be no vagina but have uterus and ovaries. Also possible for rabbits to be hermaphrodites… It’s sort of ironic for a rabbit named Venus to have missing uterus.

                    If she has a reproductive deformity, that means there could be other deformities in her organs that may show up in the future (according to the vet).

                    That’s a valid concern, but at least the vet would have been able to pick up on other abnormalities in that region while looking for the uterus. I suppose in that sense, the operation was not a complete waste.

                    He doesn’t recommend putting her thru another surgery and says shes most likely sterile…

                    Your vet *might* be able to detect if a uterus forms at a later date through blood tests. I don’t know details on that, but it’s something you could ask them about when you take Luna in for her spay. It would be less invasive.

                    As to her age, it’s not unusual for experienced vets to do spays at 4 months old.
                    I hope she heals up okay. {{{Venus}}}

                    Oh and he said Luna is too skinny and he is nervous to put her under surgery so he wants me to wait a lil longer like 3 weeks (in hopes she will gain some weight) by then, to do the surgery…..

                    Have you had the girls poos tested for coccidia? It can be common in buns their age. It can affect their ability to gain weight. 


                  • lunavenus
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                      Wouldn’t an experienced exotic vet know if a bunny is a male or female or at least if they have testicles hiding their or not lol?? because both vets, a vet nurse, AND the breeder literally turned them over on their backs and checked in front of my face and showed me that this gentailia is female. All 4 said they both are definitely females by the looks of the genitals…. HOWEVER that would be really weird if Venus is a hemaphrodite as in she like has the genitals of a female and has testicles later or something… She’s fine right now but seems uncomfortable and slightly annoyed lol. I just came back from a night class so I gave her some warm heat pad to lay against.
                      The vet was telling me how unusual it was that when he opened her up for the spay, he looked and looked and LOOKED but he could not find a uterus AT ALL. I mean I’m sure an experienced vet like him would be able to find an uterus even IF it is underdeveloped…. I’m guessing he even checked again to see if she was female and he definitely said this is an odd abnormality….. I think this kind of stuff also happens in humans too because I read articles about guys having periods because they have a uterus and females being sterile because they produce excessive testosterone instead of estrogen….. So it’s not surprising that it can happen in rabbits too if I think about it that way. I’m just way too shocked >.< DID NOT SEE THIS TURN OF EVENTS HAPPENING AT ALL D:

                      My vet prefers to do spays between the ages of 4-5 months if the rabbit is a small breed btw. So that’s why I put them through the spay early. Luna did not get spayed yet (to the person who asked if she’s okay), but in 2 weeks I’m taking her back to get her weight checked out again and hopefully schedule her for HER spay (AND HOPE SHE’S NOT AN ODD ONE OUT OF THE BOX TOO) because with this kind of luck I can win the lottery or something LOL.

                      Oh I had her checked many times for her weight, poop sample included. She doesn’t have anything wrong with her poops…. I think I’m going to put her back on alfalfa hay because that helped her gain some weight last time.


                    • LBJ10
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                        I would think that if testicles were present, the vet would have seen them. And if it’s a boy with undescended testicles, I think the vet would have seen them during the surgery. Wooly had one undescended testicle when he went in for his neuter. The vet was fooled momentarily because there was a fatty deposit where the one testicle should have been. But once she got in there and saw it, she immediately knew it wasn’t a testicle and she proceeded to look for it in his abdomen. So I think as long as the vet is familiar with rabbit anatomy (and it sounds like your vet is since they have done tons of spays), then I don’t see how they could be mistaken about the presence of either reproductive parts. You could certainly ask the vet about whether they momentarily thought perhaps it was a boy with undescended testicles. I’m sure they will answer that it crossed their mind, but no testicles were found either.

                        I think the best thing to do is wait a few months so your bunny is about the age where females become sexually mature. At that time, you could have a blood test done and/or an ultrasound. That way you can be really sure, just in case something develops. I think it’s unlikely though since there should have been something there at the time of the surgery.


                      • LuvMyBuns!
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                          I have a great one!!! Got my Missy in March 2017. I was told she was 8 months old and fixed. Dec 2017 my kids got me a little boy bun!!! Bitzy was kept separate from Missy, only interacting through kennels, didn’t want to take chances!!! March 1st got her to vet to make sure she was fixed. Next day get call that although there was no previous scar, she was in fact without reproductive organs!! Yay, my buns can be together!! Waited 3 days for healing and let them out together…. How cute!! At first she humped him to show dominance, but then he got his turn…. a little to often!! His Appt with vet was March 29th… Guess what….. Yesterday came home from work to find 2 passed babes in her pen ?!!!! WTH!!! 31 day gestation period and she had kits 35 days after “no reproductive organs found” She is over a year old, so there is no way they could have been under developed!!! Needless to say I’m heart broken.. And I want to slap vet!!! I would have been ok with it if they survived, but no one should come home to this heart break ?. Waiting for them to open to give them a nice call….


                        • LittlePuffyTail
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                            Hi, LuvMyBuns. What a sad situation. This is an older thread from 2016 and we ask that members please not reply to old threads as it can cause confusion. You will also get more attention to your post if you start a new thread. Let me know if you need help with that. Thanks


                          • LittlePuffyTail
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                              Hi, LuvMyBuns. What a sad situation. This is an older thread from 2016 and we ask that members please not reply to old threads as it can cause confusion. You will also get more attention to your post if you start a new thread. Let me know if you need help with that. Thanks

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                          Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Bunny without a Uterus?!?!