One ball Ralph.

[Fluffybunny84]

Ralph is now well over 6 months old and he has an undescended testicle. I found this out when I took him in for his pre neuter check and the advice was to wait as long as possible as it might come down on its own. This is fine however his behaviour has become more difficult to live with as he constantly circles us, honks and has a fondness of my husbands leg! So I got back in touch with my vet, especially after hearing from an acquaintance (who shows and breeds rabbits) and she was pretty sure that it is highly unlikely to come down after 6 months. My regular vet said she would refer us to an exotic vet who specialises in rabbits to perform the op. She did seem eager for me to wait longer though. She was worried about the risks of surgery as they basically have to go looking for the lost testical which can have all kinds of negative effects on his gut and digestion. So now I’m really worried and don’t know what to do for the best. I can live with the humping but this week he sprayed wee as I was herding him towards his cage and seems to be marking when he was previously fully litter trained. So unless he is completely restricted and miserable, I can’t see what else I can do. Has anyone gone through similar? Thanks for any advice!!

[Muchelle]

Didn’t have this experience, but I’m a bit baffled at the “have to go looking for the lost testicle”… I think that a vet with enough experience could perform an ultrasound, locate the missing little ball and think up how to neuter him. Do check in with an exotic vet and see what they propose to do.

[Wick & Fable]

Nothing similar, but is it possible to change Ralph’s vet to the exotic vet with the rabbit specialization, rather than the vet you had the initial consultation with? It’s always better to have your check-ups with a more rabbit-experienced vet, because they’ll catch things other vets will not.

The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.

[BunnyFriends]

My boy had an undescended testicle at 2.5 yrs when we took him for neuter. (We didn’t wait that long because of it… mostly procrastination and he never had any sexual issues so that didn’t help w/ remembering.)

He did fine. The vet did want him to stay overnight (usually drop off in morning, leave in evening) to ensure he was eating and drinking okay, but apart from that, nothing. It’s actually really bad if they don’t get neutered with an undescended testicle, can shorten their lifespan.

[Fluffybunny84]

Thanks all. We have been referred to the exotic vet so I will see them next Friday. I don’t think we can transfer to that vet permanently as it’s too far away for routine stuff. My regular vet, who is experienced in rabbit castrations and spays, (in the UK regular vets deal with rabbits as standard) says she would feel better if a specialist vet does this more complicated neuter. I am only going on the way she described the op and she didn’t mention an ultrasound. I will definitely mention that to the specialist. She did kind of imply that putting a perfectly healthy young rabbit through a risky op that isn’t a necessity wasn’t the best option right now…I came away thinking I was pushing for it just because of his behaviour. I will feel so awful if anything happens.

[Muchelle]

Well, a perfectly healthy young bunny seems in perfect conditions to undergo surgery. It is a routine procedure, but every procedure involving anesthesia has its percentage of risk, so if the bun is in perfect health I think it’s more likely that he’ll get through it faster and better Especially if he’s having bad behavioural issues, then the procedure is needed

[Mikey]

I wouldnt act until you meet with the exotics vet. I cant imagine it would be a problem, but it might depend on the vet. My Bombur had the power to suck one testicle into his lower abdomen (he would do it often/on a daily basis; he could kind of hide the other one, but not as well). My vet said she had a laugh during surgery when he also did this unconsciously. It was no problem for her and after the neuter, Bombur was perfectly fine

[Limit]

Monte had one ball and he had to be spayed to remove the other as it never dropped, came out fine with all of it – just has spay marks.

[Krysta]

I had the same exact issue with my mini Dutch rabbit. When I was supposed to pick him up they tell me they couldn’t find the other one and that it didn’t drop. And that they tried to “milk” it down. And they said the same to me that it is not good for them to open him up to look for it. Now I also got my dwarf angora rabbit fixed too and his went perfectly. They said if heyhey is still aggressive after a month then they have to look further. So long story short, heyhey is now a jerk and attacked pumpkin leaving a bad blood scene, chunks of hair everywhere, and 7 holes on his back. My Dutch tried to kill my angora. Now he hates to be picked up, bites, pees on everything and lunges at my face. So for my bunny it got worse. So now I have them seperated and trying to figure out what to do next. It’s a mess. But pumpkin my angora is the sweetest and kisses u, snuggles, lays with my 4 year old. But heyhey I’m lost. He’s angry!

[jerseygirl]

Posted By Krysta on 1/15/2019 7:53 PM
I had the same exact issue with my mini Dutch rabbit. When I was supposed to pick him up they tell me they couldn’t find the other one and that it didn’t drop. And that they tried to “milk” it down. And they said the same to me that it is not good for them to open him up to look for it. Now I also got my dwarf angora rabbit fixed too and his went perfectly. They said if heyhey is still aggressive after a month then they have to look further. So long story short, heyhey is now a jerk and attacked pumpkin leaving a bad blood scene, chunks of hair everywhere, and 7 holes on his back. My Dutch tried to kill my angora. Now he hates to be picked up, bites, pees on everything and lunges at my face. So for my bunny it got worse. So now I have them seperated and trying to figure out what to do next. It’s a mess. But pumpkin my angora is the sweetest and kisses u, snuggles, lays with my 4 year old. But heyhey I’m lost. He’s angry!

Hi Krysta
It sounds like it’s tone to revisit the vet and see if he can have the neuter complete. If he’s rogue testicle still has not descended, vets can do an abdominal neuter. You may need to look around for a vet who is good with this. How old is HeyHey now?

[Krysta]

He is 7 months old now. I def need to call the vet again. Poor thing is so angry. And now I’m afraid to put them back together cause he attacked pumpkin so bad. In the spring I’m building a full blown rabbit habitat on my hill in my yard. Big plans, but now I’m thinking might need two. Wonder if they go back in, if he would change?!

[Author]

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