bunny reached….sexual maturity…

[Rookie]

Sorry..me again…

so Sprocket is just past 3 months now and he seemed to have reached sexual maturity as the little bugger started humping….me!!!!

The last time we saw the vet was almost 3 weeks ago when she said they generally neuter bunnies around 6 months but I read males can be done at 3 and a half ish months while its the spay that generally is done at 6 months. ??

I tried also giving Sprocket a teddy bear to try and maybe get it out of his system but he showed no interest…he keeps going after my hands! and only my hands …. I can’t pet him without him being a little hornedogger.

Questions…can he be neutered at this age do you think?

he is also a little chatter box (besides the honking sounds he makes) and an energizer bunny…will he lose those qualities post neuter? I don’t want him to lose those qualities as they are too cute to handle….

Thoughts?

[tobyluv]

Males can be neutered after their testicles drop, which may happen as early as 3 months of age, but some vets do prefer to wait until the rabbit is a little older. Are you seeing his testicles now? You may want to contact your vet and tell her that Sprocket is experiencing a lot of sexual frustration and see if she might neuter him sooner. She may want to examine him again before she gives you an answer, though.

Neutering him might make him a little calmer, but he shouldn’t lose his personality or the qualities that you like.

[Deleted User]

He may “chill” out some post neuter due to losing that hormonal drive, but in my experience my 6 month dutch didn’t change too much. She’s still pretty energetic. You also have to consider that he’s very young so that’s where all that energy is coming from! Age will undoubtedly slow us all down, and buns are no exception.

I think that it depends on the vet. There are two vets that do alterations on rabbits in my area, one will do a neuter as soon as sexually maturity is reached and the other won’t do it until 6 months. I think the main reason is that they are just so tiny at 3 months so they want to wait until they are a little bigger, for obvious reasons. If you have a vet around that is experienced and will do it around 3 months, then I don’t really see any problem with getting it done. If it were a spay, I would say definitely wait until 6 months since it is a more intense surgery. Do you know how experienced the vet is with rabbits? Where I had my female spayed they did an amazing surgery. She got a little scab around the glue for a few days but then it fell off and the scar was HARDLY noticeable. I would feel comfortable letting them neuter my little guy at 4 months because I know they are experienced. If your vet doesn’t handle rabbits that often, I would try to wait as long as you could up to 6 months of age. You can ask the vet how many neuters they do per month and what their success rate is. Good luck with it when the time comes!

[Rookie]

I haven’t looked in detail but just from looking at his tummy I cant see them. the last time the vet said she thinks he had both descended already but had sucked one back up during the examination. I will give a vet a call today and ask. as for the humping….is it better to keep stopping him or just let him get it over with once and hope he will be satisfied for a bit?

[Rookie]

yes they are very experienced. There are 2 vets at this location that specialize in bunnies and they treated my Rookie really well from the start till the end. I wouldn’t go to any other vet. I was going to call them and ask anyways but I just wanted to hear what people here have experienced.

[Rookie]

so I called the vet and told them about the situation … they laughed at me… they laughed when I said I cannot pet him without being VIOLATED!!!! lol….. so anyways vet said they can do the neuter early if I want …I agreed.. so next week Sprocket is getting neutered. I hope I made the right decision and he wont hate me for it…ugh I’m sick in my stomach now. ..I hope I am doing the right thing…poor baby

[Deleted User]

If they are experienced then I don’t think you have much to worry about! Just make sure you look up on post-op care. Neuters are a little easier than a spay, because they heal a little quicker. Keep a watchful eye on him after and make sure he stays warm, starts eating by the end of the day of the procedure, and doesn’t irritate the area with licking or biting. I’m sure you know this, but the humping won’t stop immediately lol. He might continue those behaviors for 2 weeks-1 month after, during which time his hormones will start to dissipate. Maybe you will get a break for the first few days after while his down there recovers Make sure you keep him in an enclosed area without access to higher things that he can jump on for at least 3 days after the procedure. If the vet is comfortable doing the procedure, I would say you have nothing to worry about! Though I understand there will still be worry and doubt, good luck with everything, hoping for a speedy recovery!

[Rookie]

It’s interesting that my Rookie was a pee sprayed…mastered it mid binky of course… while Sprocket is an obvious humper….I find it cute and love that he I guess loves me but I just don’t want it to become a habit in the long run. Rookie was neutered at the same vet and his was done with no problems but I just cant remember at what age he had it done anymore… Sprocket just turned 3 months so this is really the earliest time they can get it done. I am not in a rush really as it doesn’t as so much bother me that he does it I just know that behaviours like this can get worse with time and can be hard to get rid of once they become habits.

I also made the mistake of reading that neuter post with the graphic photos… (face palm)

[Wick & Fable]

Wick’s jewels dropped at ~8mo, and his neuter was scheduled. He didn’t show any maturation signs until three days prior when he’d continue to circle and spray just me (including one unpleasant one when I had my mouth open, ew), and also be more aggressive with grooming nips. There was one spray, 2 days after the neuter, but since then he’s done with it. His nipping returned to being gentle almost immediately.

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.

[Deleted User]

OMG lol I did the same thing!! That poor little guy !!! It really is a horror story though, and you just have to keep telling yourself that it’s not likely… but you can’t get the image out of your head!! I am not worried about it though, I just made his appointment and when I requested the same doctor as the one who did a stellar job on little Ophelia, I was informed that she was actually their top surgeon and she does all the bunnies! So I was really relieved to know that A) she’s very good and B) she’s got a lot of experience cause she does all the buns.

[Author]

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