2 Q’s: Spaying & Feeding Pellets

[SnowflakeN'Elie]

Hi everybody,

I’ve been wondering…all this talk about it is good to spay rabbits…should i bother thinking about spaying my bunny even though she’s 6 1/2 years old? I’m thinking not, i’ve heard that fixing late can cause problems.

Also, when i feed her pellets, she gets about 1/4 cup at a time, but it takes her all night to finish them. then in the daytime she gets another 1/4 cup, but at most she eats half of that during the 12 hours till her next feeding. Some reasons might be that she gets unlimited hay and not a whole ton of exercise. It makes me nervous to feed her greens EVERY day cause the time I gave her as much as everyone is saying to she didn’t eat anything else the entire day.

 

Thanks!

Ze Princess’s Personal Sevant =D

[Beka27]

Does your vet recommend spaying at her age? What problems have you heard spaying “late” can cause?

There isn’t any upper age limit, it depends on the health of the individual rabbit. Since house rabbits can live 12+ years, 6.5 is not that old in terms of their total lifetime. If you choose to not spay, I would talk with the vet perhaps about doing more frequent exams (twice yearly instead of annually), and maybe doing an ultrasound on occasion to look out for tumors. If caught early enough, surgery should be able to remove the cancerous cells.

It sounds like she’s getting too many pellets. Being a smaller lop, she should only have 1/8 or 1/4 cup a day maximum.

I’m not clear on your veggies question. Veggies are very important because they provide extra hydration and are nutrient rich. In order of importance: hay (unlimited, available at all times), veggies (2 cups per day minimum), and then a very limited amount of pellets.

[Sam and Lady's Human]

Yup, ditto Beka

You mentioned she doesn’t get much exercise, is there a reason why?

[SnowflakeN'Elie]

Beka: Well, we haven’t seen the vet for a while. I really should get her there…just have to convince my mom to take me =)/(. i’ve heard it can make a higher risk of infection, trouble with the surgery, and harder on the animal if fixing is done later.

Ok…at this point i am just not sure what to think! Everybody on BB seems to think that she’s a miniature lop, but i’ve researched and she seems more like a French lop. The only thing is her size and color – she’s only 5 lbs but SUUPER bony…that’s why i keep up her pellets, cause she gets that much a day and still hasn’t gained weight at all. So…I’m confoozeled.

This is good info on the veggies, will up the amounts of them =)!

I leave her door open every day for about 2 hours, more if she doesn’t want to be done yet. Even though her fitness has improved, it only takes 10 minutes of hopping and jumping onto my trundle bunk before she’s hot and tired. Usually after a break she’ll go for another hour tops, but that’s about it. Then she goes in her cage and generally stays there and says “I’m done. No more playing today!”.

=D

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

I would talk to the vet. I think it’s best to spay and your bunny isn’t at all too old, if age is the only consideration. It’s certianly best to reduce the risks we can if we can! Definitely not a big issue at all to fix an older animal; and certainly no bigger risk of infection. At shelters I’ve volunteered with I’ve seen much older rabbits fixed with no troubles.

Further I would discuss the weight with the vet. Going by breed ideals (which are what show rabbits conform to) for a house pet is leading you down the wrong path. The vet should assess her diet and body condition and will make recommendations based on that. If she’s super bony I would get to the vet asap as she could have worms or any other issues that cause her to be underweight, and I wouldn’t worry about a weight guideline for purebreds found online. Instead see the vet quick.

Has her activity level changed? I just ask as you said her fitness has improved, so not sure if she had an illness, or is a recent adoption or?

[SnowflakeN'Elie]

THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH!!!!! this is suuuper helpful =D!!!

Well…i’m thinking that if the vet says she is OK without spaying, I might have to go without. She never sprays, and also…cost is biggy with me =(. It’ll be a ton to go to the vet…plz understand that i DO care a whole TON about Snowy, but i just don’t have that much to spend…=(.

OK, yeah, now that you mention it, worms might actually be possible…her coat is kinda dull, it’s been making me wonder.

Activity; yes, but for the better. She used to zoom about for a little bit, then do nothing the rest of the day – because she only got out once a week. I did not know better: I got her from my friend who’s family didn’t want her anymore. Anyways, when i got her, she was being kept in a like 4 sq. foot cage with pellets tossed in whenever they remembered and never let out. (guess what? they kept their other bun who was 12 out in the garage over winter, never fed him, never gave him water, and so he died. So even if i didn’t give her great care, at least she’s alive. D=<)
That was all 2 years ago, and until the last 3 months she’s only been let out 2 times a week for an entire day. I feel terrible and am still beating myself up about that!!!!

[Monkeybun]

Cancer is the big thing for spaying female rabbits. if you can, I would do it regardless of her age… she is already at a super high chance at her age to already have it

[SnowflakeN'Elie]

Oooooohhhhh great. Now I’m scared!=(

[Beka27]

I definitely don’t think she’s a french lop. French lops are 10+ pounds and she does not look grossly underweight from your picture. She does look like a standard mini lop.

[SnowflakeN'Elie]

*shrug* I seriously dunno. SHe’s twice the size of my friends Dutch, the same size as our cats, but just 5 lbs and bony…what got her in trouble at her old home was they thought she looked fat…looked, key word there. Not felt. With all her fluffiness you kinda have to see her in person…er, rabbit…to tell =).

[Mimzy]

I would just say definitely try and make it to the vet and maybe your vet can recommend something to get that weight back on her. Some bunnies just need a different diet. Such as my dogs, one of my dogs needs weight on her while another needs to be on a diet & the last one has a sensitive tummy

Maybe in order to convince your mom to take you and snowy to the vet, you can offer to do a favor or something for her around the house?

[Elrohwen]

I can feel my rabbit’s bones too (ribs and spinal cord), but they look like chubby little monsters and are in perfect weight, so you can’t go by feel or look alone. At 5lbs, she’s a normal sized mini lop.

The slow eating does worry me and I would try to get her in for a check up. Slow eating can be a sign of teeth problem and lops can be prone to this. Some bunnies do just eat slowly, but it’s far more typical for them to act like they’re starving at every meal 😉 Whether you decide to spay or not, having a conversation with a vet about her weight and getting her teeth checked it important.

[SnowflakeN'Elie]

yep! i’m getting there….her teeth seem ok but i’m no expert. Elrowhen, i love yhat adorable bunny!!!!!

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