Yes, it can be done, and it’s SO IMPORTANT! The cost of spaying or neutering rabbits often varies widely with different veterinarians, so call as many as you can to find out who is the most affordable for you, but remember, rabbit care should be done only by a veterinarian who is experienced with rabbits so make sure you ask.
Spaying your female can help reduce the risk of cervical cancer, which is a high risk in female bunnies. Female rabbits may also spray, and might become aggressive if they are not spayed.
Male rabbits should be neutered because they will spray, and they may also become aggressive. They should be neutered at about 3-4 months of age. When they reach puberty they become very aggressive, especially toward other bunnies. If they’re neutered while they’re young, their testosterone levels will taper off over the course of about 6 months, and they’ll eventually mellow out. If they aren’t neutered when they’re young, this aggressive behavior could continue indefinitely.
Always spend lots of time with your bunnies when they’re young. Be gentle, pet them often, and hold them when they’ll let you. Don’t ignore them through their aggressive period. This will only distance them from you and getting them to come around to being your friend later will most likely be more difficult.
Of course another important reason to have your bunnies spayed or neutered is to help keep the unwanted bunny population down. It only takes a split second for a female to get pregnant when she is only a few months old, and she can have up to 12 babies! It’s very difficult to find loving permanent homes for rabbits, so please be responsible and help keep unwanted bunnies from living sad neglected lives by having your little one fixed right away!
kristin wrote,
Do you have a list of qualified vets in the area?
Link | June 14th, 2008 at 10:47 am
Jamie wrote,
I am just looking in to spaying and nutering my bunnies. One of them started trying to mate with me today.(my arm/leg…) If I spay/nuter him will this behavoir stop? He is just over one year old. If so, where are some places near Thornhill onatario where i can take him? email is best way to contact me.
Link | November 28th, 2008 at 1:26 pm
Emily wrote,
I’m wondering how long I need to keep my little girl bunny confined to her cage after her surgery. She had the spay on Thursday (it’s now the following Monday) and stayed over night so we didn’t get her home until Friday morning. The vet tech told us she needed to stay in her house for 2 weeks with no out of cage time so that she doesn’t jump on things and hurt herself…but my Valhalla is used to spending loads of time out with us…and I’m afraid she’ll get depressed if she has to stay in her house so long! I’m wondering if this is standard advice, or if she could maybe come out for hops if we watch her closely and sit on the floor so she isn’t tempted to hop onto the couch to be with us? Thanks for any advice.
Link | January 26th, 2009 at 8:15 pm
sharry wrote,
Hi Emily,
First, thanks for getting your little girl spayed, AND for giving her lots of out of cage time! You sound like a great bunny mom:)
Our little girls will take a little longer to heal than our boys, so they shouldn’t move around too much for the first couple of weeks, but if they’re calm, and don’t move around a whole lot anyway, then we can work with it. I would be sure to give her at least three days in her cage to start, which you’ve already done. Then, unless there is something special concerning her surgery (ask your vet), I would feel safe with your plan to let her have short supervised petting time out of the cage without too much hopping around after that three days. Let her stay on a flat surface (couch or floor) rather than holding her…it’s tough, I know! If she’s a binkie bunny, or gets feisty and moves around too much, then stick with the vets orders and keep her caged. If she gets crazy in her cage when she sees you, and starts running circles, then just use your best judgment and let her out if you think she’ll move around less unconfined.
Link | January 27th, 2009 at 8:59 am
Joanna wrote,
I just got my bunny neutered yesturday. I was wondering how long i should keep him in his cage?
Link | May 7th, 2009 at 7:35 pm