There are many advantages in terms of behavior and health to spaying and neutering your pet rabbit. In addition to these benefits, which are outlined below, you will help prevent the problem of pet rabbit overpopulation. People like to joke about how readily rabbits reproduce, but the sad truth is that far too many bunnies end up at shelters and rescues facing an uncertain future already.
Advantages to Spaying and Neutering Pet Rabbits
The obvious reason for spaying and neutering rabbits is to prevent them from reproducing, but their are many other advantages including:
- Spaying prevents a condition called "psuedopregnancy" or false pregnancy where hormonal changes make the rabbit act as if she is pregnant. Rabbits in this condition go through the motions of pregnancy including nest building and milk production and can become quite stressed and aggressive to other rabbits or people.
- Reduced aggression; as rabbits reach sexual maturity, hormones tend to bring out aggressive and or destructive tendencies. Rabbit that are spayed and neutered tend to be calmer, easier to handle, and more affectionate with their owners.
- Spaying and neutering greatly reduces territorial marking behavior such (e.g. urine marking and spraying), and makes litter training easier.
- In females, spaying eliminates the risk of uterine cancer, which is quite common in rabbits. The risk of ovarian cancer is also eliminated, and the risk of mammary cancers (the animal equivalent of breast cancer) is greatly reduced.
- Spaying also prevents other diseases of the reproductive tract such as infection of the uterus (pyometra).
- In males, neutering eliminates the risk of testicular cancer.
My vet generally recommends spaying females but, ONLY when there are other bunnies running around. If not, he says that it's an unneccesary surgery.
Now, in males, he says the opposite. Yes, males tend to respond better in their behaviour when neutered. But, my female is not spayed and he said I reallly don't have to do it.
Most rabbits like having others around. Mine does not, other than me, she doesn't even like people. she picks fights when around other rabbits (my daughter's bunnies) and really does not want them near her. She "hits" people when they try to pet her and grunts at them, too.
I guess I am saying that it really does depend on the rabbit and how many you have. They do seem to have the most distinct personalities, don't they?
I just saw that you left a message about the bunny fights. My females are always grouchy and two have been ok to live together but after a couple years one fought the other, one was not aggressive and had sores on her. Then the mean one died so I never got her spayed to see if it helps. I have one male and one female and she's gonna get spayed just so he doesn't get to her. I don't want her to reproduce. I had two males that lived together for a long time and were wonderful to us and each other. I loved them. They were not neutered. It's funny how different the animals can be.
Rabbit nails
- Momchipomkids
on Nov. 10, 2008 at 2:19 PM