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The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet.  It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.

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Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A neutering/sexing/vet problem!

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    • Enzo's Mommy
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        So for Christmas my sister decided to make an appointment for my bunny to get neutered. I was excited. I was a tad worried though that she did not find a rabbit savvy vet. I did ask her a lot of questions and she mentioned how she called multiple places and made her decision on how comfortable she felt with each vet she spoke to. I decided to trust her. We encountered some problems that I hope to get your thought and opinions on:

        1.) The vet told her that he cannot eat after a certain time the day before. I am pretty sure I read a post on here saying that this is typically what would need to be done for dogs, but that rabbits should eat! I tried it anyway.

        2.) I had to drop him off at the vet. I received a phone call saying that they think Enzo is a female because they could not find a penis. He is four months. I understand that by this time it should be a bit more obvious. However, I feel he is a male! Perhaps its a mother’s instinct. Perhaps I just had that idea stuck in my mind because that is what I was told when he was given to me. 

        However, I always do research on rabbits to make sure he receives proper care, and read how it is even difficult for professionals to sex a rabbit. The vet did not mention anything about testicles. I also read how rabbits can pull their testicles back into their body when put in a stressful situation. 

        3.) He kept referencing dogs when answering my questions such as aftercare and behavior.

        I decided to not let him “spay her”  because I did not want any cuts going into my rabbit’s abdomen when it may possibly be a male! He did not say he was 100% sure because he mentioned how I can bring Enzo back after I let him develop a little more. I found another vet who is strictly an exotic vet. I read good reviews and hope to take my bunny there. My problem now is being able to afford this. I already paid for an exam at the first vet. My sister is paying for the neuter but if there is a chance the rabbit needs to be spayed, she may not be able to pay the higher amount. Then the cost of the exam would be another $80 at this vet! I am currently not working and I am only making money by being an extra in Tv shows and movies. This therefore means that I do not have a steady income and have to constantly submit to projects that I may or may not get. I do not know how much longer I should wait. I do not want to be completely broke either 

        I am looking for work but I am having a difficult time finding it. I am staying positive but I still have to think of my bunny! AHH!

        here is a picture of my Enzo whose name I MIGHT have to change! 

        but i dont want to! 


      • tanlover14
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          Enzo (a?) is ADORABLE!!! I agree with your decision to not let this vet do the procedure. Bunnies should definitely be allowed to eat and drink up until the time of the procedure. A lot of vets who say such things are not rabbit-savvy vets so I’m certainly glad you did not let him continue.

          A rabbit-savvy vet should probably be able to tell the difference at his age as I know my vet could tell right away when I took my little ones in at the age of 4 months to be done. Sometimes vets would like to wait until at least 5 months anyways or even longer so the bunny can gain more weight before the procedure. My vet asked us to actually hold off and wait until they were 5 months old so they could put on more weight.

          I’m also not sure that I would trust a vet who is referencing dogs the entire time for aftercare. I’m not sure how you care for a dog after a spay/neuter so possibly it’s the same, but in my opinion, if he knew a lot about rabbits then he would be referencing the rabbits themselves not another animal. If (s)he is a female, you don’t want to wait TOO long but a few months probably won’t hurt too much. Have they started marking or getting aggressive at all? This will usually indict that you want to take them in soon to be done so they don’t pick up any bad habits from the hormones.


        • LoveChaCha
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            There are at lot of things that I do not like about that vet. First, he keeps referencing dogs. The anatomy of both animals are completely different. Second, rabbits do not need to be fasted before a spay/neuter procedure. I would definitely find a vet and drill the vet with the following questions:

            http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/vet.html

            Are there any low cost spay and neuter clinics in your area? Any chance of a shelter nearby? Some places will do inexpensive spays and neuters done by experienced vets.


          • peppypoo
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              I think it’s very generous of your sister to offer to pay for a neuter, but you are definitely right to be hesitant for all the reasons you listed. I would wait until a good rabbit vet can be found, one that you are comfortable with…Chacha has some good suggestions on different places to look. In the meanwhile, though, I encourage you to start saving up just in case it does turn out to be a spay. Enzo is adorable!


            • RoyalElvira
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                I think its a good idea that you didnt have them do any procedure. Contact your local House Rabbit Society and see if they can recommend a reliable vet. You can also use this to find a good one: http://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Low_Cost_Spay/Neuter_Clinics


              • LBJ10
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                  Sometimes you can let the “fasting” thing slide if it is a receptionist that tells you that when you make the appointment. Happened at my vet’s office. The actual vet is knowledgeable when it comes to rabbits. Sometimes they just have dummies working at the front desk. I would, however, be worried if the actual vet keeps referring to dogs when you are asking questions about a rabbit. Sometimes boys don’t have their testicles there because they did not descend properly. Then neutering is like a spay procedure. At four months, boys can certainly have their jewels. If it was me, I would just wait. Enzo is only 4 months old. It isn’t like there is a huge rush. You don’t have another rabbit you’re wishing to bond him to. So wait until you have more money and take him to the exotics vet.


                • Enzo's Mommy
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                    You guys are amazing! Thanks so much for your input! I am glad I followed my gut! Thanks also for sending me links to low cost spay and neuter places! Thanks also for the compliments! I wish I knew the sex for certain to see if I have to change his name! I don’t want to though

                    Since he may be a female,and you mentioned not waiting too long,how much longer do you think would be okay to wait?

                    Again, thanks so much for your responses!


                  • peppypoo
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                      Females can be spayed as soon as 4-5 months (or as soon as the vet feels is appropriate) and from there on, I think the consensus is the sooner the better. There isn’t really a cutoff for “too old” until you get into the geriatric years, but older rabbits still can do alright with a blood panel first to check liver and kidney function. Do you have a vet in mind for the operation? I encourage you to go ahead and contact a good vet to find out the price, make a plan for saving up, and have the operation done when funds are adequate. The best way to find out sex ahead of time is to bring Enzo in to the vet anyways for a preliminary pre-op checkup.


                    • LBJ10
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                        I would just wait until you have the money. “Too long” would be years. If it is a few months, it isn’t a big deal. If Enzo is indeed a girl, behavior may become very apparent by 6 months. A lot of people with girl buns want to get their girl spayed ASAP because their rabbit is being hormonal. Obviously you want to spay them at an early age for health reasons, but when they are 6 months old you hear a lot of people on the forum saying they can’t wait for their bun to get spayed. If Enzo is a boy, then waiting awhile to get him neutered really isn’t a big deal. I wouldn’t worry about it too much. If it takes you a few months to come up with the money, it really isn’t going to matter either way (boy or girl).


                      • Enzo's Mommy
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                          Thanks so much! I can’t wait to get Enzo fixed either! I found a low cost specialist recommended by the house rabbit society in my state! Way less then the prices I have been seeing with the exam included! Perhaps now Enzo will stop marking every step he takes and stop eating my house!


                        • peppypoo
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                            Glad to hear the news! Man, I wish I had a low cost bunny neuter/spay clinic around here haha. Just keep in mind though that even after you have Enzo fixed, the behaviors may persist for a little while the body sorts itself out – the operation isn’t a magical cure-all. And that while may be…very frustrating lol. But you are doing the best thing for him (or her) in the long run .


                          • Kokaneeandkahlua
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                              Enzo is adorable!
                              I’m glad you found another vet. I think not being able to tell the sex and asking you to fast him are two VERY big red flags-you did the hard thing, but the right thing by walking out and not letting this vet do surgery! Wonderful to stand up for Enzo!! And super glad you found another vet

                              So ….you’ll have to share-what the verdict is on Enzo’s ‘bits and pieces’ lol Don’t worry, many of us have had a boy turn out to be a girl or vice versa


                            • jerseygirl
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                                Thats great you’ve possibly found an alternative vet. I would still ring the low cost clinic and ensure that Enzo is booked in with one of the rabbit savvy vets as the clinics most likely have many vets offering their time there.

                                You can certainly put the desexing off for several months without it being a health risk.

                                As to bunny’s name… you dont have to change it. Lots of people on the forum here have kept the original name despite finding out the rabbit was a different sex to what they had thought.
                                I know of a Daisy and a Penny that are both boys.


                              • Enzo's Mommy
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                                  Hehe! Thanks for the support! That is so funny about the bunny names! I was thinking if he turns out to be a girl, I would want to keep it similar to Enzo! Enzlee? Lol!
                                  Any tips on post surgery care and behavior?


                                • Enzo's Mommy
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                                    So yesterday was Enzo’s appointment and turns out he is a GIRL! AHHHHHHHH 

                                    I feel I should change her name but will continue to call her Enzo for now until I figure out the perfect name. Now i must get a male bunny to pass the name Enzo Ocean on!


                                  • LBJ10
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                                      Enzo is a girl? I guess the first vet was correct then. It’s okay, I know it happens a lot. Enzo is a cute name. Why not just keep it?


                                    • Hazel
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                                        How about Zoey? It has part of Enzo in it!


                                      • Enzo's Mommy
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                                          I still don’t feel too comfortable with the first vet even though he was right about the sex 😡

                                          I love the name Enzo for a bunny, but now that she is a girl it doesn’t feel right anymore lol. I also had the Zoe suggestion before haha! I am not sure! Ahhh!
                                          Btw, she seems to be healing nicely. Hasn’t had much problems eating, and almost back to normal behavior. I was so scared she was going to suffer a lot and I would be so sad!


                                        • jerseygirl
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                                            Great to hear she has recovered from the operation well.
                                            Thanks for the update.

                                            @RoyalElvira: thanks for the wabbitwiki link ! I might ask if BB can add this to the pinned topic on finding Rabbit Vets.

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                                        Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A neutering/sexing/vet problem!