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Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A To neuter or not to neuter – a health perspective

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    • hummingbird
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        Hi!

         So my (boy) bunny is almost 6 months old, and I am probably going to neuter him (he pees and poos everywhere), but I am so torn up about it.  He is an only bunny and won’t have any chance of getting another bunny pregnant.  Though we may get him a girl friend someday, in which case of course I’d neuter him (or her).  I had read that if you have a boy and girl bunny it works best if they are both neutered, but my friend has a boy and girl bunny pair and they are neutered and the boy bunny still humps her all the time anyway.  I have read so much info about this, most of which gives many great reasons to neuter bunnies, but none which answer my questions about it.  If I had a girl bunny I would for sure neuter her for her own health and to reduce risks of cancer.  However, for boy bunnies it seems like all the benefits of neutering them are for me, not for them.  I am a student of medicine and just can’t reconcile how this isn’t harmful for his health (though maybe in this case the benefits outweigh the risks).  These are my concerns:

        1. I’m sure the trip to the vet would be extremely traumatic (I hope he’d forgive me). 
        2. Any surgery seems dangerous.  Even though I know a great rabbit vet, there is anesthesia (which is harmful and risky even to humans), and then there are antibiotics which seem like they could be very destructive to a rabbit’s delicate digestive system.  I myself have had chronic digestive issues from taking antibiotics and have spent years building my health back up.
        3. How is neutering not harmful to a rabbit’s endocrine system and development?  In humans, all our hormones are interconnected and essential to our health.  If a human’s source of sex hormones were cut off this would have lasting effects on their entire health.  Although the body is amazing at finding balance and healing itself… for example, women who lose their ovaries at a young age due to cancer do make estrogen in other ways, though it isn’t the same type or amount of estrogen and it definitely has lasting effects on their overall physical health (and not just of the reproductive system but throughout the body.)
        4. With cats and dogs, there is sooo much info on the internet of the health risks vs. benefits of neutering, and there does seem to be some clear connections between health complications and neutering.  Yet, with bunnies everyone on the internet seems to support neutering but I wonder if it has been thought through or studied as much as with dogs and cats?

        I know in many cases the benefits of neutering really do outweigh the risks, and there are many great reasons to neuter, and if it makes my relationship with the bunny better that is important too.  But how come I keep reading that “neutering/spaying” is best for a bunnies health, but this only seems to apply to girl bunnies.  How is this better for a boy bunny?  I keep reading over and over the same reasons to neuter a bunny, but they don’t really seem to apply to the case of a single boy bunny. 

        Thanks everyone for all your help!


      • MK
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          Hi hummingbird!
          1. rabbits are delicate, but (unless they are very skittish, it depends on the bunny) they will quickly recover from a trip to the vet. Especially if you toss a towel over their crate.
          2. there is always a risk in putting a rabbit to sleep, but i would say if the rabbit vet is very good, it is much reduced. I heard somewhere that if you ask a vet and they give you a 1% chance of something going wrong with the anesthetic, it is a good bet that your bunny will be fine. Hundreds of neuters are done every day, and since they are much less invasive than female neutering, i would say he will be fine.
          3. neutering will not affect your bunny’s development in any way. He will be just fine, and probably better behaved.
          4. There has obviously been less study about rabbit’s fixing, as they are relatively “new” at being though of as pets, other than meat.

          So i guess my general consensus is that: You don’t usually need to neuter for health reasons in males, however it can reduce their bad behavior if they are having problems with that. if you choose to neuter, and your vet is good, I would say your bun will probably be just fine.


        • Sarita
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            1. It’s not always as traumatic as you might think…I’ve taken numerous rabbits to the vet for years and I have never had a problem. Rabbits are pretty resilient.

            2. Yes, anesthesia is tricky but I’ve only had one rabbit not come out of anesthesia and we don’t really know the reason – I felt sad but felt okay that he passed away in this manner….rabbits do not get antibiotics for spays and neuters.

            3. Neutering won’t affect the development as MK says.

            4. As MK says, probably not but I think the reward is thought to be greater than the risk.


          • JackRabbit
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              I’ve always thought that neutering males is a positive healthwise because:

              1. Mental health of the bunny and owner — bunny isn’t sexually frustrated and doesn’t have the urge to hump everything, and owner isn’t frustrated with being humped or sprayed or having to clean up where bunny has sprayed

              2. Mental health of bunny and owner — bunny is less aggressive and territorial, better potential relationship between bunny and owner

              3. Physical health — no spraying + better litterbox habits = cleaner living area.

              4. Physical health — although rare, bunny will not get testicular cancer

              Definitely many more health benefits for female buns, but they had me at no spraying!


            • litheandgraphic
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                Additionally, while a male bunny may hump its partner even after being neutered, this is actually a display of dominance rather than a sexual thing. Female rabbits very commonly hump their partners, because they are usually more dominant than the males. This has nothing to do with spay/neuter.

                Whereas if you leave him unfixed, he may become actually amorous and aggressively so! Unfixed males are known for spraying everywhere, getting aggressive, and generally being a lot less mellow.


              • Stickerbunny
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                  As flr says, rabbits hump out of dominance. A female-female pair will hump, a male/female, a male/male. It’s just the dominant bunny saying “You better listen to me” or “stay away from my stuff”. Has nothing to do with sexual mating. Mating is actually, looks really stressful. The male I saw do it latched onto the female with his teeth, then at the end growled and fell over on his side with the females fur still in his mouth… so he pulled a chunk out of her shoulder area. The poor female looked so freaked out! In comparison, my male humps my female sometimes, but it’s like a few seconds and once she submits he’s over it and they go back to whatever.

                  Neutering health benefits for a male are low. It’s mainly stress relief and behavioral adjustment. However, the downsides are low as well. Rabbits aren’t like humans, they don’t need to take hormone treatments if you spay/neuter to avoid massive health complications. The main risk is the surgery itself, which any vet you go to should tell you 1% or less fatality rates and if it’s not that low, go somewhere else, they aren’t bunny savvy.

                  For females, the risk of cancer is so high, my vet pushes spaying. It’s something like 80% over the age of 2. For males, he said he has never treated (in 25 years treating rabbits) a reproductive issue in them, so he leaves it up to the owner if there is no behavioral problem.

                  The peeing/pooing everywhere probably won’t stop if you do not have him neutered, or at least not til he is much older. Territorial marking is hard to get an intact bun to stop doing. It can lead to spraying, which … once your rabbit decides to spray urine at you, the whole “to neuter or not” gets a lot of points to doing it. lol

                  If you ever intend to get another bun, I would recommend neutering him now, while he’s young and will recover the quickest. Aggression and fighting (which can be dangerous) is more common in intact rabbits during the bonding process. And his hormones might cause him to hump a lot, which would stress out the other rabbit more than is needed and make it harder as well.

                  As for antibiotics – rabbits are given pain meds (usually) to bring home, not antibiotics. You’ll only get prescribed antibiotics usually if there is an infection. Which, with proper care is rare. And the trip to the vet is stressful, but he’s going to need vet checkups anyway. You want to get the teeth and lungs and stuff checked out once a year or so like any animal. They get over it once they get home.

                  My male I neutered to bond him to my female bun (who is spayed). He had no behavioral issues and perfect litter habits before, so it was purely for bonding. I had tried a few bonding sessions before neutering, but all he did was hump her for 30 minutes straight, no stopping at all. Wasn’t working. I got him neutered and let him heal up for a month and tried again. He still humped a bit, but after a day or two he got over it and they bonded within a week.


                • JackRabbit
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                    While alot of the humping is a dominance thing, I saw first hand with my lops that unneutered male with an unspayed female isn’t just about dominance. I luckily got advice about separating them in time (I thought my girl was too young to need to worry). Before that, Moshi would not stay off of Marlee no matter how hard we tried. Once they were both fixed and their hormones died down, we put them back together and the humping stopped. The once in a blue moon humping that goes on now is Marlee, but Moshi puts a stop to it quickly (he is most definitely the dominant one and always has been). My girls are a whole different story!


                  • Kokaneeandkahlua
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                      Neutering is a fairly simple surgery and with a skilled vet there is virtually no risk. There are tons of members here with senior male rabbits who are neutered -so though that’s not empirical evidence it’s something.

                      I think there is something unkind about keeping an intact animal who will have sexual drives and who never gets to mate. I’m so not advocating breeding-I’m advocating the removing of those drives and urges for a happier life!

                      There is tons of misinformation on the web. The bulk of actual peer reviewed scientific journals supports spay/neuter for health of all pets.

                      Also consider that rabbits are ‘R selected’ reproducers-they are meant to live short lives but reproduce many times with big litters. As owners, we want a long happy life for our animals-comparing to wild animals (who often have nutritional deficiencies, intra and inter species competition and die significantly younger than their wild counterparts) is doing them no favours

                      Lastly-rabbits, dogs and cats (and cows, horses etc) are domestic species-comparing to wild animals they were created from is like comparing us to primates -we don’t live like our relatives and neither should they-we are far removed from them!


                    • hummingbird
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                        Thanks everyone!

                        Yes, I will likely neuter my bunny, because he is a pet rabbit and not living a natural, wild life anyway, so what is best for both me and him and our relationship is most important. Also I would like to bond him to a bunny eventually. I was just so concerned about the health risks, which I know are minimal, but I wanted to make sure neutering would really be best for him and not just to make cleaning up after him a little bit easier. Though he does pee and poop everywhere, and he does spray me. I don’t really mind it much but I can see it getting old after 12 years.
                        What’s up with the non-neutered bunnies who have perfect litter box habbits? How is that even possible? So jealous

                        I am a little worried that once I get him neutered he may still not be litter box trained or his personality may change (not the for the better) and I will regret it. He is a little crazy and rebellious – he is skiddish, likes running around and climbing up on things and trying to go where he’s not allowed, is very curious, is super fast and will not be held or sit on our laps at all, but he likes being petted. I kinda like his wild personality and don’t really want that to change (unless it means we can hold him). Apparently since he was a week old he was already jumping out of his nest box and giving his mom trouble. I can’t imagine him being a super cuddly, well behaved, litter trained rabbit after being neutered, though I’m kinda getting my hopes up that he will.


                      • LittlePuffyTail
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                          I wouldn’t worry about behaviour changes. It’s my experience that aging, not neutering causes behaviour changes. I’ve had all my males neutered and didn’t notice any behaviour changes except for the positive ones: better litter habits and no more humping my slippers!


                        • Stickerbunny
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                            He will probably mellow and be less trouble causing as he ages. I agree neutering doesn’t really do much to behavior, except remove hormonal ones. Stickers is my female and she’s very skittish, not very into pets, loves to destroy anything and spaying her didn’t fix any of that. But, as she gets older, she gets less destructive and skittish. So, time may change him, but I don’t think neutering him will.


                          • Sarita
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                              Behaviors may change for the better but personality won’t…two different things :~)


                            • JackRabbit
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                                With my three, neuter/spay improved litterbox habits, eliminated spraying, and had no effect on curiousity, speed, or need to shred, chew, or get into everything! All three of mine are around one year old and still very busy bunnies . . . still hoping for some mellowing as they get older!


                              • Eepster
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                                  I have chosen to not neuter our male bunny. I felt in our case risk did not out weigh benefit. I didn’t neuter my previous male bunny either. Yet, I am not at all against neutering.

                                  I have been very very lucky in having only had well mannered male bunnies, so I have not needed to have them neutered. If however, one of them had been aggressive, or sprayed, or whatever I would have had them neutered b/c living in a happy peaceful home where they are wanted, loved and played with is a benefit for them. Just as an example, if Porky wasn’t litter trained, he would not have 24/7 access to a large play area of the carpeted den, he would have had to stay in his condo unless supervised. That 24/7 access to a much larger area than he could have if he wasn’t litter trained is a huge health and general well being benefit for Porky.

                                  The risk vs benefit equation for neutering really varies from individual male bunny to male bunny. It isn’t as clear cut and simple as it is with females. For some bunnies like Porky, his life would be exactly the same if he was neutered as it is now, but that’s not true for all bunnies. Some bunnies will get the benefit of getting to have bunny friends if they get neutered, some will get better living space, some will get much more good time with their humans. These are real benefits for the bunny, if they happen to apply.


                                • hummingbird
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                                    Thanks everyone! I have read though that neutering rabbits can help with aggressive behavior? Is that everyone’s experience?

                                    I am really hoping so, as my rabbit has recently started biting my husband…only occasionally, but it really hurts. For some reason he hasn’t bit me yet. Maybe it’s a male dominance thing? He bit him once when he was fixing and cleaning his towels (he doesn’t like when we mess with his stuff), but strangely yesterday he bit him when he was trying to feed him his favorite food. These weren’t nips – definitely bites. It does seem a little random, as most of the time when we mess with his stuff and feed him out of our hand he doesn’t bite. He bites really really hard, and now I’m a little scared that he may bite me.


                                  • JackRabbit
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                                      Biting is usually territorial behavior and neutering generally does help with that.

                                      That being said, another BBer has a death-grip biter (but he’s sooo cute!) and some of us are dying to see if neutering changes that behavior in him. (Sonn, if you read this, any closer to neuter time?)


                                    • hummingbird
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                                        Ok, so my bunny (male) is getting neutered tomorrow, and I am sooo torn up about it. It seems like a no-win situation.

                                        On one side, I know he isn’t living a natural life by being a domesticated pet, by not being allowed to reproduce and have babies. Plus, we give him a super spoiled and happy life. Besides, he pees and poops everywhere and sometimes gets territorial and bites, and I feel our relationship with him would be better if he didn’t do this (though there are no guarantees with neutering).

                                        Also, I am an animal rights activist, and as much as I’d love to have baby bunnies I know they are overpopulated, and shelters are overflowing. However (and I know it isn’t always helpful to compare animals to humans, but I can’t help it), people are also overpopulated, in a way worse way than any animal is, and there are so many orphans and kids in need of good homes out there… However, I would never tell anyone to get “fixed” and not have babies, or even to adopt… that is their choice I am struggling with fertility myself and know the feeling of not being able to have babies, even when rationally it may make no sense. I hate that I’m taking this away from my bunny. In that way, maybe it’s breeders that are really doing what’s right for the rabbits (though I doubt rabbits love being pregnant all the time and then having their babies taken away from them). I don’t know if I really believe this, I’m just going back and forth and philosophizing. Just saying, that human domestication and control over animals doesn’t feel right, nomatter how you look at it… even though we are forming mutual relationships with them in many ways, and we are giving them shelter, food, water… so it’s a give and take relationship. But how can I decide the destiny of any other animal’s life and fertility? Who am I to play God like that? I wouldn’t want anyone to do that for me. Arrrggg… such a sad choice to have to make. I know it may seem like “no big deal” – but the historic human relationship with and control over animals has huge implications. Why does neutering feel soooo wrong? Not so much a question – more of just me being super torn up about this and wondering if anyone else has felt the same way and how you reconciled it? Thanks for all your support!


                                      • Flopsie
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                                          Do you struggle with it because your rabbit can’t give consent?


                                        • Flopsie
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                                            I work with kids with autism. And while a lot of parents have good intentions and they love their kids, many struggle with parenting. A lot has to do with big picture. That is what is best for them in the short run isn’t actually good for them in the long run. Now as I said most parents care and love their kids. But in working in this field for 12 years I’ve also serviced a handful of parents that are just poor parents and probably shouldn’t have had the kids in the first place. Several do them I’ve had to call DCFS to report them. Now if we talk about fairness, it’s not fair that these kids are born and brought into this world. But they are and we have to make what is best of the situation. Many of these kids don’t want to do the intensive intervention provided but they get it because the family knows what is best. So I know comparing rabbits to special needs kids is a little apples to oranges but the point is that you may be doing this without their feedback but it may be what’s best for them.

                                            Not sure if I presented a good case or not….


                                          • hummingbird
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                                              Interesting questions…

                                              I don’t know why I struggle with is so much – it’s not just that my rabbit can’t give consent but also, at least as far as humans go, who would ever want to be “spayed or neutered”? – not just like having their tubes tied, but having their sexual organs and hormones removed. I don’t think anyone would choose that, even if they couldn’t have sex or a family. Maybe the human/ animal comparison isn’t always relevant though. And I know there are many up sides and down sides. And who I am to make this choice for any other living being? Though I guess I am his “parent”, and I would have to make medical choices for my child. But why does it feel so wrong?

                                              And I always appreciate the perspective of people who work with kids with autism – such amazing and relevant work. And I’m very interested in it.
                                              Though sometimes I wonder if autism of part of the paradigm shift happening in this world – maybe autistic kids are kind of like the “canary in the coal mine”, and while sometimes being very hard to work with or relate to, and I’m sure impossibly hard for parents – maybe they are here to teach us a different way of communicating and interacting, and pushing us to do this in a new way. Maybe in the bigger picture, they are teaching us something we will need to know for the way the world is heading. I also have worked with some autistic kids and can find it frustrating and hard, but it always challenges and pushes me to be a better teacher and to teach and communicate in new ways. And what is meant to be – whether parents are meant to have kids or kids are meant to be born – is beyond me, and probably not my place to even know what is meant to be for anybody other than myself… which is partly why it is hard to make such a big choice like this for any other living thing, even a bunny.

                                              Oh the woes of being a bunny parent and making choices for a creature who can’t talk.


                                            • LBJ10
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                                                You have to keep in mind that since he is a bunny, he is not going to have an emotional attachment to his offspring like humans do. So to deprive him of the “right” to make babies would not really be the same. And Flopsie does make a good point. Sometimes you have to look at the big picture and decide what will be best in the long run. If you are happy because you can have a better relationship with your bunny, then he will be happier in the long run.


                                              • hummingbird
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                                                  Good point – that is ultimately why we are going to neuter him. But it still seems so strange.


                                                • Stickerbunny
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                                                    You make choices for him every day. Maybe he wants to go somewhere you don’t want him to (cord areas, for example). Maybe he would like to go outside (even though you know it would be dangerous). Maybe he wants carrots for dinner, even though it is too much sugar.

                                                    I am into animal welfare as well. And while I would LOVE to be able to provide a natural life for a rabbit, bird or any other animal – that isn’t possible for pets. We have to limit them in ways they would not be in the wild, to provide them proper care. If animals ever learn to communicate and mine ask to be free, I would. Until then, my responsibility is to provide the best life I can within the confines of a pet/owner relationship. They can’t live in the wild and it would destroy the ecosystem to release all our pets. So, we are stuck with deciding their life for them.

                                                    It is safer and healthier if you and your husband are not stressed. It is safer and healthier if he has a good relationship with you. If you are not breeding him, he will feel better if he is not frustrated all the time. You can think about providing him with a bunny friend in the future. He is less likely to chew / ingest dangerous stuff. He is less likely to bite. He is more likely to relax. Lower stress means less likely to get sick.

                                                    As for would humans want their parts removed – I know men who wish they could just cut off their testicles and be done with it. I know women who wish they could remove their uterus and ovaries (I am one of them!). The reason humans don’t is two-fold : 1) Doctors don’t let us 2) It comes with major health issues. Rabbits don’t have either problem. If I could safely be spayed and not need hormone treatments afterwards I would love it. I am child-free and if that changes, I want to adopt. So having them just means pain and frustration with no benefits – much like a single bunny who will never breed. So, some humans would consent to it. Gladly.

                                                    Don’t feel bad. You are projecting how you feel onto him. He isn’t going to be depressed or mope around all day after it. Honestly, my male doesn’t even act differently ( he had no hormonal behaviors to begin with, it was for bonding so he would stop humping the poor girl) at all. He still demands I pet him all day, binkies like a mad bun and still acts like it is his personal job to guard any open door and open any closed door.


                                                  • Flopsie
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                                                      I think that’s the nature of relationships. Between friends or significant others, relationships are give and take.

                                                      A relationship with a child is dominant until the child is able to make decisions for him or herself (legal age)

                                                      With a pet, the relationship is dominant and one sided. So the “parent” provides the food, care, and makes the decisions. I’m jot trying to trivialize what the pets provide owners but it is still one of dependence from a survival perspective. Given this, you are constantly making decisions for him or her as you “know better”

                                                      I think we can all agree that spaying a female is important as it greatly reduces cancer so again you are making a big picture decision.

                                                      However for males you had mentioned that it is more for your benefit. What if it extends beyond that. Consider the following:

                                                      1. Preventing males from having more babies helps because the babies are not able to fend for themselves (in the wild) so that is not an option. Which means that they must be domesticated but currently there is already a lack of resources to better meet the needs of the current bunnies that have already been bred and are in shelters or rescues. Having more bunnies results in resources being spread thin and may compromise their health. By not having more bunnies, resources can be given to bunnies that are currently in need which leads to Better health and well being

                                                      2. Fixed rabbits lead to better hygiene since they are litter trained it can cut down the chances of health mad sanitary issues

                                                      3. Not fixing will prevent the bun an opportunity to have a companion. Which would surely improve your buns well being if you choose to have one.

                                                      4. Reduces behaviors (in theory). Prevents destruction and may impact health. For Exampe bun doesn’t know chewing cords can be dangerous which would negatively Impact her life


                                                    • hummingbird
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                                                        Thanks everyone! This is very helpful!

                                                        I’m interested though – I’ve heard several people say, in this post and others, that their un-neutered rabbits didn’t display hormonal behavior, like marking territory and biting. My rabbit literally poops and pees everywhere. I’m curious why some rabbits do that and some don’t – is it that some have a higher level of hormones, or a different balance of hormones, or is it learned behavior from parents, or personality?


                                                      • Flopsie
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                                                          good question. I would assume that the marking behavior is evolutionary right? It would be unlearned behavior and coded into their system for survival. But maybe individual differences influences how they act when it goes against evolutionary tendencies?


                                                        • JackRabbit
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                                                            You are right on the money about kids with autism and learning new ways to communicate. In my experience, kids within the autism spectrum tend to be more visual learners, and often, what works well for them can also work wonders with most kids. When they’re very young, for example, I”ve seen picture schedules make all the difference in the world in both kids with and without autism when a change must be made in a daily routine … . Picture schedules turn into word schedules which ultimately turn into daily planners and calendars that many of us use as adults! Kids with autism see the world from a different perspective than most of us do, and I would love to see more teachers think of autism in those terms and explore more communication options. Then again, I believe all teachers should have training in dealing with special needs individuals.


                                                          • rabbyrabby
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                                                              I’m having my male rabbit neutered this Wednesday.

                                                              You have to remember your rabbit is a dependent.  You have the right to make these decisions for your pet and to be honest, it’s not just in your interest to have him fixed, it’s good for the bunny too.

                                                              Your rabbit will have a strong urge to mate.  That is the ultimate goal of his existence.  Not being able to mate could cause stress and sexual frustration.  Castrating him will help calm, if not eradicate, those urges, and will be good for his mental and physical health.

                                                              I think there’s always a chance for testicular cancer or tumors.  Sure, these problems are more frequent in females, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a chance for your male bunny too.

                                                              If you can get him to stop pooping and peeing everywhere, it’ll also be good for his health.  The less control he has for his excrements, the faster his living space gets dirty and that is not good for his physical and medical health.

                                                              I’ve had a male dog (RIP), a male cat, and now a male rabbit.  The dog and cat were both neutered and lived happy, normal lives.  I think your rabbit will be just as happy with you with or without the procedure, but not having the procedure means there will always be the hormonal factor.  And just because hormones are natural, it doesn’t mean it’s always the best for your pet.


                                                            • hummingbird
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                                                                Thanks! We got him neutered, and he seems fine. I was so worried about him. Though he still isn’t litter box trained – he likes to pee on soft things, like towels – not metal grated litter boxes. He doesn’t seem to be marking as much, but he certainly doesn’t seem to be going in a designated spot. We’re trying to litter train him, but he seems to have a “I’ll do what i want” attitude.

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                                                            Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A To neuter or not to neuter – a health perspective