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Forum THE LOUNGE Neuter on Friday (Nervous mama!)

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    • cinnybun2015
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        Hi everyone!! I never thought the day would actually come, but… *drumroll*….. my little boy Chomondeley is getting neutered on Friday! (I’m sorry if this is in the wrong section.)

        My vet does work with exotics. I’ve taken Chomondeley there once before to have him checked up and to schedule an appointment. Everything was looking good. Chomondeley was squirmy and feisty when the vets tried to clip his nails and check his teeth and genitals (and he peed all over their floor, too… ) but everything went fine. The vet told me that I would drop him off in the morning and pick him up that same evening.

        I suppose I might be overreacting, but I’m just so nervous.  I feel like something’ll go wrong, either during the surgery or post-surgery… Chomondeley can be a very reactive bun, and too much stress could hurt him, I feel… he doesn’t even like meeting new people if it’s not in neutral space with me beside him. 

        If anyone has any tips on keeping Chom calm before the surgery, and keeping him calm post-surgery, I’d love tips please. Also, tips if something goes wrong. I’ll be keeping a kind of a “journal” of his neuter here and keep updating about what happens.

        Thanks you guys!


      • Mikey
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          I dont think those nerves every go away Ive got three boys. Two are neutered, the third has his pre neuter blood work scheduled for wednesday, and im still nervous about it. I trust the vet to the extreme though, since she has helped us so much with our trio. Two are disabled (one has tummy problems, and the third [the one not neutered yet] has splay leg and a growing/bone problem. he also might have a liver problem), so we are in and out of her office atleast once a month. Shes very nice, helpful, and has paid for a blood test for us before when she didnt trust the first lab they sent in. It was over 100$ too

          On the good side, neuters are not too bad compared to spays! Within a few hours of being home, my two neutered boys were acting normal. Blue (the oldest/first) was mad at us for a few days, but the pain meds really helped him stay out of pain and he looooooved how many treats he was getting. Bombur (the middle bun/second) was very tired when we brought him home. He slept for a few hours, but when he woke up, he was back to normal. He didnt even care about the wounds; he just ignored them and did whatever he wanted to do

          To help your little boy with stress afterwards, i would just pet him and give him more treats and greens than normal. Make sure he knows he is loved and safe and that he knows its ok. Make sure he is eating normal. If he is not after the first 24 hours, call the vet and schedule an appointment asap. Make sure to syringe feed him in between to make sure his tummy always has something in it. His poops may be a bit smaller than normal while he is on the pain meds, but as long as he is eating, his poops should be mostly normal. If he licks his wounds, youll have to stop him. If he continues, youll need a cone. If he needs a cone, make sure to take it off for atleast 10 minutes every hour or two so he can eat, drink, and clean himself


        • Bam
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            Mikey has given you great advice, and I can only chime in. Neuters are generally NOT big deals. My Yohio was about Chom’s age and he started eating the minute he came home. If I hadn’t known he’d have the procedure done, I could never have told, he was acting himself like nothing ever happened.

            But I can very well understand that you are worried. We bun-mommies do worry about our babies. The downside of love, I guess. Critical care is good to have on hand after, but you can use pellet slurry for syringe-feeding, should he need it. My Bam needed syringe-feeding, but he was at least 2 years old at his neuter, probably older, and that makes a difference. So he needed 2 days to bounce back, but then he just bounced =) Bam also snuggled up to a hot water bottle in his cage when he came home, but again, he wasn’t a youngster.

            Btw, found you on Insta and followed you =)


          • cinnybun2015
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              Mikey- thank you so much Very helpful advice. Is it important to keep a rabbit warm? I know some rabbits get cold after a surgery.

              Bam- it is the downside of being a bunny mama! What’s your Instagram name so I can follow you back?


            • Gina.Jenny
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                Keeping a bun warm post surgery is essential. Jenny came through her spay fine last summer, only to struggle with hypothermia for over a week after, though a spay takes it out of a girl more than a neuter does out of a boy.


              • Mikey
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                  As Jenny said, yes, youll want to keep them warm. I gave my boys a pet safe heating pad, but neither really cared about it. Bombur had a small fleece bed to lay in as well, so he mostly stuck to that (he loves that thing!) over the heating pad we had for him, and Blue had a huge towel as well as the heating pad, but he just pushed both into the corner and ignored them. As long as they dont have a fan blowing on them or the ac blasting too much, i think your little bun will be fine. Of course, the option of a heating pad or warm bottle is always nice just in case they do start to feel chilled


                • cinnybun2015
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                    Okay, that sounds good. I do like to fill socks with uncooked rice and microwave them for warmth. I’ll take it away if Chom starts to nibble or chew on the fabric, though he’s usually pretty good about that. How long do you think it’ll take him to bounce back?

                    Also, I’ve heard of bun’s personality changing after a neuter, and I’m scared that might happen with Chomondeley… is that true?


                  • Bam
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                      My buns personalities didn’t change. Their hormonally driven behavior stopped, but that was all that happened. I can’t say I was sorry about that, Yohio used to pee 4 feet up the wall behind his litter-box =)

                      Since Chom is young I’d say 2 days max until he’s bounced back, but there are no guarantees of course.

                      One thing to be aware of: Many buns get into what’s known as a postneuter craze. It generally starts about a week after the neuter and it’s caused by fluctuating hormone-levels in the blood. The hormones in the bloodstream don’t disappear at once after a neuter, they keep circulating for several weeks until they are finally broken down, and their presence often cause the bun to temporarily behave extra-extra hormonal. You might see territorial aggression, humping, pee- and poop-marking. It most often subsides after 2 weeks but can last up til 8 weeks in rare cases. But it’s perfectly normal and you just need to wait it out. My buns didn’t go into post-neuter crazes, but many buns do, so it might happen or it might not.


                    • Mikey
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                        The only bunny of mine that changed after neutering was my Bombur. He was sweet and cuddly till puberty struck, then he was a huge aggressive jerk. He had a lot of testicle problems so we had to keep pushing his neuter back so he could go on antibiotics and pain killers. I think the pain plus the hormonal aggression caused him to distrust a bit, as after his neuter and healing, he is still skittish and can be mean. He still loves to cuddle and be held, but only on his terms. Instead of being a people bunny like he was before, hes become a bunnys bunny. He loves to cuddle with our other two, specifically the alpha and his closest bond mate, Blue


                      • Q8bunny
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                          After his neuter, my Chewie became even more of a love bug than before (minus the affectionate spraying LOL). He bounced back very quickly (a day or so) but that also made it harder to make sure he’s not overexerting himself by jumping up and down furniture. So my suggestions would be warmth, vertical proofing, favourite foods to get him eating and pooping, and noserubs.

                          (((good neutering vibes)))


                        • cinnybun2015
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                            Thanks you guys. I’m a little less worried- whew!

                            Chom is actually not that aggressive or hormonal. The most that’s changed is that he kicks and squirms and struggles more when I have to pick him up to put him back in his X-pen after playing around in his exercise pen.

                            I take him in two days! Drop off in the early morning, pick up in evening… send vibes!!!


                          • jerseygirl
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                              {{{Vibees}}} for Chom !


                            • LittlePuffyTail
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                                Wishing Chom an ((((easy procedure)))) and ((((speedy recovery))))!


                              • cinnybun2015
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                                  Thank you all! I’m nervous but also feeling better about the surgery overall.


                                • cinnybun2015
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                                    Well, Chomondeley is at the vet!


                                  • Vienna Blue in France
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                                      Yay – and he’ll be back before you know it – even if you are counting the minutes…. lol


                                    • cinnybun2015
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                                        Ha! Yes, it does feel like I’m counting minutes… keep going to check on him and he’s not there… very nervous right now, as my boy is quite the stressy one, but I know it’ll be ok.


                                      • Gina.Jenny
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                                          vibes for (((Chom))) xxx


                                        • Q8bunny
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                                            (((Chom nom nom)))


                                          • cinnybun2015
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                                              Thank you guys!! Q8, your rhyming made me laugh

                                              Guess what? I got a call from the vet! Chomondeley is out of surgery, which went well, and is still sleepy and recovering in a different room. I’m picking him up tonight, once I get the chance!


                                            • Q8bunny
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                                                Woohoo! *does a poor hooman imitation of a binky*


                                              • cinnybun2015
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                                                  Hehe!  I always do binkies when Chom does, and he always stops and looks at me suspiciously. 

                                                  He’s going to be coming home on lots of meds apparently…  should I confine him to his cage? (he has a cage attached to an Xpen where he hangs out while I’m gone during the day.) Or is it okay for him to hop around his Xpen?


                                                • Bam
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                                                    First of all, yay for Chom!
                                                    I’d suggest you keep him in his cage or even in his carrier for the first couple of hours, because he can be pretty groggy after the anesthesia and you don’t want him to trip and fall and maybe hurt himself. My Yohio actually fell over from sitting after he’d been under.
                                                    The sooner he starts to eat the better, so you can start tempting him with f ex parsley or dandelion right away.
                                                    When he’s steady on his legs I think he can be in his enclosure.
                                                    Put in all fresh litter in his litter box so you can monitor poop and pee. Serve water in a bowl even if he normally drinks from a bottle.


                                                  • cinnybun2015
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                                                      Thank you Bam!!

                                                      I just picked up my Chommy boy! He’s flopping in his cage. I’m keeping him in there for the night, probably. He’s having his water in a bowl. I refilled his hay and food. Hasn’t touched it yet. He’s breathing pretty hard. I put a blanket in there, and I’m going to feed him some rinsed veggies in about 15 mins.


                                                    • cinnybun2015
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                                                        Oh! I forgot to mention that I give him his painkiller meds (raspberry flavored) tonight. Any tips on how to do it without stressing him out?


                                                      • Bam
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                                                          If he will eat sth you could try dripping the painkiller onto a leaf if some sort, but if he’s not eating yet, you’ll have to syringe him his meds. Hopefully the painkiller will get his appetite up, they often won’t eat if they are in pain.
                                                          He probably will be a little stressed by being syringed meds, but it’s still better to keep him pain free.
                                                          Keep him warm too, You can perhaps fill a PET bottle with warm water and put it in his cage, but make sure he’s space enough to move away from it if he doesn’t want it.
                                                          ((((((Chom))))))


                                                        • cinnybun2015
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                                                            Sounds good. Not eating yet. Gave him parsley rinsed thoroughly in water. May have nibbled some hay… tried to poop and/or pee. I’m worried he’s in pain, but I don’t want to overdose him. He’s breathing quite hard.


                                                          • cinnybun2015
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                                                              Well, Chomondeley is eating his hay, ate his parsley, drank some water. He hasn’t touched his pelleted food, however. I found him licking his stitches. I think the pain meds initially given may be wearing off, but I give him his dose soon. He might just be grooming himself… no blood… I’ll check stitches when I give him his dose. He’s lying on a soft blanket right now. Is it ok to confine him to his cage for the whole night?


                                                            • Q8bunny
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                                                                I should think so. Just until his first home dose of pain meds at least. It’s so great that he’s eating. (((binky back, Chom nom nom)))


                                                              • Bam
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                                                                  So glad to hear he’s eating!! You can confine him for as long as you see fit, I think he’ll tell you himself when he’s had enough of confinement. Licking at stitches is indicative of pain/discomfort, so it’s great that you have pain meds for him.


                                                                • kirstyol
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                                                                    It took Bramble quite a while to start eating pellets again after his neuter for some reason, he ate veggies fine though. It was a bit strange to be honest he would eat a whole bowl of veggies no problem but not one single pellet for over a week. My vet wasnt worried as long as he was eating something which he was we just kept changing the uneaten pellets out for fresh ones every day and left him to it until one day he started eating them again.


                                                                  • cinnybun2015
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                                                                      Thank you all! When I went downstairs this morning I was quite pleased to see that Chom nom nom (for you, Q8!) had pooped in his litter box and eaten all his pellets, drank all his water. Gave him his meds this morning which was slightly more successful and let him out of his cage. He’s acting pretty bouncy and normal!! ?


                                                                    • Gina.Jenny
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                                                                        Go Chom


                                                                      • cinnybun2015
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                                                                          Thank you Gina

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                                                                      Forum THE LOUNGE Neuter on Friday (Nervous mama!)