There’s always risks involved with any surgery. How big the risk is depends mainly on the rabbit’s general health-status, the amount of experience the neutering vet has. Some vets suggest you do blood work before a neuter to detect health-problems that could be worsened by full anesthesia. You should above all try to find a vet that has done a great many rabbit neuters.

A single male rabbit doesn’t need neutering for the sake of his health. Neutered are done to prevent or stop adverse sexually driven behaviors, or, if the bun isn’t going to be a single bun, to prevent pregnancies and excessive fighting. It’s different if you have a girl bunny, girls need to be spayed because they tend to get health problems with their reproductive organs otherwise.

Rabbits are frail, yes, but a rabbit-savvy vet should know how to poperly handle a rabbit during operation. Finding a rabbit-savvy vet is vital. How to spot a bad vet: if a vet advises you to let a rabbit fast before the procedure. Rabbits should never be fasted, because their guts should stay active at all times. Also rabbits physically can’t vomit, so there’s absolutely no reason to fast them before operation.

My BF was anxious to have our bun fixed, because he heard many ghost stories of rabbits dying on the table. Although no surgery is 100% risk-free, the risk of death has dropped to about 1% according to the HRS. Provided that you have a rabbit-savvy vet, the risks are minimal.
Here are some websites on the subject which I found helpful: http://rabbit.org/faq-spaying-and-neutering/ and http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/opcare.html

Fixing is done for several reasons, bam already pointed out the most important reason for the ladies. For the gents fixing is also important, because their hormones can turn them into frustrated little monsters. Our male bun was fixed quite late, well into his second year I think. Suddenly he started to display hormonal behaviours: humping everything in sight, agression and spraying. It was horrible: he just wasn’t himself anymore and was very difficult to handle. After the procedure he made a quick recovery within 2-3 days. He’s much calmer and much happier now, although we do have to watch his food intake more carefully. Fixed rabbits tend to put on weight faster, but they also live longer than their intact cousins.

You’re welcome, so glad that you had the right information. I’d talk to the vet about that lady’s knowledge, because that advice can literally kill buns

It just goes to show how important it is for rabbit owners to be well-informed. There are so many misunderstandings about proper rabbit care. The Dutch RSPCA even started a campaign to inform people about proper care, because so many rabbits are treated poorly. Cramped living conditions, bad food, lack of company or exercise. There’s a lot to win yet.

I hope you still have confidence in that vet’s skills, and that all goes well. If you’re in doubt, you can always ask if you can talk to the vet.