Hi, is there any reason why you wouldn’t want to get your rabbit neutered? You ask this question quite a bit so I’m curious as to why you wouldn’t consider this.

I don’t think there’s really an answer to your first question…I don’t think rabbits feel “proud” to be male; they certainly get aggressive and territorial and start spraying…
To the second question, the risks are so much higher for an unaltered rabbit. And no, they won’t likely live a longer and healthy life if left unaltered. Of course there are exceptions to everything (my friend has an unaltered 7 year male) but if you truly want what is best for your bun, you should get him neutered.

Hi,
A male rabbit is less likely to develop cancer than a female, and can live a fairly long life unneutered. Mine lived to 8 years old due to a vet that advised me NOT to neuter him. I since wondered why, but he behaved well and no other vet suggested it so I didn’t have it done. It was before I found this site or had learned much about bunnies. If he was a female, I would not have hesitated to get her fixed. The vet who advised against it had said that it was because he lived indoors alone, I was never going to get another bun, and he was in very good health so was a low risk for cancer.

That said, I am now convinced that it is ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL to get either sex fixed as soon as they are at a safe age to have it done. (Is it 4-5 months old guys?) It reduces the hormonally based behaviors that are so difficult to live with in teenage buns. It is a safety precaution for diseases that you will never regret. It is commonly done by rabbit savvy vets, so the risks from surgery are low, and even buns here who have had some difficulty have recovered to full health with care. I would urge you to do it, and will not have another bunny of mine go without it again. I consider myself lucky, and ill-advised.

By the way, I have no idea about your first question, except that Spockie seemed to be in his prime from ages 2 – 6. Very active, strong, alert, happy, curious, lean to large but not fat. He developed what we think was arthritis in his back leg at ages 7-8 and aged quickly after that. Always a sweetie and I loved him dearly at all ages.

^^^well i don’t think that comparison makes any sense at all.  wild rabbits are obviously not altered, but they face death in the form of predators, weather, perhaps lack of suitable food, as well as humans and cars on a daily basis.  i doubt wild rabbits live long enough to worry about cancer, actually, if they did develop cancer, they are probably taken by a predator in their more vulnerable state long before naturally succumbing to the disease.  domestic rabbits develop diseases, not b/c they are kept indoors, but b/c they are well-taken care of and live a longer life.  for example, if the human lifespan was still 40-50 years old, no one would be concerned about alzheimers disease.  it’s only b/c we are living longer that these degenerative problems are becoming issues. 

if you do not want to alter your rabbit, you don’t have to, no one is going to make you.  but asking the question repeatedly in different threads will not change the response.  you take beautiful pictures of your rabbit, you obviously care a great deal for him, and i would hope that you would want to provide the best chance of a healthy life.  his personality will not change so much that he will be indifferent.  there is a greater chance that he will be more affectionate and make a better house companion for you.

I hope that you do eventually get him neutered. It sounds like you really want to. I’m not sure what you mean though by keeping rabbits inside that cause all the illnesses?

Rabbits in the wild are at risk for many things which is the reason that they breed so prolifically. Rabbits living in the wild suffer a great many risks especially with humans invading their territory and other uncertain fates. I spoke with a lady in the grocery store recently who said that she tried to save a nest of baby rabbits that were being overrun with fire ants – a horrible way to die. Rabbits in the wild also suffer illnesses.

That’s not to say that some domestic rabbits aren’t at risk for many things – we hear all kinds of sad cases in rabbit rescues.

IMHO, I would think that a wild rabbit would have such a shorter life expectancy due to being the Value Meal for so many prey animals and birds that many don’t live long enough to develop the illness that come with longer (and hopefully, happier, lives).

Mine, both boys and girls are so much nicer since their spays and neuters and they get along so much better I wouldn’t have it any other way.

I’m babysitting a friend’s un-neutered male for a few months and when I brought him home the other day, all heck broke loose. It was definitely different from bringing home fixed strange bunnies. There was attempted courting through the bars, spraying and really agressive behavior I hadn’t seen since everyone had their ‘snips’.

Especially the lovely Pringles, even though spayed, she was all over the new guy (from her side of the fence that is) and was definitely not playing hard to get, which had her mate up in arms. But then again, Pringles has always been a loose woman!

Even though he’s neutered, Pringles mate, Toby, is very proud and male when competition is around. Last night he was very puffed up and strutting to show the newcomer that Pringles was his.

Wild rabbits are not neutered/spayed. But they never will outlive a indoor rabbit. Mortality during the first year of a wild rabbits life is 90%.

I can see why you’d wonder about how much healthier it is to get an animal spayed/neutered since in the wild they never have this done.

However domestic animals live much longer lifespans (usually) then their wild or ferral counterparts, due to veterinary care and good husbandry.

It is not necessary for an animal, such as a rabbit, that reproduces in high numbers, to live a long life, in order to keep the population stable. In fact, when an animal reproduces in this manner, known as “R reproducers” it is beneficial to have relatively short lifespans.

But when they are our pet and family member, we can artificially create longevity by providing veterinary care; and yes, by neutering/spaying them.

No, it’s pretty sad

Well remember though that wild rabbits have a great deal more to tend with than indoor rabbits – such as snowstorms and foxes. I would suggest neutering as well though.

First of all, thinking that a rabbit’s personality will change for the worse if you get him neutered is simply not true. If anything, the rabbit will stop spraying, have better bathroom habits and become a calmer, happier and much more desirable pet. Quite frankly, it is so irresponsible to not have a pet fixed due to the extreme overpopulation we see. The rescues are bursting at the seams as well as shelters with people bringing in pregant rabbits, rabbits with babies, babies all due to the fact they did not fix their rabbit. Save a Bunny in Mill Valley, CA just rescued 29 rabbits that some idiot dumped at a shelter because the two rabbits he bought from a pet shop reproduced to the tune of 29! And that is just one case out of thousands. I really hope you do the right thing and get you bunny fixed.

definitely “Fast Food”!

When the lovely Pringles is being particularly obnoxious, I ask if she wants to visit Uncle Raymond (the guy who keeps feeling her up and announcing she’s at perfect weight for a stew.

Kathy

Hope this helps!

The best time to neuter is when they are young.  Even if you do not plan on getting another rabbit now or even in the future- things change and you just might end up with another rabbit.  And having your male un-neutered can cause issues in the future- bonding to another rabbit or even just any behavorial changes from hormones if another rabbit comes into the house.

My 2 cents on being neutered:

I know at least 5 guys – yes, human males – who have gotten “the snip”. All 5 of them said that they had about 2 days of discomfort, aside from that it was THE BEST thing they have ever done and they all wish they had done it sooner! None of them got fat, lazy or had a personality change.

If it was not a major operation for a woman, (including about 5 days of hospital stay) I would do it in a second.

All of the pets in my and my extended family have been fixed. They have all be great pets with lots of personalities. Having them fixed has never caused any problems.

i think getting animal fixed is just the right thing to do.. part of being a responsible pet owner, the only animal i hadnt had done was my female dog as we werent sure if we wanted a litter of pups now she is 5 and the vet wont do her so….

I’m sorry SageCat, the first thing that popped into my empty head when I read your post was “but do they sleep all day on the roof of my car?” like my cat did once snipped…lol

what? lol

hahah, well I guess if they have had a argument with the wife/partner maybe they would be sleeping on the car roof. 🙂

When it comes to wild VS domestic animal data/ research….just a few things to keep in mind.  Most wild animal data is based on averages and/or cross-sectional data.  W/ that there is not always a large pool of animals to study.  W/ prey animals it’s also difficult to get longitudinal data, which is across their lifespan data.  Not to mention prey animals are not necessarily high on the list to be tagged and monitored.  W/ that info on animal research, I think that explains why people “assume” that wild animals are not so “impacted” by domestic health probs.  In addition, wild animals do not have access to healthcare.   Most recently many wildlife rescues have undergone drastic financial cuts across the US, therefore making the injured or abandoned animals less of a chance for needed healthcare to improve survivability.  I hope that all made sense.

W all that in mind, in general most wild animals life expectancy is 1/4 to 1/3 that of their domestic counterparts.  Outdoor cats average about 5 yrs whereas indoor only cats about 15-20 years—truly significant.

My ex the vet tech was always crushed when he had to give a pet owner the diagnosis of testicular cancer, pyometra, or other reproductive based cancers b/c they are all completely preventable.  Just like…he never saw a hit by car dog that was on a leash!

Just to clarify my own delays in getting Leo neutered…I have had recent set backs b/t his teeth and now the anesthesia.  It is still my plan for Leo, I’m just terrified that I may lose him in the process and that would break my heart.