after neutering…

[sarahmist86]

Hi

I have a 8 month old mini lop named, Max. I rescued him about 2 months ago. I just got him neutered about 5 days ago and it went great. The vet came highly recommended  from HRS. He was not fasted and was eating immediately before and after surgery. His scrotal sack looks amazing slight swelling and tiny bruising but pink, dry, and intact. You can barley even tell where his incisions are because the Dr. sutured intradermally. He sent Max home on Metacam that I have been giving him. A day after the neuter you would could never even tell that Max had anything done. He started eating right after surgery and he is back to his old self like nothing ever happened. I have been keeping him in his 4ft by 4ft pen bc it was recommended for 10 days (he HATES it bc he usually gets the run of my apartment). The only thing that I have noticed is that he has become a bunny vacuum. Like he acts like he is starved! I am trying to ween him off of his pellets bc I suspect that is all his previous owner gave him (it was a sad situation). But man, I mean I give him his nightly veggies and he is just gobbling them down and then ravenously searches for more food. Same with morning pellets, I feel guilty like I am not giving him enough. Is this normal? He always has lots of fresh hay that I put in his litter box. I use a mix of aspen shavings and newspaper for his litter and then load orchard and timothy hay on top of it and top it off every morning. This is the first time that I have ever had a house rabbit. Should I do something different for his hay? Will this excessive hunger go away? He’s not lost any weight as he weighs 4.5 pounds not a pinch of fat on him as he is a very active little boy and plays with my 10yr old Malamute :0) 

Thanks,

Sarah

[Bam]

Thank you for saving him from a sad situation.

He may be bored with being shut in. I’ve never heard of 10 days of cage-rest for a boy bunny after a neuter (unless there’s been complications, of course). It seems like a long time to me.

Neuter/spaying can increase hunger in animals and make them put on extra weight. It seems a little soon after the procedure though, but it is possible that it is an effect of hormone levels changing.

If he’s not putting on weight and he’s very hungry, you could increase his food. He’s still young and now he’s recovering from surgery, so he may need a bit extra. More greens, a few extra pellets. But he needs his hay, bunnies do. It’s sometimes hard to make them eat hay if you offer yummier food. You could offer some hay in a separate container if he doesn’t want to eat it out of the litter box. If this extra hunger goes away or not, time will have to tell.

As for bunnies making you feel bad for not giving them more food, you have to use your best judgement. My bunnies f ex often “tells” me I give them way too little pellets and unhealthy treats. In that respect, a bunny can’t always be trusted =)

It seemes he’s doing great though, and so do you.

[Author]

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