Bunny going for op tomorrow

[LizziAnn]

So about twenty minutes ago I was sprayed in the face by my dear little bunny Bucky – nothing out of the ordinary there.
Tomorrow is his op, thank god I have been waiting for about two months now, not to mention that it was actually booked for last Tues and the vet had to postpone it.
I was just curious to know if his castration will fix his spraying and humping behaviour for definite because it is still really hindering our experience with him? He still can’t come out for play and like I said previously, he sprays me.
Also, will it instantly happen is he likely to do it in the 4-6 week recovery period, will it be after this time?
I could live with the humping but the spraying has to stop

Also also, any advice/ tips on what to do with the poor little guy tomorrow upon bringing him home would be helpful.

Thank you.

[JackRabbit]

My boy never sprayed after his neuter, but both that and the humping could continue for a while after his neuter. Beyond the short neuter healing period, I would not keep him in his cage because he *might* spray. If he does it at all, I would hope it would be rare.

[Flopsie]

wow LizziAnn, i don’t know how I would react to that right in the face. kudos to you for being so patient but I definitely can understand your frustration!

[BinkyMom14]

Those behaviors stopped when I got my bun neutered. It might happen a little bit during recovery but shouldn’t be long for the behaviors to subside. For after his surgery I just made sure he had plenty of food and water and love it’s a traumatic experience for them and he will likely be very subdue the same day. Also make sure to check his stitches and make sure no infections set in. Good luck!

[Bam]

It took 2 weeks after neutering for my Bam to stop displaying sexually driven behavior. In some buns it may take up to 8 weeks, but I think 2 weeks is the most common.

Tomorrow you should feed him right before surgery, bunnies should not fast like people or other animals. When you bring him home you should offer him a selection of his favorite foods, it’s very important that he starts eating asap. If 12 hours go by and he’s still not eating, you should syringe feed him pellet slur or Critical Care. If that happens, post again for more info. Give him water in an open bowl, a bottle may be too bothersome when he’s not feeling right. See to it that he keeps warm, a hot water bottle with a towel around places so that he can move away from it is good if it’s chilly. Bunnies can get hypothermia in connection with anesthesia. Check for poop. Poop is good and means the tummy is working.

Other than that, check the incisions twice a day for redness, swollenness or leaking fluids. Most bunnies recover very quickly, but they should not be allowed to jump or climb for about 48-72 hs post surgery.

Good luck!

[LizziAnn]

Thank you for the replies everyone.
I just can’t get over this guy, yes he sprays me in the face and likes to hump my hand when I pet him, but in the car while driving to the vets this morning he happily nibbled away at the hay AND then he did a flop. As if he was just at home with nothing going on. He is so laid back.
He was fine in the car ride home too. I set his cage up with fresh hay, water and kale and he immediately started chomping away when I put him back. So he is eating fine and pooping, there is little movement though and he does keep nodding off- to be expected I suppose.

I do have some concerns though. They didn’t give me any pain killers. I did ask for Meticam but they said he wouldn’t need them and I fear he is chewing his wound. How do I know if he is chewing it or just cleaning? .. or eating his poop?

[Bam]

It sounds like he’s doing just great!

You don’t really know what he’s doing “down there” as he does it, but you can see if he pays excess attention to the area. Hopefully he’ll sleep well tonight. Just keep an eye on him. Some bunnies don’t do well in too strict confinement after surgery, they may be so bored that they start to nibble at their stitches. See to it that he has his toys, branches to chew etc.

Often the rabbit gets a long-acting painkiller at the vets, so he won’t need any more until at least 24 hs or so. If you should see pain in him after that, then you can call you vet for a prescription. Since your bunny is already eating and pooping, he will probably recover quickly.

[LizziAnn]

Ok. I think I will be able to tell if pain levels start to increase after 24 hours because he is being quite active now and is eating normal. He is limited to his dog crate at the moment but I will keep in mind what you said about boredom.
Thank you Bam

[kirstyol]

Bramble was very sleepy for a few days after his op and didn’t really eat much either, sounds like your wee guy is doing well already. Do keep an eye on his wound though, Bramble bit his a little but thankfully it was nothing too serious, my vet did say that was a sign of pain though and extended his painkiller for a few days (he was sent home with three days worth) so I would definitely go back to them if you see him chewing his wound a lot because he might need a painkiller. As for the behaviours, I cant really speak for spraying because we were lucky and got Bramble neutered before this started but he had become a little aggressive in certain situations and this stopped pretty much instantly, he had a few wee outbursts for the first few weeks but it was nothing like before and after that he has been fine, he was only neutered in September.

[Megabunny]

How’s the baby doing? Did the spraying stop? Hope he’s behaving himself!

[LizziAnn]

Well he had his op on Tuesday and I was sat with him that night just before I went to bed and he sprayed me haha but it didn’t happen yesterday and hasn’t today either so I am hoping that’s it.
He is doing great though. He is his normal happy self, a bit annoyed about not having his xpen attatched to the dog crate. Even though they didn’t give me pain meds for him he seems fine. I checked his wound, a bit swollen but the cut is clean and healthy looking.
Thank you

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