Bunny neutering question ..and …at what age can impregnation occur?

[Purplepaw]

Hi — I ended up getting a 2nd young Holland Mini Lop rabbit recently, as a companion for my first one.  I added a large pen area to their cage so they have nearly the whole room to run around in.  Unfortunately soon after bringing the 2nd new one (Cinnamon) home I saw the first Holland Lop (Flopsy) mounting Cinnamon, and I then checked his genitals and discovered that Flopsy is NOT a girl as I was told when I bought him, but is a boy.  So now unfortunately I have a girl and a boy bunny and don’t want babies. !!

So my question is about neutering and impregnation. 

I contacted a veterinarian asking about getting Flopsy the boy bunny neuterered, and they told me that bunnies have to be 4-6 months old to be neutered.  Flopsy the boy is about 10-11 weeks old and Cinnamon the girl is 7-8 weeks old.  So if what the vet said is correct, I have to wait another month or so to get Flopsy neutered ( I was going to neuter him only, not Cinnamon).  What do I do in the meantime? Can impregnation occur at their ages? Do I have to keep them separate for the next month? This is difficult as I wanted them to share the playpen area, and keeping them separate would mean only one can play out in the pen at a time.  

If anyone knows the youngest age at which a female bunny can be impregnated, that would help me plan what to do here. 

Also…is the vet correct that bunnies need to be 4 months old to neuter? 

I called 4 vets actually about this…I got different opinions but the cost was enormously different. THe vet who says the bunny needs to be 4 months to neuter him, charges $250 to do the neutering.  The vet who said he could be neutered now, would bill me $520 to $585 for the same operation.  Actually most vets in my area charge the higher rate, more like $500 to get it all done.  The $250 vet was the exception and definitely I’d llke to save money.  So clearly I dont’ want to pay over twice as much to get him neutered! 

[sarahthegemini]

You can’t just put two rabbits together. You need to keep them separate, have them BOTH neutered and spayed and then after their hormones have disipated you can pre bond.

I would think at 8 weeks old, your doe is too young to get pregnant. But they still need to be separated because clearly your boy is already acting hormonal.

When it comes to your rabbit’s surgery – It’s not about who charges the least. It’s about who is competent and experienced.

[Sirius&Luna]

I would say 4 months was the absolute minimum for neutering. You need to wait until their balls drop, which can be any time from 4 months onwards.

I would also suggest that you get the girl spayed, since there’s a high chance of her developing uterine cancer if you don’t.

You must keep them separated, at least 10 inches apart, so they can’t reach and mate through the bars. This will be at least a month, as they need a month to recover from the surgery, and you’ll need to prebond etc. It must not be rushed.

Then, once they’re both fixed you can start to bond them.

[Purplepaw]

I didnt’ realize I couldn’t put 2 rabbits together…do you mean until both are neutered? But that would imply that everyone neuters all their rabbits and I dont’ think that is the case, for instance if they have 2 of the same gender.

[kirstyol]

Yes every responsible rabbit owner neuters all their buns because neutering in rabbits is about much more than just pregnancy. I have two neutered males personally, many people have two spayed females and some have a male and a female who are both desexed. You cannot just put two buns together ever, its a bonding process that can take an awful lot of time and isn’t successful in all cases. Both should be desexed and fully healed up from their operations before you even begin the process. there is also a ridiculously high chance of uterine cancer in an unsprayed female, so females should always be spayed for this reason, let alone for bonding

[Wick & Fable]

It’s a common misconception (not fixing for two same-sex rabbits), but it’s good you’re learning now by participating in these helpful forums! In addition to preventing pregnancies, a fixing procedure prevents hormone secretion in the rabbit, which would cause it to 1) become aggressive and possessive of its territory and 2) become rambunctious in the urge to mate and reproduce.

A non-fixed rabbit, who experiences these hormone secretion, will, unlike a fixed rabbit, be potentially quite aggressive to anyone invading it’s space (rabbit or human), and would display frustrated behaviors for not being able to mate and reproduce (i.e. fur pulling, destructive behaviors). All animals are wired to reproduce, especially rabbits, so innately, not being able to go out, find a doe, and mate with her, would make a male rabbit very frustrated. This is the case for pet rabbits, as no owner should willy-nilly let a male rabbit go and reproduce.

The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.

[tobyluv]

It doesn’t matter if the rabbits are the same gender. Once they reach puberty, and are dealing with hormones, they can become territorial, aggressive and can fight. Rabbits can severely injure each other when they fight. They can also hold grudges if they fight, and may never want to be together in the future. Your rabbits need to be kept completely separate, not even allowed out together for a minute of play or exercise. A fight or a pregnancy can occur within seconds.

Some low cost spay/neuter clinics include rabbits, although many are for dogs and cats only. Since you will need to pay for two surgeries, you might check into whether or not there is a low cost clinic in your area that accepts rabbits. You do have to make sure that the vets are well versed in rabbit care and surgery.

You will need to be patient, keep the rabbits apart until both have had their surgeries, and a month has passed since the last one has had surgery, then you can start the bonding procedures.

Here are 2 good articles on bonding:

http://rabbit.org/faq-bonding-multiple-rabbits/
https://binkybunny.com/BUNNYINFO/tabid/53/CategoryID/9/PID/940/Default.aspx

[sarahthegemini]

Posted By Purplepaw on 11/20/2017 11:37 AM

I didnt’ realize I couldn’t put 2 rabbits together…do you mean until both are neutered? But that would imply that everyone neuters all their rabbits and I dont’ think that is the case, for instance if they have 2 of the same gender.

Rabbits that are hormonal can fight. That’s why you shouldn’t put rabbits together that haven’t been neutered and bonded.

[Purplepaw]

Posted By tobyluv on 11/20/2017 1:34 PM

Here are 2 good articles on bonding:

http://rabbit.org/faq-bonding-multiple-rabbits/
https://binkybunny.com/BUNNYINFO/tabid/53/CategoryID/9/PID/940/Default.aspx

Thank you for the helpful articles.  I have books on rabbits but unfortunately the books didn’t have any information on these subjects.  Not that great! 

[LBJ10]

Successful bonds ultimately come down to personalities. However, if hormones are at play, it can complicate things and get in the way of any chance of forming a lasting bond. As the others have said, any rabbit (male or female) has the potential to become aggressive once they reach sexual maturity. So, yes, spaying and neutering isn’t just about avoiding pregnancy. There are many reasons to spay or neuter a rabbit. Spaying prevents reproductive cancers, while spaying/neutering reduces unwanted (hormonal) behaviors and makes your bunny easier to litter train. And no hormones means bunnies are free to form bonds with one another without there being “only one thing on their minds”.

For the best shot at success, you should separate your bunnies for now. Keep them separate until they have both been desexed. If money is an issue, you can do the male first, then the female. Keep them separate until they are both done and healed, then start the formal bonding process.

Also… just gonna throw this out there. If you happen to have the boy done first, resist the urge to put them together!. You won’t know when she’s capable of becoming pregnant and boys can have viable sperm for some time after the neuter.

[Columbo & Gadget]

Hi,
I’m a brand new rabbit mom as of July. I got a male & female at 7&10 weeks old. I had them together and they bonded. I was told that they couldn’t reproduce until 4 months. I separated them at 3 months and scheduled the spay and neuter. One day before the surgery, she had a stillborn litter. Turns out they can get pregnant earlier than 4 months.

I would separate them now, but let them be able to see each other so they can bond while you wait for the surgery.

I paid about $500 for his neuter, only to find the vet (or techs) were not rabbit savvy as advertised. He recovered fine, but while at the vet, they placed them together post neuter for “emotional support.” Exactly 31 days later, I have a surprise litter, despite that I had them separated before the surgery. I learned the hard way that males are still fertile after their surgery for up to a few weeks. Clearly, the vet was not knowledgeable enough to know not to put them together.

Point is, separate them now, and if you only neuter him, leave them separate for several weeks post surgery! Also, more expensive doesn’t necessarily mean better vet.

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