Cryptorchid Bun/ Surgery

[A & CB]

Hello BinkyBunny Community!

After a whirlwind annual vet appointment today we discovered my bunny is not in fact, neutered as we suspected, but is intact with undescended testicles! I was wondering if anyone was familiar with cryptorchid buns and had any insight to share?

My bunny was found outside a year and a half ago so unfortunately we do not know his history (last year at our first vet appointment they concluded he was neutered). He is around 2-3 years old and exhibits none of the traditional unfixed male behaviors: he’s beautifully litter box trained, super social and comfortable with people, and the most hormonally-charged behavior he does is circle my feet when he’s expecting a treat. He is solitary at this point (I am willing to find him a partner if it makes sense for him). Also he is missing a tail and has “unicorn” ears (one lopped, one he can move around) so he’s got quite a bit of quirky genetics!

Interestingly, the vet caught the abnormality while inspecting his penis, which she noticed was pointier than normal. She actually brought in a resident male bunny to compare genitals lol! The vet felt his abdomen and found two lumps she suspects are the testicles, although she also mentioned that there is a chance he’s got ovaries too/instead.

My bun is scheduled for a surgery to explore his abdomen, remove what they find, and then biopsy to make sure it is testes/etc. I am a little nervous since it is more of an invasive surgery than a normal neutering and this will be his first procedure of any kind. I have a lot of trust in the vet clinic doing the surgery (they are highly regarded in the rabbit community) but I am also aware that cryptorchidism is rather rare.

I would really appreciate anecdotes/info about cryptorchid neutering, cryptorchid males, (or even other tail-less rabbits!) to soothe my nerves.  Thanks for reading 🙂

 

[LBJ10]

It really isn’t much different than a spay surgery. One of my bunnies had one testicle that didn’t descend. It was kind of funny because it looked like both of them were there. But when the vet went to do the neuter, she found a testicle in one sack and a fatty deposit in the other. She found the second testicle in his abdomen after a little “exploratory surgery”. He was fine. He recovered well, although not as quickly as he would have if he had simply been neutered.

[Wick & Fable]

Agreed that it isn’t too niche or specialized of a surgery. At a rescue I volunteered for, we had a neutered male who was still very hormonal and they found he has a 3rd testicle in there. As long as you’re working with an experienced rabbit surgeon, there should be no issues!

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.

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