Frustrated Bunny Post-Neuter

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My bunny Doppler was neutered on Tuesday and I’ve been told to limit his excercise for 10-14 days as he heals. His surgery was more invasive than the typical neuter because my vet (who is the most rabbit savvy vet anywhere close to me) had to remove my bunny’s testes internally because they hadn’t descended yet. My rabbit is 4 months old and late to develop, the vet actually believed he was female until right before the surgery and Doppler was already out under anesthesia, or else I would have postponed surgery until he was more developed. His incision seems to be healing very well and he bounced back almost immediately after surgery, but now he’s getting increasingly frustrated being kept in his pen/cage all day every day. He’s started chewing and ripping everything, knocking stuff over, and literally climbing the x-pen (its 4 feet tall so I don’t think he’ll be able to escape). I’m getting worried he might do more harm to himself by staying cooped up in the cage than if he were to be let out. However, I also know that if I let him out into the apartment there’s going to be no way to stop him from running. Running as fast as possible across the apartment is his favorite activity. His pen is 4 feet by 6 feet and I can’t physically make it any larger due to the constraints of the room it’s in. He normally is out in the apartment 6-8 hours a day. 

I’m trying my best to get into the pen with him as much as possible to pet him and keep him company. I’m also trying to give him his veggies in smaller portions throughout the day so he has food to keep him occupied. I’ve given him new toys/cardboard boxes to play with and destroy. He’s been eating all his wood toys a lot more than usual (actually eating them) and I assume this is from frustration too. Can he eat too much wood from chew toys, should I take them away from him for now? I’ve made multiple different toys stuffed with hay and and some with hidden pellets in hopes of keeping him entertained, and he uses them, but then he goes back to destroying and being crazy. 

I can’t wait until he’s healed and has his stitches out so I can let him be free again. 

[Wick & Fable]

As general information (if you ever have a rabbit neutered again), typically waiting until the testes descend is a good practice. Sometimes you can’t do that because the rabbit is so, crazily hormonal despite testes not being descended, but if you can wait, that’s always a good option. Wick wasn’t neutered until 9 months old because his testes did not descend until 8 months old.

It’s good that you’re being conscious about limiting his space, but sometimes more harm than good can come from him constantly tugging at stuff. That could be more agitating to the incision site at times! Is it possible to expand the space some more using a combo of the X-pen and maybe furniture re-arrangement? And in that expansion, making sure there’s not many things that would tempt him to jump very high. Unfortunately, it is concerning that his favorite activity is constantly dashing around the apartment, but it’s in his best interest not to do that.

As for the wood toys, I’m unsure because Wick doesn’t have any. I haven’t read up on the safety, so other BB members can chime in with their knowledge!

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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Posted By Wick on 6/15/2018 2:36 PM

As general information (if you ever have a rabbit neutered again), typically waiting until the testes descend is a good practice. Sometimes you can’t do that because the rabbit is so, crazily hormonal despite testes not being descended, but if you can wait, that’s always a good option. Wick wasn’t neutered until 9 months old because his testes did not descend until 8 months old.

It’s good that you’re being conscious about limiting his space, but sometimes more harm than good can come from him constantly tugging at stuff. That could be more agitating to the incision site at times! Is it possible to expand the space some more using a combo of the X-pen and maybe furniture re-arrangement? And in that expansion, making sure there’s not many things that would tempt him to jump very high. Unfortunately, it is concerning that his favorite activity is constantly dashing around the apartment, but it’s in his best interest not to do that.

As for the wood toys, I’m unsure because Wick doesn’t have any. I haven’t read up on the safety, so other BB members can chime in with their knowledge!

Thanks for the reply. I’m aware it’s better to wait for the testes to descend. As I said in my post my vet believed Doppler was a female and wanted to perform a spay before the female hormonal behaviors could have a chance to set in. It was only once my rabbit was already sedated for surgery that they could do a more thorough check and realized my rabbit was actually male. I too am a little frustrated by this because I sexed my rabbit as male myself when he was still very young, but I decided to take the word of the vet and not argue with him when he told me Doppler was female. I live in a semi rural area and have limited access to vets. The vet I take my rabbit too is very knowledgable about rabbits and all his care information coincides with the recommendations of the house rabbit society, but he also does certain things that I don’t always agree with. If I had the option of finding another vet I probably would but unfortunately he’s the only vet in my area that I trust to perform surgery on a rabbit.

I really can’t expand the pen itself any large and still be able to walk through my small 600sq foot apartment. I can let him out into my bedroom, which is rabbit proofed, but he will easily be able to jump on and off my bed because the box spring sits on my floor. If I let him out into the main room of the apartment he will certainly want to run around. His pen is 24 square feet, so it’s by no means a small living area, but he’s used to having access to the entire apartment during the mornings and evenings when he’s most energetic. 

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