How do you tell when a rabbit is ready to be neutered?

[Jazzable]

I have a male french lop, he’s about 4.5 months old now. I’m wondering when it will be time to get him neutered and I’m not sure how to tell. A lot of advice says to wait until sexual maturity, but without really specifying how to identify sexual maturity! I know there might be behavioural stuff like spraying and aggression, but ideally I’d like to get him done before those issues can arise (i.e. as soon as possible). Is there a minimum age / maturity level before which it’s impossible/unsafe to neuter a rabbit? Or can it be done any time? I’ve also read that larger breeds like french lops take longer to reach maturity, but again no specific detail about how to tell other than possibly noticing behaviour problems.

I’ve noticed my rabbit scent-marking things with his chin, and he often does that little rhythmic grunting sound at me which is apparently to do with mating. But I don’t think he’s done any spraying, and he is super friendly and laid-back so has never been aggressive or territorial at all. How do I tell if he’s ready? Getting to the vet is quite a hassle so I’d really like to avoid going all the way there just for the vet to say it can’t be done yet. :S

[Sirius&Luna]

With small breeds, most vets will neuter makes from 4 months old, as long as their testicles have appeared. If your rabbit is small at 4 months, then I would wait a bit longer – it’s always safer to operate on a larger rabbit, I think over a kilo is preferred, but my vet said one of mine would probably never be over a kilo so 800grams was what she’d aim for.

With big breeds, they continue growing for longer, so it’s better to wait until they’re a bit older as apparently the hormones help them to grow strong bones.

Sexual behaviours include spraying, humping, honking and grunting, but some rabbits don’t display these.

Basically, as long as their testicles have appeared, they’re over 4 months old and weigh over a kilo, they should be good to go.

Edit: I see he’s a French lop, which is a bigger breed, so it’s probably worth you waiting a bit longer. Could you call your vet and ask when they would advise without you bringing him in?

[Jazzable]

Yeah he’s already really big – around 3kg now and still going strong. Is it possible [for an amateur like me!] to identify whether the testicles have appeared yet? I haven’t inspected him closely but I’ll give it a try if I know what to look for. Has anyone got tips or resources on that?

My vet is not super specialised – they regularly see rabbits but just not with the level of specialism to know all about different breeds (and see more smaller breeds just because they’re more common pets). When I was there a couple of months ago for vaccinations I asked about when to neuter and they just sort of vaguely said ‘he’s not ready yet’.. Which is fair enough, but if it’s at all possible for me to tell when he’s ready, that would be a lot more convenient than having to go to the vet every few weeks just for someone to look at his junk and send me home again!

[Sirius&Luna]

If they’re there, you should be able to see if you get him to stand up on his hind legs (eg, hold a treat high). They’re pink and generally pretty prominent ? you can always google it if you don’t feel weird about it!

They can suck them in if they want to though, so just because you can’t see them, doesn’t necessarily mean they’re not there. But getting him to stand up means you’re more likely to see them if he’s got them, since he won’t feel threatened.

If you can, it might be worth trying to find a vet that does see lots of bunnies. The more operations they do, the safer it is.

If he isn’t displaying annoying behaviour, I would leave it until he’s around 6 months for a bigger bunny. Bigger bunnies do mature slower too, so it’s totally possible that they aren’t there yet.

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