How to tell if rescue bun is neutered

[BrunosMama]

Hello all!

We’ve recently adopted a handsome Flemmie boy from a nearby shelter. At the time of adoption, they said their vet had confirmed he had been neutered prior to being surrendered to the shelter by the owner. We have adopted from this shelter before and I know that they are very diligent in making sure all their buns (and animals in general) are either spayed/neutered at the shelter if they were not before arriving, or for making plans to bring the animal back in cases of babies too young to be neutered before adoption.

However, I have a couple of concerns. The reason for his surrender was that he was an “unwanted gift”, which given the timeframe, I would guess he was an Easter gift. That also means if he is a Flemmie, he is probably not full grown but could still be mistaken for an adult due to size. So, it makes me wonder if his bits have possibly just not come in yet and was mistaken for being neutered? I have a hard time believing a bunny that was unwanted would have been taken in for a neuter (although I could definitely be wrong of course).

So, I’m wondering if there is a way for me to check myself or to know for sure? I suppose I need to just have a peek myself, but I’m assuming I won’t know anymore than the vet did lol. He was not noted to have a “neuter tattoo” or marking, either. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter, I don’t mind to take him in myself if needed but I was just curious of there was some method to know for sure (or even how vets know for sure lol).

Thanks! 😀

[LBJ10]

Hi Brunosmama! Haven’t seen you in awhile! Sorry your post wasn’t approved right away. We were having some issues. Anyway, congrats on the new boy!

Hmm… well, sometimes it is pretty obvious that a bunny has been neutered and sometimes it isn’t. For example, if they had some good sized testicles then there would be some notable empty sacks left behind. However, depending on how long ago the neuter was, the sacks do shrink up and become less noticeable. But if a bunny has undescended testicles, then it could be difficult to tell if something was supposed to be there or not.

[Bam]

Congrats on your new bun, Bruno’s mama!

A ver can express a bun’s testicles if they have descended but arent readily showing (as you know, rabbits can pull in their testicles under certain circumstances, like when they’re stressed during a vet visit). I agree it seems a bit unusual that someone who got a bun as an unwanted gift would spend time and money on getting the unwanted bun neutered.

Big rabbits mature later than small rabbits. And some rabbits are cryptochid, meaning their testicles never drop. Malformations of the reproductive organs are fairly common in rabbits.

The empty ball sacks shrivel up and “disappear” some time after a neuter. So it would be difficult for you to know if there used to be testicles.

 

 

[LBJ10]

I remember the vet saying “oh boy, was he neutered” when she first saw him. LOL  Now… you can’t even tell. His empty sacks shrank and you can’t really see them now.

[BrunosMama]

Thank you, Bam and LBJ!

Yeah, I’m wondering if it was a case of the previous owner said they did, the vet examined him, and if they weren’t dropped yet, maybe just took their word for it.

When he gets a little more settled, I will take a peek myself. He has impeccable litter box habits so far and doesn’t exactly have that distinct “intact boy” smell. And no sprinkler binkies yet lol. But my gosh, he eats like a horse! Lol. He is a bottomless pit, for sure lol.

[BrunosMama]

So, I took a peek today and…..he appears to be a fully locked and loaded boy bun lol. He does indeed have testicles (at least one, he was squirmy so I didn’t get a good look at the other). He must have pulled a Houdini for the shelter vet and they just took the owners word lol.

So, now I’m thinking he is not quite as old as they think either. If he has bits, but has not started any of the sexual maturity behaviors (no spraying, circling, mounting his toys, etc) then I’m thinking he may only be around 7-8 months. Like Bam said, I know Flemmies mature more slowly. The only reason I’m curious is because I’m wondering how much more time he has to grow lol. He is already the biggest bun in the house, but it will be fun to see if he still gets any bigger. 🙂 I’ve only had one FG before, my old bun Butternut, and she was around 13lb. So, hoping this guy grows into a strapping big boy! 😀

[LBJ10]

That’s great Brunosmama! The mystery has been solved! Yep, it’s never a good idea to assume with mystery bunnies. I’m going to guess the shelter just didn’t bother and took the owner’s word, which is unfortunate. But I’m sure you would have figured it out sooner or later anyway. 😉  If he isn’t being crazy hormonal, then I say give him a couple more months to see if he gets any bigger. Sometimes they will reach their full size though and just “fill out” after that.

[Bam]

Good news, now you know for sure!

I agree with LBJ, if he’s not too obnoxious hormone-wise, it’d be in his best interest to wait a while more with the neuter. It will help him grow good strong bones and good stablizing muscle, which he’ll need since he will always be carrying a lot of weight.

How much does he weigh now?

I remember Butternut 🥰

 

[BrunosMama]

Awww, Bam, I wondered if you would! You named her, after all!🧡🐰

I’m not sure how much he weighs. I want to guess between 6-7lb. Which I know is still pretty small. Now I’m curious! I will have to see if I can get him on a scale. 🙂

Oh, and we have named him Arthas, after the main bad guy in the Wrath of the Lich King expansion of World of Warcraft. 😀 Chris (my husband) and I both love WoW and Wrath is our favorite version.

Good point about about holding off on a neuter for a bit to help him grow a little stronger and bigger. 😀

As an aside, the forums seem pretty quiet. I know I haven’t been on in quite some time, but are things still pretty active mostly? I’m so glad to see all the familiar mods. 🙂

[LBJ10]

Aww! That’s a good bun name. I bet he’ll grow to be a handsome guy.

The forum has been slower lately. We were having some technical problems for a while, so that may have had something to do with it. We’re still here though.

[Bam]

6-7 lb isnt a lot for a Flemish, so he’s definitely still young and growing. (I looked at a growth chart for Flemish giants, it’s from a breeder so I can’t link to it, but I  found it with google. 6.5 is the minimum weight when you can show a junior Flemish).

The forum has been slower. We are still here though 😃

 

[jerseygirl]

Hey BM!
Gosh, I’m glad it became obvious that he was still intact.  I’m curious if you let the shelter know your discovery? Mistakes happen obviously. The feedback might help them be extra careful about future intakes and adoptions. He could have ended up inadvertently contributing to the rabbit population in another home 🫤🫤

edit to add: I don’t get on to bb like the old days but I do appear from time to time. Ignore “mod” under my name not sure why it still has that. I stepped down in in 2019. Just been reading some random threads and the current mod team is honestly top tier!

[LBJ10]

You’ll always be a mod in my eyes JG! 😉

Brunosmama – You know… maybe the shelter would be willing to pay for his neuter. It was their mistake, after all.

[BrunosMama]

Hey JG! I still think of you as a mod as well lol. Either way, its always good to hear from you!💜

Yes, I let the shelter know and they had me bring him in just to double check. It turns out, like I suspected, the previous owners had said he was neutered and I think when they checked him, he had sucked ’em up, so during the short intake exam, he probably looked neutered, too.

LBJ- yep, they are willing to do the neuter for free. However, when I sent a message to schedule the other day, they said their vet had an unexpected circumstance come up and that they won’t be able to schedule any neuters for the time being.

I may end up just taking him to our vet, though. The shelter is about 2 hours (one way) from where I live, and the drive there to have them double check him really stressed him out. My husband is concerned about the drive after a surgery being too much on him.

I had called the vet to ask how much the neuter would be, but he said he would have to do an exam before he could tell me, since its a new bun. Although, I know the spay for females is between $250-$300 at his office.

Edit to add: We have adopted from this shelter before and they are usually great with verifying the animals are altered before adoption (or doing it before they’re adopted). However, its primarily a “dog and cat” shelter, but in the last couple of years, they have been having to take in a LOT of bunnies and small animals due to several hoarder situations in the area. At one point, they took in over 50 rabbits and 10 rats, just in one go. And when I went in to adopt Arthas, it looks like a similar situation had possibly happened, where several bunnies (some pregnant) were taken in at one time. So, I know it was just an accident, and they have been super nice about it.

[jerseygirl]

Yes it seems to go back to the people who surrender him and their vet. Or the shelters vet?
Dang rabbits and they’re magical disappearing berries.

It’s lucky he ended up with you and you knew to question things and keep looking!

If not doing so already, it might be an idea to start mapping his weight and that might give you an idea of his age if he’s currently gaining then levels out. That and appearance of his testicles, he might be on normal schedule if he is a giant breed.

[BrunosMama]

Arthas is scheduled for his neuter next Wednesday(1/8)!

The shelter was able to get him scheduled in with their vet, so yay free neuter!

That being said, I’m still a little concerned about the car ride. My husband is coming along to hold his carrier and be moral support. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to make car rides easier on bunnies? He will have a towel in with him for added comfort and his stuffed bunny. Does it help to cover the carrier?

I’m excited to get it done, though. Once his hormones have “aired out” we are planning to introduce him to Georgia and start bonding them. 🙂

[LBJ10]

For some reason, consistent petting during car rides always seemed to help. I don’t know why. If you have a carrier with a little door on the top, that seems to work best.

[Bam]

My rabbit vet suggests putting some herbs in the carrier. Dandelion greens, parsley, basil, sage etc. Most rabbits wont eat in the carrier, but the scent of fresh greens is soothing.

She also says that if there’s an intial exam where you are in the exam room, bring a towel or blanket and let the bun explore the floor in the exam room while you wait for the vet/vet tech. (This is to de-stress the bun after the car ride.) But with healthy neuters its more common to just check the bun in at the front desk, so you don’t go into an exam room.

(Also bring hay and pellets for when he wakes up.)

[BrunosMama]

Thanks guys!

Yeah, Chris will be on petting duty while I drive. 🙂 That’s a good idea about the herbs.

And yes, it will just be a drop off. In fact, because the office is about 2 hours away and they usually get started super early, we are dropping him off the day before. So, definitely sending him some pellets and hay. 🙂 (I also figure this alleviates any responsibility on the shelter to provide for him – they have enough buns to feed.)

[LBJ10]

Yes, my husband always has petting duty. 😉

[DanaNM]

Wow what a saga!

As for car ride tips, I had to do a lot of car rides with my buns in the past few years (including a cross-country move) and they typically handled it much better than I was expecting. I’ve found for longer car rides they tend to just settle and sleep eventually. Before the RHDV2 vaccine was available in my state I was driving them to Connecticut annually, which was about 2 hours each way. I would put a towel and hay in the carrier but they usually wouldn’t eat on the drive. I would bring some salad greens and before we drove home I would just let them sit in the carrier in the lobby or the car (it was a very quiet vet’s office, no barking dogs or anything) and wait until they ate some salad. Then we’d head home. I never had any 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.  

[BrunosMama]

Hey DanaNM! Good to hear from you! Hope you have been doing well. 🙂

Yeah, he is the first bun I’ve had who really just seems freaked out by the car. The others have always just slept most of the time, like you mentioned. Thanks for your advice, too. 😀

[jerseygirl]

I think covering the carrier is a good idea.
If you plan to get to the appt early, would there be somewhere nearby you can just sit in the car or outside to allow him to settle then walk to vet office?
Hope it goes well !

[BrunosMama]

Update!

Arthas finally got his neuter done on Wednesday! We had to cancel his original appointment due to us being sick. But, he did well with the surgery. It turns out one of his testicles could not descend properly (cryptorchid?) So he needed a little extra work to get that taken care of. That would explain why I could only find one when I checked him myself!

Wednesday night was rough, though. He was so groggy, he couldn’t even really move around much and we had to start doing syringe feedings. He started perking up a little yesterday and by yesterday evening he was eating a little bit of hay, greens, pellets, and raisins on his own. He has been drinking a little on his own, but I may have to give him some from a syringe, too. He has a bottle and a bowl for water, but just doesn’t seem to be drinking as much as normal yet. He is peeing just fine though. His poops are starting to look more normal this morning, too.

He is still not too active, although he gets up and moves around some. But, he has been sleeping a lot. He gets one more dose of pain meds today and I will check his incisions. He is awful to try to pick up, so squirmy, so I wanted to wait a day or so before checking them in case he flips out. He seems to turn bunny burritos into bunny cannons and just shoots right out of them lol!

Bunnies and surgery make me nervous. I’m so worried about post surgery stasis or something. Our old bunny Churro had that happen when he needed sedated for a shave/groom.  He made it through, but it was rough and now I get worried.

But, it seems Arthas is on the road to recovery. Oh, and when they weighed him, he was only 5.6lb. So, I’m guessing he isn’t a full fledged Flemmie. Even if he was born around last Easter (hypothetically) he is still pretty small. Thats ok, he is still my handsome boy!

[BrunosMama]

On a side note, does anyone have any experience with getting a cryptorchid bun neutered? I know it can be more invasive depending on how far they have to search for the undescended testicle.

I checked Arthas’s incisions today, and everything looks good. All clean, no redness or swelling. But he seems to be bouncing back slower than I expected.

He is eating on his own for the most part, and his poops are slowly going back to normal (although they are still kind of odd shaped and smaller sometimes). He seems to be having problems drinking from the water bottle now (which I may have mentioned before), so he also has a dish of water and he drank from a cup earlier today.

It seems like he is sleeping a lot more than normal and moving around much slower (although he is still getting up and moving around). But he also seems to be having some problems chewing when he eats. Almost like his mouth is sore inside or is making an  exaggerated chewing motion between some bites. I’ve messaged the clinic that did his neuter, but haven’t heard back yet. I’m wondering if maybe whatever procedure they use for sedation made his mouth sore. Or, maybe its sensitive from the syringe feeding.

He got his last dose of pain meds today, so I’m hoping he will continue to improve slowly but surely.

[LBJ10]

Yes, but it was pretty much like a spay. 😯

I’m glad to hear Arthas is doing well for the most part and he finally got his neuter done. Was this done by the shelter vet so you didn’t have to pay? It was their mistake, so I do hope so. Boys usually bounce back pretty quickly, but if they had to do more then it could mean a longer recovery. Things don’t sound too bad though since he is eating and pooping.

[BrunosMama]

No, it wasn’t with the shelter, but its not their fault. We originally had him scheduled with them (they were happy to do it for free since they had missed it), but we had the flu and couldn’t make the 4 hour drive that day (its 2 hrs each way). And since then, the weather here has been super cold, snowy, and icy. So, I checked with a local chapter of the House Rabbit Society and they recommended a low-cost spay/neuter clinic that take bunnies on a regular basis, so their vet is familiar with them. In fact, it seems like they treat buns nearly every day they do surgery. The appointments filled quickly! Its also closer, only about a 45 minute drive, so it was easier on Arthas, too. 🙂

This evening he is perking up a bit more, eating hay and is more alert. He is also eating greens quite well. He is slow on the pellets, but I know the hay is the biggie. He doesn’t seem to be showing obvious signs of discomfort, either. So, hopefully it will all be uphill from here. 🙂

[BrunosMama]

Just a quick update: Arthas has fully recovered from his neuter and is back to his old bouncy, happy self. 🙂 It took about a week, but he is doing great now!

I think, though, we are going to have to basically go over litter box training with him again lol. He will use his box sometimes, but has decided its more fun to go on the floor and any soft surface. Messy boy!

[LBJ10]

That will happen sometimes. His hormones will settle though, so yeah, just go back to litter training 101 for a while.

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