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 😃

 

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