Intact male rabbit with spayed female?

[Butterscotch]

I have a male rabbit approximately one year old that is not fixed. He is a sweet bunny with absolutely no behaviors. I have recently adopted a spayed female from my local shelter. I would like to keep them in the same room. They would be separated by a metal barrier. I have inquired about neutering him but have not found a vet that I am comfortable with. He had a vet visit recently and the receptionist told me to fast him prior to surgery, I was not given any info or even an estimate for the procedure. I specifically asked if they were familiar with neutering rabbits and the doctor said “it’s pretty straight forward”. I have called most of the numbers on the list from the HRS and have had two vet visits that have lead nowhere. Any advice? Is it possible for them to live side by side with the male still intact?

[Bam]

The male could become very stressed by the presence of a female. Unwanted behaviors such as pee spraying and relentless courtship could be sparked. A male bun can be very intense when he’s fallen in love. There’s no “guarantee” this will happen of course, but the likehood is rather high I’d say.

A neuter is a pretty straightforward procedure, but anesthetizing a rabbit can be risky if the vet is unused to rabbits. Here’s an article directed at vets about anesthesia in rabbits: http://beta.veterinarypartner.com/default.aspx?pid=17256&catId=93477&id=4951540

[tobyluv]

It sometimes happens that a receptionist will give out the wrong info regarding rabbits, since they are more used to dealing with questions about cats and dogs, even if the vet himself or herself is rabbit savvy. Before choosing a vet, ask them how many rabbits they see and how many surgeries they have performed. If you want to give us your general location, maybe someone here will have a vet recommendation.

[Butterscotch]

I asked the vet how many rabbits they typically see and she said not very many. I also asked how many surgeries they have done on rabbits and she didn’t give a straight answer. This is one reason I am worried about getting him neutered there. I was left sitting in the waiting room at my other appointment and was told after 45 minutes that the vet that sees rabbits left for the day and I could see a regular vet, I replied that I needed to see someone who was familiar with rabbits and they asked me to reschedule my appointment which I declined. I am still on the hunt for someone familiar with spay and neuter for rabbits in my area. Thank you to all who have replied

[LBJ10]

Who does the shelter use?

[Butterscotch]

So I think I found a vet that I want to go with for my rabbits surgery. I just need an opinion from others more experienced. The vet uses an internal nueter technique where they go through the abdomen. Is there any reason they would go that route or benefits from doing it this way? She said they had better healing outcomes this way. I am concerned about them having to go in and possibly causing more damage than needs to be done. Any opinions one way or the other? Maybe I am worried for nothing.

[Author]

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