Is it worth the money?

[Lola270]

Hello everyone?

So where I live it costs me 200$ to spay a rabbit. So that would be 400$ dollars in total. Now I’m not an adult or anything, I can’t say my age, but I don’t know if I want to spend 400$ spaying my two girls. I would LOVE to blond them. Is it really worth it? Not to sound negative or anything but what if they didn’t make it after the operation? Or did, and then 2 weeks later and got sick… I just don’t know.

[Shannon]

Lola,
I read your bio quick. Because it gives your buns ages. For your older bun it probably wouldn’t be worth the rist. If you your other bunny is now over a year, then you have a pretty good read on her personality. I believe the only reason to spay other than behavior,would be a worry of cervical (girl part) cancer. Not sure if being unspayed would hinder their ability to bond.

some unfixed bunnies have a lot of undesirable habits. (chewing,digging, frustration)

[Cottontail]

Spaying and neutering can be stressful on everyone, but it does have benefits.

The most obvious benefits are definitely eliminating oops litters, reproductive cancers and hormonal spraying/marking. Other benefits to consider is the fact that once the procedure is done, hormones dissipate… this is like allowing someone to not be in PMS mode 24-7. Hormones make them naturally territorial and defensive, because that’s what mommies need to be in order to defend their nests and babies. Once the hormones die down it takes away the natural stress of securing nesting space and territory to reproduce. That is a major factor when it comes to bonding. Coming from personal experience of having high hormone levels, once you can get them under control you feel so much better and it’s a lot easier to relax and get along with other people.

You could speak with your vet about any concerns you have with the procedure itself. Spays are a big surgery, with risks, but it’s pretty straight forward. Even in the case of the bunnies being in early pregnancy during the procedure (which happens on occasion) it’s still a standard slit and stitch process. Our Tilly was a year old when she got spayed. Since then she’s quickly litter trained, is more trusting, and finds it easier to relax anywhere rather than just in sheltered corners of her cage.

Duncan, our boy, was a stray and about 3 years old when he was neutered… He’s still a territorial bunny, but not as much as before his surgery. He went from trying to dominate all the time, charging and nipping… to now he is learning to trust more and he is a cuddle bunny with Ms. Tilly.

Ultimately it will be up to you whether to spay your girls, but I recommend it from experience. If you can’t afford it now, perhaps making a vet fund will help. You can put aside 5, 10, 20 dollars here and there, until you can afford the spays… and once they are complete it would be good to continue in case of any medical emergencies or even just routine visits that will be needed. I wish you and your furbabies the best.

[Lola270]

Thank you Shannon and Cottontail, for the answers.

[vanessa]

Lola, I woudl research some more. Ask yoru local shelter to reccomend a low cost spay clinic. I drove 80 miles to have my rabbits spayed at a low cost clinic. It cost $50 for the boys, $75 for the girls. My vet would have charged $450. Keep looking around. I tried many places that woudl only do low cost on dogs and cats. I finally found one 80 miles away. They only did rabbit surgeries on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

[blubudgie]

I think it is worth it but definitely research some more to find some cheaper options.

For your younger bunny a cheaper, low cost clinic would be fine. I got mine spayed at the local SPCA animal spay clinic. See if you have something similar in your area.

For your older bunny, 6 years is a risky time to have surgery, but it is also around the age where uterine tumors/cancer can develop. The chances are rather high (80%) When weighing the benefits and costs, I would recommend talking to your vet about it. Only they can give you an accurate and reliable answer on whether or not to spay. Then if you decide to go through with the spay have your vet or a rabbit experienced vet perform the surgery . It will be more expensive but surgery at that age is risky so it will be worth the price. If your vet does not recommend the spay keep in mind if a tumor does appear, the surgery to remove it will also be risky and even more expensive than a spay. My friend’s rabbit had her rabbit’s uterine tumor removed for a discount and it was $500, not including the costs of diagnosis. Definitely talk to the vet and hear what they have to say.

[missmissi]

My vet wanted $80 pet bun, which I’m ok with, but wouldn’t do it until at least 8 months of age. Others on my area would take them at 5or6 months, for $200-$250 each. Can’t see where you live, I’m in north Texas. I found TCAP in Denton, a 2 hour drive from our home, that took them at 6 months for about $50 each, similar to vanessa’s. I had 12 of them, timing was imperative, so this was well worth it.

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