Neuter day nerves and my growing boy **PICS**

[Jessica Rabbit]

Hey guys! I know I haven’t posted here in a while – sometimes, it’s a choice between talking about bunnies and spending time with them! 

So Thursday is the big day for Harvey and Jack. I couldn’t be more nervous! I -know- that I am doing the right thing for them, and I completely trust our vet. I guess it’s just that redirected maternal instinct causing me to fret over every bad possibility ever. Knowing that most of you have been through this, do you have any tips to reduce my panic?

And just because, here are some pictures!

The day I brought Jack home (Aug 31), he was just a little thing….

 

 

And a week later, I swear he’d gotten bigger already.

By the first week of October, he completely outgrew the cage I’d had him in….

 

That picture made me realize that he needed to move to something larger immediately. I’m not sure if he’s done yet, but here are a couple  of pics from this past weekend.

Jack is thrilled about the noms, and angry about the camera.

(please don’t judge the mess! I -swear- i vacuum!)

 

I thought he was a mini rex, now I have no idea. It doesn’t matter very much, but what do you guys think he is?

[LBJ10]

How much does he weigh now?

[Jessica Rabbit]

I can answer that on thursday – he was just under 5 lbs when he was at the vet first week of October, but I feel like he’s gained more.

[Sarita]

Don’t worry! I’ve gone through many spays and neuters and if your vet is rabbit experienced you should have no problem :~)

He’s very cute.

[LBJ10]

Sarita is right, he’s very cute. His fur doesn’t look rex. It looks smooth in the pictures. He’s probably some sort of mixed breed. I’m not good with rabbit breeds. LOL

I’m sure he will be fine. I was worried too and the vet even had a problem with Wooly, but everything turned out fine in the end.

[Sam and Lady's Human]

I didn’t worry, I’m not sure why. I tend to have a “no worries” outlook on life in general though

He’s def not a rex Wrong fur He looks a little like polish maybe?

[equalsign]

 I’d keep yourself busy on the day of his neuter. Mindless tasks work best. Make sure the plans can be shifted in case he gets neutered earlier than his appointed time. Mine was. Also, consider buying a gift for him to take the edge off the guilt. That’s what I do. Consider waiting a couple days to give it to him just to make sure he doesn’t get stressed out. 

 

Although neutering is in some ways is unethical, remind yourself that the good outweighs the bad. Knowing my rabbit personally, I thought that he would rather be neutered and bonded than intact and alone. Also, this means that with training I should be able to trust him more and he can have more time outside of his pen. I really thought that neutering was in his best interest and would make him happier.

 

Also, their horomones can be thrown for a little while after the surgery. Be ready for crazy buns.

 

Check if your vet uses isofluorene gas. It’s usually considered best for bunnies.

[Sam and Lady's Human]

How is neutering unethical????

[piperknitsRN]

Just know that the neuter is done for his health (as well as your sanity–those teenage bunny days can be something else).  I had my Olive spayed at four months and I was more worried about caring for her post-spay.  The vet took her home with him after the spay (standard procedure) and I got her the next morning.  They tend to look like they’ve been through the wringer a bit, but they should perk up.  Tempt your bunny to eat with his favorite (fresh) foods.  I think I got Olive to eat by feeding her a little slice of banana (one of her all time favorites) and some leafy greens… and pellets, she LOVES pellets.  Then she started eating her hay (she LOVES hay… lady just likes her food) and pooping, and I knew she was gonna be ok.  (The nice thing about getting Simon from a shelter was that he was already neutered and I didn’t have to worry about any of that post-op care).  Make sure to get some pain medication (I was sent home with Metacam) for the bunny for the next few days post op–it will reduce his pain and make him more likely to eat sooner rather than later. 

[Mandyyy]

Yeah, I agree, how is fixing unethical? With any species, from a rat to a dog, it’s good for them. It insures a longer life, a better temp, less likely to get babies (and for cats and dogs, it won’t add the population issues).

I have heard someone against fxing deeming it’d the same as cosmetic docking/cropping, but it’s nothing the same. It betters you and your animals lives.

I agree with keeping yourself busy so you don’t worry too much. That’s what I did when I got my hound mix fixed. She was abused and was terrified of people she didn’t know; and a week before I got her fixed her litter brother was at the vets and he bite someone (he was a puppy from an abuse case, so they didn’t make a fuss out of it). I was a nervous mommy.

[equalsign]

I sincerely wasn’t fishing with an argument with that statement prior. I was only wanting to reassure any doubts she could have had. I hope I did not offend anyone. 

 

As I said, I think the good outweighs the bad. To me it is a mutilation, and is something invasive done without permission. In animals we do it in prevention, wherein with humans castrations and hysterectomies are (typically) only done as a last resort treatment (and with permission). For myself and many others who want or need their rabbits to live with opposite sex partners, we cannot accept contributing to animal overpopulation and therefore suffering.

 

Decisions with this kind of lasting impact on someone else need to be sincerely thought through, and spaying/neutering is not a black and white issue. We can’t ask our rabbits what they want or explain to them our reasons. We try to do what we think is in their best interests and hope we’re right.

[Sam and Lady's Human]

Honestly I fervently disagree. When it comes to rabbits, alteration gives a 85% chance at a life without cancer. It also subdues hormones that often leave a bunny either dropped off at a rescue for being “mean”, or left in a cage the rest of its sad life, or worse.
That is black and white enough.

[Stickerbunny]

With humans it is a last resort because most *want* children and it is considered an awful loss to lose the ability to have children. I wish I could get myself spayed to remove hormones and stomach cramps, but sadly there are too many complications with a human (such as hormone treatments needed, ick) which is the only thing that stops me. lol

Just try to keep yourself busy while they are at the vet. Will they call and let you know when they are out of surgery? Mine did the minute they knew my buns were OK and it was a great service they offered, cause I was worried about the little ones. When Powder was out we went out to eat and did some errands and I still kept watching the clock waiting for when they said it would be over. But it’s a very LOW chance anything would happen.

For them, make sure you clean their litter boxes and such with vinegar so they have a really clean area to come back to, it helps with preventing infection. And get their favorite treats to entice them to eat, I know boys are easier to heal up than girls, but my boy was the exception to that rule so better to have the needed stuff on hand just in case.

He is very very cute and glad he got a bigger area, he looked so tiny in those cages, they grow up fast! And don’t worry about the mess, if you could see what *I* walk into every day when I wake up (which means I get to clean 2x a day!), you’d think that was immaculate. lol

[Jessica Rabbit]

Thank you all
So, not a rex. hrm. Who knows what he might be, the important part is that he’s the binky MASTER.

I hope they call after the surgery, and I’ll ask when I drop them off. We’re giving them hubby’s number to call – otherwise I will be anxiously waiting by the phone the entire day having panic attacks at the thought of something going wrong. Our vet is using isofluorene as the anesthetic, and I really do trust that my babies are in good hands. I’m just being a ‘mom’ here I guess.

Stickerbunny I’m with you! I’d have gotten spayed a looooooong time ago if it weren’t so invasive and didnt involve icky hormone treatments! Hubby’s thinking about his own neuter procedure, much much less invasive and icky.

equalsign I see your point – I can’t ask the boys what they want, and I think that if I could they would say that what they REALLY want is a harem. but given the health benefits, and the benefit of not having all of those frustrating hormones, it seems worth it. ALL Harvey wants is to hump – and I feel a little guilty, like I’m trying to take away who he is. Jack is a teenager (8 months or so – those tiny baby pics were at 6 months) and while he would still rather pee on his stuffy than hump it, he’s going through quite the destructive phase. I’m hoping they BOTH calm down in a few weeks! I’m planning to keep myself busy tomorrow by giving them sparkling clean areas to come home to. Harvey is not going to be in his regular cage this weekend just because I want to minimize jumping, we’ve borrowed a large dog crate we can house him in until he’s healed. Jack is in a crate/xpen setup, so I think I’m just going to leave it as is, only taking out his tube.

[equalsign]

 Don’t have the time for a real response, but I do think that I’ve been misread. I am pro-spaying and neutering in most cases. Both of my rabbits have had the surgery. That first comment wasn’t meant to mean anything. I was asked what was unethical about spaying/neutering, so I specifically commented on that. I did not give my complete opinion on spaying and neutering. If I did, you would see that I am for it. One could make an argument on it being unethical to neuter, and one could make an argument on it being unethical not to neuter. That is where the grey area comes in, and part of why I say it is not a black and white issue.

 

Do a search for “long term risks of neutering.” It’s highly debatable whether it’s good for their health, especially with males. Note that you are going to get dog results, not rabbit results. That said, I think any drastic alteration of any creature’s body like that is going to have drastic consequences. However, you could say that the rabbits will be much less likely to fight and injure eachother. Therefore, it will likely be better for their health. Another grey area. The argument is full of them. Saying something is black and white is dangerous because it can sometimes discourage further thought and analysis. I believe that most of the time a spay or neuter can be a good, ethical choice. I can imagine some situations where it is less so. I’ll explain more in a more full response. I’m really sorry about highjacking the thread. Perhaps I will just message it. Back to homework!

 

PS: My little boy who just got neutered is destroying my house. I definately recommend supervised play time. One minute he’s fine and chill, and then I come back in the room and he’s torn up the carpet from the wall. Ugh.

[Stickerbunny]

They will probably calm down, but don’t expect the bad behaviors to magically go away. And honestly, expect them to get WORSE before they get better, as when their hormones are evening out, they can turn into little devils! Powder turned into the opposite of his normal personality for a little bit. But now he seems to feel better (binkies/runs more) and he has his girlfriend to keep him company / snuggle with.

And yeah he doesn’t look like he has rex fur, you can tell easily though by touching him. Rex fur is VERY dense and feels a lot like velvet, it’s so soft. Your boys fur looks more regular and longer than a rex.

[Jessica Rabbit]

A quick update. The boys had to stay overnight on the day of the surgery (the receptionist wasn’t sure) and aside from being annoyed with me for keeping them cooped up and checking their incision areas (oh and how they HATE taking the metacam), they are doing great. I knew our vet was using isofleurane on them and has been neutering rabbits for probably as long as I’ve been alive, so I was okay with what he was doing. He was also very straightforward in saying if he had any reason to doubt this was ok, he wouldn’t go ahead with the surgery. Just, ‘mom’ nerves.

Stickerbunny: I’m not expecting perfection out of the little guys, and I’m prepared for their hormones to have a “last hurrah”, i just hold lofty hopes that Harvey can one day develop an outside interest and Jack will maybe just relax a bit,though I’m sure adolescence has a lot to do with his bunnytude too.

equalsign: don’t worry, I wasn’t taking it as anything more than food for thought Feel free to PM me. It came across to me that you were just looking at both sides of the issue. As you said in an earlier post, we can’t ask them what they want, so we just sort of have to make an educated guess and hope we’re doing the right thing by them.

My educated guess says these two would actually probably be happier with a friend, and I knew the first step toward making that happen was to have them neutered. Not to mention I really like the idea of better litterbox habits

[Stickerbunny]

Glad they are doing well after surgery yeah they should grow out of what they have as bad habits atm, Powder spent an additional 2 weeks after his month healing with a humping obsession, but after that it got out of his system (and he learned that the bond mate wouldn’t have a thing to do with him until he got over it) lol

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