Neutering tomorrow and nervous!

[Alex&Clary]

Hi guys! So the title says it all, my baby boy is getting neutered tomorrow. Brownie is my third rabbit, and I have had both of my females spayed, so I know what to expect from a female rabbit after fixing, but I have never had a male fixed, so I was wondering if anyone has any thing that I should know that is different from females? Approx. how many days should he be on “bed rest” with limited activity? He is only about 7 months old. 

Another thing, I haven’t actually checked his sex before, the place I rescued him from said they were pretty sure he was a male, but I haven’t checked for myself. He doesn’t seem to have female secondary sex characteristics, like he doesn’t seem to have a dewlap, but I also haven’t seen any testicles, but he really fights being turned over, or lifted so I avoid it. So I guess is it worth the stress that it will put in to check for his sex, or should I just let the vet do it tomorrow?

Thanks for reading! I could really use some advice, nervous bunny mom here!

[Bam]

Sometimes you can catch a glimpse of the testicles if the bunny meerkats for a treat. But if you can’t see any testicles he could have pulled them in, male buns can do that, so not seeing testicles isn’t a sure sign. If you do see them you can be sure it’s a boy though ?

The vet will check tomorrow anyway. If he’s a girl he’ll most likely have to be rescheduled.

Boys need much shorter cage rest than a girl . If all goes well, 2 days are enough. Even if the surgery is much less invasive than a spay, he should still be getting a pain killer, so if your vet doesn’t prescribe one, ask. Metacam is good after a neuter. A bunny that doesn’t get pain relief is more likely to lick or chew at his incision area.

Other than the shorter cage rest and the much shorter healing-period, it’s the same as with a girl. Make sure he doesn’t get hypothermic, serve water in a bowl instead of a bottle, try to get him to start eating asap.

Many ((((safe neuter))))-vibes for him ?

[Alex&Clary]

Thank you! I already give water in bowls, I am hoping that I don’t have to reschedule! I’m excited and nervous, he’s been digging a lot, and tore up my carpet, so I am hoping that this will help with some of that digging, it helped with my first girl, so fingers crossed!
Thanks again for your help!

[Wick & Fable]

Hi! Wick got neutered at 8mo because I noticed his testes descended. It took him a while, but they were very obvious. I noticed them as he hopped away, haha.

It’s recommended to limit movement and climbing for at least 48 hours, one week to be safe. If possible, try to check the surgical site each day, just to make sure it’s looking okay and not irritated. For Wick, I made sure he only used the steps to get on the sofa. When I’d see him about to jump on, I’d coax h away or towards the steps. For checking though site, I supported his bottom half with one hand and his back with my other, and took a quick peek then put him down gently. To perpetuate good recovery, make sure the environment is clean and push hay to one side when possible so no hay brushes against the incision. Wick has hay in his litter boxes, and I place it on one side. If he left it pushed around, I would push it back to one side.

I dropped Wick off at the vet around 8am and he came home at 3PM. He was very lethargic. I pet him gently when he asked for it, and outside of that, I would drape his panda blanket around him. Lots of people say rabbits like some space after a medical operation, which I agree with. I mainly stayed around Wick very closely to stroke him occasionally.

You will get pain medication to use as well. My vet gave me one weeks worth, to be used twice a day as needed. I used it once on the first day then once on the second. Wick bounced back by mid day the day after the operation. He was back to normal, but I gave him a dose the second day because I heard a few teeth grinds and he was starting to get a bit hunched in posture. After a dose, he’d get very sleepy.

It’s normal for rabbits not to drink water a few days after a neuter, so soak his veggies extra. If he is peeing, he’s still getting enough water. If not, syringe feed some water. I did this once with Wick on the third day because I didn’t see him drink at all, and I wanted to be safe. I only did half a syringe of water.

Do what you can to encourage hay appetite. If he likes a certain type more than others, get more of that in his dishes. If he likes more fresh hay, put aside old hay daily and try continuously putting in fresh hay.

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.

[Alex&Clary]

Thanks! He did amazing, and turned out to be a female, but he’s still my little man, so I guess he doesn’t conform to gender… LOL, its been a week, and he’s doing great, very happy and back to normal. 

So brownie is a female, and my little man, and he is very happy, and surgery went very well, he only needed 2 days of pain meds, and I probably didn’t need to give them the second day, he didn’t show any signs of pain and was flooped just 2 days later!

Thanks again for all the advice! 

[Luna]

Lol, surprise! That’s great that she did well with the surgery. And Brownie works as a female name too so that’s good .

[Author]

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