Neutering: what is the magic number?

[Beau Bunny]

Hey everybody! It’s been a while. Beau is just shy of 5 months and is doing just fine. As some of you know, I had some questions on neutering/bonding and I have since changed my tune a bit. (Thanks Dana!) Instead of racing to get it done, we are taking our sweet time.

That said there is still lots of conflicting info out there. Some sources state that you should neuter as soon as possible…as early as 3 months. Others say minimum is 6.

Reason I am posting is I read something about it being bad to spay/neuter too early as the hormones dictate growth, and to wait up to 9 – 12 months??

Of course, this is all relative to the size of the rabbit, which doesn’t make it easier.

Beau is a Holland Lop on the larger side….a false dwarf. Should I just book the appointment at 6 months? Or wait 9? What is the magic number?

PS- he’s chillin. No territorial or aggressiveness or marking.

Thanks!

 

[DanaNM]

Here I am replying again! My vet decides more based off of weight than age, but males are typically neutered a lot sooner than females because the procedure is much less invasive. I don’t think I’ve heard the recommendations a minimum of 6 months for rabbits… that seems long to me, but some bunnies do take a long time for their testes to drop for whatever reason. I know with dogs there is discussion about waiting to neuter till they are fully grown, but dogs take a lot longer to reach adult size since they are larger animals.

It is really up to you at this point, there isn’t really a magic number unfortunately because every bun develops differently! A false dwarf is still a smaller breed of rabbit, so I’m guessing he’s close to his full size now. Now would be fine (assuming he’s “dropped”), but waiting is fine too. If you start seeing a lot of hormonal behaviors, that would be my cue to get it done (spraying, loss of box habits, trying to mount, etc.).

. . . 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.  

[Louiethebunny]

I’m no expert, but male rabbits can be neutered pretty early. My rabbit just turned 6mo and was neutered months ago at the shelter before we adopted him. If your rabbit doesn’t have any super-aggressive or territorial behaviors, you can put it on hold, but your rabbit is old enough to get neutered. Some vets are very full and sometimes the next opening for surgery can be months away, so if you would like your rabbit fixed soon, I would check in with the vet.

[Beau Bunny]

Thanks guys, I actually called a month and a half or so ago when he was between 3-4 months, and they suggested 6-8, and seemed to think 4-5 was early, although I find that number to be the consensus online. Dana, I think that is actually where I got that number from and was surprised!

There is something downstairs but…not much! haha. I’ll just book if for 6 months and go from there. Thank you!!

[DanaNM]

Sounds like a good plan! Always good to base off your vet’s comfort level and the bun’s development.

. . . 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.  

[LBJ10]

I agree with Dana. Since he’s a small breed, he’s probably close to full size now. Bunnies are certainly neutered at young ages. I know shelters do this a lot because it’s more important to get them out the door. There may be some benefits to waiting, but I think 9 months is overkill for a small bunny like Beau. There really isn’t a magic number though.

[Beau Bunny]

Ok…we just got back from the vet from his initial exam I am SO confused.

I was waiting in my car and the vet called me and asked me why I wanted to neuter….she said it’s not necessary for male buns as there are no potential health risks, but the risk and stress from the surgery is severe. Then quoted me $800 IF they only kept him for 1 day.

Is it just me, or is that insane?

[Louiethebunny]

That’s pretty absurd. I live in a pretty pricey area and although my bun was neutered at the shelter, here, neutering is closer to $500. It’s very strange of the vet to ask why you want to get the surgery, and while it isn’t necessary for males to be neutered, it changes their behavior for the best, and the procedure is very common and isn’t very risky at all. You might want to check at some other veterinarians, they seem a little bit strange to me.

[prince dorian the bun]

That’s crazy, the spay & neuter clinic attached to our animal shelter charges $90 (spay or neuter). I am not sure the time they take for walk ins, but Dorian was there for a day and I think that’s mainly because the shelter pets get done when they have time between regular appointments… I think the shelter dropped him off in the morning sometime & I picked him up in the evening, they gave me some pain meds a print out on being a new bunny owner and that was that. Oh and age was roughly 6 months. He did keep growing after, not sure how much with out digging out his records. I get it’s not medically as urgent as for a female bun, but it is not that invasive in comparison and the behavior is a a big factor.  I get the price at the spay/neuter clinic is on the lower end and every area is different, but $800 is crazy. Can you google rabbit neuter cost for your area?

[Louiethebunny]

Wow @princedorian i looked up the spay+neuter prices near me and my local shelter charges $90 too, which is much cheaper than the independent clinics here. $800 is absurd!

[prince dorian the bun]

@louiethebunny yeah they make spaying so much more affordable!!

[prince dorian the bun]

I was curious and just searched and found this which you may find useful: https://rabbit.org/faq-spaying-and-neutering/. They give average cost about $250, though regional variation makes sense. ( I live in high cost west coast city if that helps, though access to a spay/neuter clinic makes things cheaper) .

And on a separate note… Beau is such a cute bun, is he all white?

[DanaNM]

I would be looking for a new vet. $800 is absurd, and it’s also so odd that a vet would discourage neuters. The are technically right in that neutering isn’t a health necessity for males, but I would not call the risks and stress of the procedure “severe”. It sounds as though they aren’t that comfortable with them. So yes, see if you can find a vet that is more comfortable with the procedure and isn’t going to charge you an arm and a leg!

 

. . . 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.  

[Beau Bunny]

Thanks friends….I woke up this morning still thinking…..what…was that? What is funny is after they gave me the quote, they handed me a folder with a ton of basic rabbit info, and inside was a print out recommending neutering rabbits for testicular cancer risk and improvements in behavior???

I actually called around and got a quote for $567….. $310, which is more about what I was expecting. What angers me is now I have to pay for another consultation and exam with a new vet..and after my last exam and the recommended fecal test for a healthy bun and 3 months of revolution they suggested I was at about $200. They also refused to give me a quote over the phone initially, saying it was by weight and I needed a consult, and the other vets I called seemed to have no problem with it. They wanted me to come to 3 different appointments for the consultation, blood test, and finally the surgery where they may have to hold him for more than one day, stating it was “less stressful” for him. What??? I can’t agree with that. Get him in and get him home.

I didn’t think to check the shelter since I never see bunnies for adoption on the site since they became “Pet Alliance.” But I have always brought my cats and dogs and rescued animals to the clinic for the low cost vacs and spay/neuter back when it was the Humane Society. I’ll have to look into that!

I live in Orlando FL by the way.

@princedorianthebun yes he’s white. He looks like a little steamed bun. I almost named him Bao, but I was chatting w/ my Mom and she thought I was saying “bowel” so I decided on Beauregard, which means “handsome eyes” or something like that…he has blue eyes. 🙂

 

 

[DanaNM]

That’s so frustrating. I wonder if your old vet can send the exam records to the new vet to avoid having to do that appointment again?

Some vets do want to do the blood test, but my understanding is that not all require it and base it on the owners comfort level. The blood test can indicate if the rabbit might have a bad reaction to the anesthesia.

In a big city like Orlando there should be plenty of vets to choose from. I found this list of rabbit savvy vets put out by an Orlando based rabbit rescue:

http://orlandorabbit.org/vetsmedical/vetsmedical.php. I see there are two in Orlando, hopefully not one of the ones you just saw!

 

. . . 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.  

[prince dorian the bun]

So annoying you had to go through that. I get requiring the blood test for an older bun or one with health risks especially, but for a younger I would think it was up to owner discretion. Not giving you a quote because the by weight thing is ridiculous. I mean one this to say if he is in this range the cost is x if not it is y, but no quote at all just seems like weird practice. Buns aren’t like dogs where you can have a huge or tiny animal, granted difference between a mini and a giant for sure, but it be easy enough to say we add a charge if over 10lbs (or what ever number). Sorry you have to deal with that all. I like the name Boa, but I suppose if you aren’t familiar with them then bowel may be what it sounds like 😀 . I really like Beauregard, with his blue eyes seems a good fit!

[Beau Bunny]

Ughhh, unfortunately, the shelter clinic here doesn’t see rabbits as they don’t adopt them out. We have ORCA here and of course they spay/neuter all their adoptable bunnies and include it in the cost. 90 bucks was looking great right about now, lol.

@Dana, I asked that! They said they can’t do it without the initially exam, records or not. But the $310 includes everything for the neuter.

Oh well. Live and learn, I guess.

[Hazel]

Wow, sounds like they were just after your money. If you already had an exam done then you shouldn’t have to come in again just for a consultation. Blood tests aren’t necessary either unless there is an underlying issue or concerns about age. Back when I was getting ready for Oscar’s neuter I called several vets that I had never been to for a quote, none of them gave me any trouble and they told me exactly what was included. I’m glad you found a place that is more reasonably priced.

[Beau Bunny]

@Hazel yeah….that is kind of how I feel, except the vet talking me out of it was weird. Maybe they just weren’t comfortable with it.

They wanted to do the consult/exam in one appointment, the blood test in the other, and then the surgery in another appointment…stating it was “less stressful.” Yeah.

Any new vet I go to requires an exam regardless of if he just had one done…so the whole thing was expensive and unnecessary. I forgot to mention, they gave me the revolution for the wrong size, so I had to go back to exchange it, and sit in the parking lot for 30 minutes. Ughh.

Live and learn, I guess.

[Hazel]

What a pain. 🙁

Since they claim the surgery is severely risky, I’m guessing they tried to talk you out of it because their death rate is quite high. Could be that’s the reason they charge so much, hoping people won’t want to pay that amount.

[Beau Bunny]

Hi friends! Just wanted to let you know Beau had his surgery and he did just fine. He was eating right away at the vet’s office and  is home resting comfortably now.

LOVE this new vet! They were so incredibly detailed in terms of aftercare– even suggesting I video them making a bunny burrito and giving meds… they only do exotics and the tech told me they see at least 15 buns daily. They even had a binder in the waiting room with bunnies up for adoption. So happy found someplace affordable I can trust!

Thanks all for your feedback and support.

[poopscoop12]

Great to hear! I was just reading through the thread and was getting frustrated myself ahah! Glad you found an exotic vet, they make a world of difference for a bun.

[DanaNM]

That’s great! It’s so awesome having a vet your trust!

. . . 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.  

[Hazel]

Great to hear he’s doing well! 🙂

Your new vet sounds awesome!

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