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Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A parents won’t spay bunny

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    • bubbletea
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        I’ve researched a lot about spaying/neutering rabbits and they say females will have a 70-80% chance of getting cancer. My parents won’t listen to me when I tell them this. They say that the surgery will be too painful for Bunbun when I bring the topic up. They are worried (I think) about our rabbit dying because there is always a small chance of death during the operation. I’ve told them that a near-certain risk of getting cancer is way worse than that, but they just say that they would rather have Bunbun live her natural lifespan, like a rabbit in the wild. My mom said that humans get cancer all the time too, so it’s not a big deal if a rabbit gets it. She says that no one can be sure if rabbits will actually get cancer, too. Her plan is to not spay Bunbun, let Bunbun live a happy life, and let Bunbun die naturally. She says everyone eventually dies and that without spaying, Bunbun will live about 8 years and with spaying, Bunbun will live about 9 years. I don’t think my mom thinks that spaying Bunbun is worth it. Plus, the vet they contacted said the surgery was $700 and I’m not even sure if it’s a rabbit-friendly vet. I’ve overheard my parents talking about me. My mom was telling my dad to stop bothering me and let me cool off about the spaying situation and how kids my age are easy to be “brainwashed”. My dad even told me how vets are just using this as an excuse to get more money and to stop rabbits from getting babies. I’ve told them a bunch of facts and they just ignore it. 

        I know I can wait a little longer to get her spayed, but I’m worried that if I don’t convince them now, they’ll never be convinced in the future. I’m not old enough to drive a car or get a job so the whole spaying thing is my parents’ decision.

        Can someone tell me what to do?


      • Three Little Bunnies
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          I would try to find a rabbit savvy vet who can help you find more information that can help you convince your parents. Ask lots of questions! The link below has some good ones. Bunnies can live for more than 12 years if taken care of properly and fixed. My sister and I raised money to get Shadoe and Bolt fixed by selling Rice Krispy treats and water, as well as asking for donations. I wish you luck!

          http://www.mybunny.org/info/local-rabbit-vets/vet-questionnaire/


        • tobyluv
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            Your Mom said that humans get cancer all the time, which is true, but people can have chemotherapy, radiation, various treatments that might put them into remission or permanently get rid of the cancer. Rabbits don’t have those options.

            I volunteer at a rabbit sanctuary. When one of the rabbits that came in last year went in for her spay, the vet discovered that she had uterine cancer. It luckily had not spread. The vet performed the spay and it saved Honey Bunny Green’s life. She is 3 years old.

            Rabbit spays can be expensive, but $700 sounds excessively high to me. Keep looking for a rabbit savvy vet, and one who may have lower prices. Sometimes you have to go a little outside of your area to find a good vet.


          • LBJ10
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              I agree with tobyluv. Cancer starts to develop at a relatively young age, drastically reducing an unspayed female’s life expectancy. If they are going to develop cancer, they generally don’t live to be 8 years old and then get cancer. They get cancer when they are 3, 4 or 5 years old. But if the high risk of cancer isn’t enough of a reason for your parents, there are other benefits to spaying. It helps with behavior (no hormones running the show) and it helps with litter box habits. Female rabbits can and do spray… that alone would be enough to drive someone to have them spayed ASAP.

              Three Little Bunnies made a good suggestion. Would it be possible to come up with the money yourself? Birthday money, babysitting, lawn mowing, etc. You could save your own money for the spay. In the meantime, look into other vets. The price of a spay can vary a lot, depending on where you live. But I agree that $700 seems a bit high. Look for a rabbit savvy vet. If you’re having trouble with your search, look under exotic or avian vets (we had this discussion in another thread, my vet was always advertised as an avian vet). Also check with your local animal shelter. Even local humane societies adopt out rabbits and someone has to do the spaying/neutering. They may have suggestions on a vet you could use.


            • Dface
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                Woah that seems hugely expensive! I can fully understand your parents not being enthusiastic about paying it and trying to dissuade you, which is perhaps the main reason they are declining to neuter her, I know a lot of people would struggle to afford that.

                As suggested there might be others who perform it at a better value.

                Saving up yourself and offering to pay it/ for half /subsidising some of it yourself might also help persuade your parents.

                Not all females will get cancer, but it’s a huge percentage. On average a wild rabbit lives from 6 months to a year, so not an ideal lifespan or comparison.
                Maybe see if your local shelter can help with some statistics for you, i understand not trusting vets, but maybe they will sound more trustworthy.

                One of my shelters reported that most of the females over 4 that they neutered had cancerous growths in the uterus at the time of neutering.


              • Muj Mom N Bun
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                  I agree with everything that everyone has said so I’m just going to make one point… sadly, I live in a suburb just about 12-15 miles upstate of New York City and I searched like crazy for Rabbit Savvy vets to do my BunBun’s spay (Nice name, isn’t it ?) when I first got her and I was completely floored and hit off guard by the fact that all the places that are around me are asking that same round about price of about $700 dang dollars!!! It hurts like heck to find that my area cost more than double the high end of the national average. With that said, the $700 covers the initial office appointment first to make sure she is well enough for the surgery and blood work, etc. plus meds after… so if I want, I can make the office visit a few weeks before the spay and knock a few dollars off but all in all, yes, it’s a painfull amount of money they have us under.


                • jerseygirl
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                    I know I can wait a little longer to get her spayed, but I’m worried that if I don’t convince them now, they’ll never be convinced in the future.

                    How old is she currently?

                    I think you’ll be able to revisit this with your parents. It could be this is the first time they’ve heard of having a rabbit desexed and they need some time adjusting to the idea.

                    Meanwhile, it would be good to research vets further.
                    If you are in the US, this list is useful. It lists rabbit vets but also low cost desexing clinics that do rabbits.
                    http://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Category:United_States

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                Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A parents won’t spay bunny