Rabbit neutering

[Nicole Gauthier]

 

My male lionhead rabbit, Seymour, is about four months old now. He does not display any aggression, does not bite or mount people, and does not go to the bathroom outside his litterbox. From what I have read online, it is common for rabbits around this age to do these things. Is it possible that he will begin to exhibit these behaviors in a few more months? I only have one rabbit (I am home for most of the day, during which I spend time with him), so is it necessary for my rabbit to be neutered?

If you would still recommend neutering, are you aware of any veterinarians in southwestern Ontario that specialize in rabbits? The one place that I was able to find told me that the procedure would cost about $350 CAD, which, relative to what I’ve heard others have paid, seems quite high (I will, of course, pay whatever I must if it is necessary).

Thank you very much in advance!

 

[LBJ10]

I don’t think it is necessary if he is your only rabbit and he is not displaying any behavior you would consider undesirable. You don’t have to worry about boys the way you do girls. You could probably wait awhile and if he starts having behavioral issues then you could reconsider neutering him.

[BearMom]

I agree with LBJ10. However, if you havent had him see a vet yet I would still bring him in for a check up. During that check up the vet can confirm that he is really a he. That gets mixed up all the time. I thought Bear was a boy when I first got her… went in for a wellness check and turns out he was a she! Because its so important that females get spayed, I would have a vet confirm so that if he does turn out to be a she, you can get the spay done.

[jerseygirl]

Ditto the others advice. I think you’ve got time with the male bunnies that if they do start to show hormone related behaviours or you decide later to get a 2nd rabbit, then you can get him down then. A couple members here have intact males (single rabbits) who are don’t have troublesome behaviours.
Either way, it’s always a good idea to check out rabbit savvy vets in your area.
This is the House rabbit Society’s listing for Ontario: http://www.rabbitrescue.ca/vetinfo.html
Also check out http://ontariorabbits.org for references and general info. Site is currently under maintanence but it’s a good one to bookmark for future use.

[KatnipCrzy]

I agree that it might not be as necessary- but I would consider what some of your plans might be in the future. If you think that you want to get another bunny- then you should neuter now if possible. Or if you think you will eventually get a cat or dog- another pet- being neutered should help with his interactive behavior with another animal friend. I think it is better to neuter when he is young- rather than waiting until he is 7 years old and due to life changes (getting married, having children, etc) or getting another pet- neutering him then. While neutering a male takes away the hormones that can prompt a behavior- it can also become a learned behavior.

[Monkeybun]

I am of the opinion you should always spay and neuter. You never know what could happen. New pets, new family, bunny accidentally getting out… you never know.

[LBJ10]

Why is neutering important if the bunny were to accidentally escape? Unless they found another intact bunny that also escaped.

[Stickerbunny]

Hmm. I’m not sure – can domestic breeds mate with wild breeds? If so, I can see why it would be important if the bun were to escape (as that would be bad for the wild ones!).

My vet recommends neutering for young rabbits – once the rabbit is a few years old he says it’s a up to owner thing if it’s a solo rabbit. If they don’t mind the rabbits behavior, he doesn’t push neutering, if they do then he recommends it to try to settle behavioral issues. It is better to do it young though if you do it at all, so if you think you might get another bun down the road i’d go ahead and get him done.

[LBJ10]

As I understand it, they aren’t related closely enough to breed successfully. That’s in North America anyway.

[Monkeybun]

True, they can’t breed with wild ones. But people dump domestics outside all the time. Better to be safe, then help populate the outside world with even more unwanted rabbits.

[Elrohwen]

I can’t say it any better than Katnip. I agree that it’s not completely necessary, but I would still get it done while he’s young – it’s so hard to predict in the first couple months of bunny ownership if you’ll eventually want another one. Most people do at one point or another.

[KatnipCrzy]

Domestic bunnies cannot breed with wild Eastern Cottontails. But there are instances where someone could have a male and female bunny (both housed separately) and an escape could lead to a pregnancy. I think that is what was meant in reference to escapes.

[Monkeybun]

Katnip, I know in my area at least, 90% of the buns I see outside are domestics that have been let loose and bred in the “wild.” If an un-neutered bun got out, it would just add to the mess around here. Thats what I mean by escape

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