Shy bunny needs to be neutered…

[thumpers momma]

Hi all! I was “thumper’s momma” but I can’t remember my username or password. I’ve tried everything I can think of, to no avail. Ah well.

Anyway, my Baxter is already almost 4 months! And he likes to spray! And rip Thumper’s fur out when she gets close enough to his cage! So, it’s time to neuter. He’s gotten more comfortable around us (he will eat treats out of your hand but NO PETTING). He’ll run up to you when you stand by his cage (I assume it’s because he thinks you have food) but as I said, no touching. I guess I’m just not sure how well his shyness will fare out at the vet. I don’t want to set up the appointment and everything just to a) stress him out and b) make the vet try and touch him. (The one time I ever tried to pick him up because he refused to get out of Thumper’s cage, he scratched the **** out of me. Lesson learned, little buddy.)

Should I set up an appointment?

Thanks in advance!

[Wick & Fable]

He needs to get neutered so yes. It’s not optional. Your vet needs to evaluate if he’s ready to do so. also, generally a vet visit is recommended to make sure he’s in good health.

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.

[thumpers momma]

Sorry I should’ve clarified…I know he needs to be neutered, and I definitely am taking him in for a checkup soon, I just didn’t know if it would have been a better idea for me to wait to get more comfortable around people or to just get it over with.

Thanks!

[Bam]

If he seems healthy (eating drinking pooping, etc), I think I’d get it over with right away. He won’t get comfortable around people while his hormones are making him a teenage monster. The sooner you get it done, the less risk of him establishing adverse behaviors so they become habits and persist even after he is neutered. (Mostly a risk with aggressive behaviors).

Call a vet and ask, describe his behavior so they understand, because some vets routinely want to wait until the bun is 5-6 months. Although it’s quite possible to neuter a boy as soon as his testicles have dropped.

[Fluffykins]

The thing is he won’t just get comfortable around people. When i was very young, my mum had this cat, Lion we named him and boy was that an apt name! Long story short he was a vicious monster purely because we were scared of the tiny little kitty that would scratch and lunge at us, so we just left him alone and didn’t try to socialise him. He never stopped. He just walked around the house like he owned it and slept and ate, never took affection from anyone other then my mum. Our mistake was just leaving him be and not trying to make him used to being touched and pet.

It’s an active process. The longer you leave a “shy” bunny unsocalised, the more his behaviour will be normal and ingrained to him. It’s not really shyness – it’s fear of human touch. Doesn’t make sense to keep a pet that’s afraid of that – that’s just having a wild animal stuck in the house.

[thumpers momma]

I love sitting with/socializing Baxter. He’s such a mischievous little guy and I can’t wait til he’s (hopefully) really comfortable with touch. I sat with him today, feeding him treats (pellets), and it was the first time he’s ever actually crawled on me and not seemed to be afraid of me. He even let me give him some little strokes/forehead rubs. I love seeing progress with him. 🙂

[thumpers momma]

I’ve got an appointment for a checkup for both the buns in a couple of weeks. Hopefully all goes well!

[Bam]

It really is a great feeling when a rabbit starts to trust you =)

i hope all goes well at the check ups!

[Fluffykins]

Posted By thumper’s mom on 10/02/2017 1:44 AM
I love sitting with/socializing Baxter. He’s such a mischievous little guy and I can’t wait til he’s (hopefully) really comfortable with touch. I sat with him today, feeding him treats (pellets), and it was the first time he’s ever actually crawled on me and not seemed to be afraid of me. He even let me give him some little strokes/forehead rubs. I love seeing progress with him. 🙂

Yay how lovely! It really is so important to sit there and waste the whole day away haha, I don’t really see it as waste, it is an absolute worthwhile job we’re doing getting our buns used to us and our touch but my family and friends like to tease me

[Author]

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