Small rabbit safe to neuter?

[Hotot]

Hello bunny people,

Someone dumped five young rabbits. They look like a mix of dwarf Hotot or Netherland—what do you think he is? Two look like maybe Dutch.  I kept two females and one male. The male is the smallest of all, very delicate. He almost died of heart attack when we rescued him. Since then he’s been adjusting well. But he is so small I am worried about having him neutered. He is right around 3 pounds. I will wait until I can put another pound or two on him but then will it be safe?

[BinkyBunny]

Hi Hotot!  Welcome.  Adorable bunny pic!   He looks like he might be a mix of Netherland, Hotat and Rhilander.  Rhinalanders though are usually larger, but the strip down his back makes me think of the typical Rhilander markings.

Thanks for the ruler reference as that is helpful to show how tiny this handsome lil’ bunny is.    I understand your concerns and rabbit savvy vets will pay close attention to weight.   But a rabbit savvy bunny will know how to give just the right amount of anesthesia to a bunny that has reached sexual maturity. Typically around 6 months or so.  And yes, it also depends on the weight.  But 3 pounds for a Netherland Dwarf is commonly okay.  My very first bunny was a Netherland Dwarf.  Very tiny little guy — only about two pounds.   He recovered from surgery so well.

These bunnies are so lucky to have such a caring human like you. 🙂   Do you have any rabbit savvy vets near you ?   Finding a rabbit savvy vet is important.  Rabbits may be “common” but they have uncommon reactions that actually put them in the “Exotic” category for vet education.  One of the reasons for this is because their heart rate is so fast, the vets need to trained on the best way to administer anesthesia for such a rapid heart rate.   So check out this list:  https://rabbit.org/vet-listings/ and check out how you find/confirm a vet that knows how to treat rabbits- – https://rabbit.org/faq-how-to-find-a-good-rabbit-vet/

 

[Hotot]

Thank you for the nice welcome! This boy is dreamy. I’ve never had a young, unaltered rabbit before. He tries to get to the two girls and as soon as he does he sprays them in the face. They are not impressed. I was trying to find homes for the girls but no luck. So it has been a bit stressful with three new untamed rabbits. There were two other males who were bonded and I found a home for them. But this guy just floors me and I couldn’t let him go. When we got them out of the bushes he just went limp and his eyes glassy. He didn’t move so i wrapped him in a blanket and held him in my lap. We have guinea pigs and so I used one of their vitamin syringes to give him water. He revived  so i put him on the floor and the others proceeded to pummel him. Of course he melted my heart. I guess that is why I am so hesitant to have him neutered.  But yes we have a vet recommended by our local bunny rescue.

Here are photos of the two girls. They are much larger than him. Must have been an accidental mating from a backyard breeder or who knows. My garden is decimated but they add so much delight to our lives.  The girls aren’t as socialized but I’m hoping we can work on that after he’s fixed so they can all be together? They come to me but nobody allows me to pet or hold them. Project for another day.  It doesn’t matter but what do you think these girls are? Thank you for letting me gush. Added another photo of boy bunny acting like he owns the place.  He knows he’s not allowed in the guinea pig pen so there he is, all stretched out waiting for me to let my guard down.

Yes my children are neglected while I run my farm here. 🤣

[Hazel]

Thank you for saving these poor bunnies!

The other pictures aren’t showing up, at least not for me. 🙁

You will have to get all three fixed, only doing the male isn’t going to cut it unfortunately. Rabbits can only be bonded after everyone has been spayed/neutered. You should make sure to tell that to the person who took the two other males in as well, or they will end up with fighting and injured rabbits (or an oops litter as rabbits are notoriously hard to sex correctly). On that note, your two females need to be seperated until they have been fixed and had a couple of weeks to get back to normal. Then you can start pre-bonding.

[pinkiemarie]

I have a Polish who weighs 2.5 lbs full grown and he made it through his neuter just fine. Just make sure you go to a vet with a lot of experience with rabbits! He was also done young at about 3.5 months because he was getting extremely aggressive. The vet sees rabbits daily and said it was fine to do his at the age but if you can keep him separate and aren’t having behavioral issues it’s probably best to wait. He’s so adorable! I have a rabbit that I think is a rhinelander mix that has a line down her back too, but she has a really cool combo of brown and black spots.

[Hotot]

Thank you everyone!

[Author]

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