Spay Advice for New Member

[Pepper Bunny]

Hello everyone how are we today?                 

I just recently joined this website so I’m a newbie around here.  I have a doe and I’ve had her for two years now.  She is a rescue, she was found abandoned and my family and I took her in.  My initial question is does anyone know how much it is to get a rabbit spayed and what typed of vets I should look at.  I know vet bill can stack up very high.  I had a rabbit named Applesauce; he had a cyst growing under his chin.  The vets did all they could but he didn’t make it he was three years old when he died (this was back in 1999).  The total bill was over $700.00 dollars.  I just hope it doesn’t cost that much to get my rabbit spayed or I might have to give her away because I don’t want to watch her die of cancer.  I hope I’m not bothering anyone, I guess I’m just looking for advice.

 

~erin~ 

[daisy]

Erin, When I first got my bun daisy, I too was concerned with this. I have had several places quoted. The highest I have gotten was $225. I plan on getting my rabbit spayed in august sometime at the humane society for $55.00 and I have talked to the vets there some and seem very knowledgeable about rabbits and spay rabbits often. But I got on here and asked several people about it and they have told me some more questions I should ask and I will be doing that before I follow through. It depends on where you are located too. Hope this helps

[MooBunnay]

Hello Erin – Welcome to Binky Bunny!

I’m so sorry to hear about Applesauce but I’m glad that you were able to rescue an abandoned rabbit! Could you tell us what general area you live in (like country and region) so that we can direct you to some rescues in the area? If you are in the US, http://www.rabbit.org is a great site to use to look for vet references in a lot of different areas. Also, I am aware of some spay neuter programs in Southern California, and if there is a rescue group around you they would be a great resource to help you find an affordable vet.

[BinkyBunny]

Welcome Pepper Bunny!  Well it definitely won’t cost $700.  

You’ve gotten some great advice already and I just wanted to add the link to how to screen vets, so that just in case you find a really cheap price, just be sure they are rabbit savvy.   http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/vet.html

 

[wendyzski]

what a great name!  Pepper *points to icon* is my bun’s name too!

[Hedi]

HI Erin-

Where do you live? That will make all the difference. The prices from state to state can be dramatic.

Besides checking the vet site from rabbit.org also a Humane Society near you is another option. Call and see if they do discount spays/neuters but you really need to make sure that you ask how often they do rabbits, and make sure they are rabbit savvy. Some do discount spays/neuters but arent all that rabbit savy.

Here in Ohio I have seen spays/neuters run $120-180 and the HS does them for $50.

[skunklionshow]

Jessica got spayed in late June.  It cost me about $225, including all pain meds.  I scheduled my male bunny (yes I did it!!!) for an August neuter and it will cost me about $150.  I wanted to use the bunny organization, but I couldn’t get them to return my phone calls or emails. 

[(dig)x(me)x(now)]

Where do you live? You’re getting very good advice from everyone! There are some very good programs out there where you can get a discounted spay from people with lots of bun experience!

[MimzMum]

Hello Fellow Bun Mums & Dads! ^^
I happen to be new here. This is a great site from what I’ve seen so far!
I just recently adopted an abandoned bun. She appears to be a Holland Dwarf Lop cross? I have no idea of her age or if she is spayed or not. She was abandoned at my husband’s place of business with two white rabbits that appeared to be bucks. (Of course I am assuming she is a she, I have no idea really, but the two bucks kept spraying around her.)
Since we live in Alaska, she lives indoors with me currently, but also has an outdoor secure area for her enjoyment in the warmer weather. She is definitely the big boss, and we are slowly coming to know each other. I am curious though, is there some way to tell if she has been spayed or not without going to vet? She does get a little testy when I clean her house, but has only nipped me twice. I learned to be more gentle around her and she now tolerates me well.
If she was not spayed, would she not be making more dominant moves and have more attitude towards me invading her space? If she is spayed, since she probably closer to 6 months old than 4 (I’ve had her since July) would it be possible to introduce another bun to her that is also neutered/spayed without her becoming territorial or would she be best left as an only bun?

Thanks in advance for any and all advice in this situation. BTW, I live about 30 miles out of town and it will be a long way in to have her ride if I need to take her in. Any suggestions as to help her stay calm during the trip would be greatly appreciated.

Bunny Blessings!
MimzMum

[Beka27]

i’m not sure if there is a way to tell if she is spayed or not without a vet… why can’t you tell her sex?

[Scarlet_Rose]

Well hello MimzMum! It’s great to see another new face here! Hmm, very interesting and how sad that they were just dumped.  Do you know how to sex a rabbit?  But first, will she let you hold her?  You might want to wrap her in a bunny burrito (https://binkybunny.com/Default.aspx?tabid=54&forumid=1&tpage=1&view=topic&postid=15273#15687) and take a look here (the pictures are true-to life) http://www.geocities.com/dutchrabbitinfo/sexing.html to first determine the sex.  It can be almost impossible to tell if a female has been spayed, a scar is not always predominant. My concern is that she might be pregnant, so you may want to check her stomach for any movement.  Females can get rather testy, nippy and territorial when they are expecting.  The gestation period is 28-31 days and just before she is about to have them she will build a nest by pulling out fur from her chest. Although from the soudn of it she is quite OK with you being around, which is a great sign! Are you planning on litter training her and what kind of housing do you have?

[BinkyBunny]

Welcome Fellow Alaskan, Mimzmum!  I was born and raised in Fairbanks, Alaska. I left there when I was 18 to see the "lower 48", and never returned to live – just to visit.

I am thinking the same thing Scarlet is regarding pregnancy. Most females are spayed around six months while males are done earlier, and spays in the U.S. are being done earlier and earlier, but the fact that the spay should have been done fairly recently (no earlier than a month or two ago) it should still be very easy to see a scar. Also, many places give the bunny a small little blue blotch like tattoo on the skin of their stomach to show they were spayed.

Some bunnies are territorial even when they are spayed, they can just be less pushy and aggressive about it. She sounds like she is just territorial about her stuff, which can be normal for bunnies.

Also, since she was abandoned, do you know what kind of human interaction she had prior? Were they abandoned anonymously, or without much info?

Unfortunately car rides just are stressful, not much you can do about that, but you can just make sure she has fluffy compfy stuff to lay on, (I also add hay, and IF she has toy bunny that she hangs out with, like my Bailey does, then bring that, and strap the seatbelt around the carrier so it keeps it stable.

[MimzMum]

Hello Beka and Rose!
Thank you for the warm welcome. I am sure I am going to like it here. (snuggles in)
Well, Mimzy (or Madame Mim, as I sometimes call her) hasn’t been around a buck since the 16th of July. Plenty of time, I think for any kits to show up. So I am not really leaning towards pregnancy. But yes, as it happens she is not taking kindly to handling. I really need to clip her toenails soon (not that she’s shown them to me) and I have been good about brushing her as far as I can, and keeping a good eye on her face, ears and that adorable twitching nose. (She does sneeze more often now that she’s indoors, and I am sure that’s from dust, which is almost impossible to keep out of this house.)

She is litter trained, although the occasional rabbit raisin does stray to other parts of her enclosure; which is at a rough guess, a four by two foot deep by one and a half foot tall? Probably larger, I am not good with eyeballing sizes.
I need to get her a run to frolick and binky in so that she doesn’t have to be waiting for that hand to be wiping things up around her. ^^ I clean the cage every day, as there is always something to clean; dropped hay, pellets or perhaps a carrot butt left uneaten and usually a little fur and the wandering raisins.

Thank you for the links to the gender determination and the "burrito". (giggles) Did that with my own babies, so I should be able to pull it off if Madame will just allow. (BTW, has anyone gotten a picture of their bun all taco-ed out? That must be heartwarming!) I am VERY concerned about not hurting that delicate back. I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself if she fractured it trying to remove herself from my grasp. Mim is MOST egregious when I attempt to lift or otherwise move her and does not appear to long to be held, which I expect from a world wary rabbit. But at this point, without taking her to the doctor, I kind of doubt I will be able to discover her gender, much less perform necessary tasks like nail clipping and brushing that elusive tum! I don’t want her to start having wool block issues, so I really need to gain her confindence a bit more quickly. (nods)

Once again, thank you for your advice! It’s so good to be amongst those who know!
Bunny Blessings,
MimzMum

P.S. to BinkyBunny; I just saw your reply after I posted, hello! What a coincidence, I was born and raised in the Bay Area, my husband was born in Fairbanks, and we brought our kids up here to raise them about 12 years ago! I love it here except for the winter. ^^

I’ll take your advice about the car ride, how cute that your bunny has a bunny toy! ^^ I just happen to be a plushie nut and I must have about a billion bunny toys. (Needless to say, there are many ‘multiplying’ jokes flying around here.)

I’ll just keep at trying to get her used to me. I doubt she had much interaction with people, just from the was she responds to me, and yes, they were abandoned anonymously. (Believe me, had I caught them they would’ve gotten a tongue-lashing at least!) I guess it wouldn’t hurt to take her in, not that I probably wouldn’t have to do it anyway. If she ever lets me see her belly, I’ll check for that blue spot! (Wish I could remember if I’d seen a scar or anything like on her when she first showed up.)

Also, I noted she didn’t much care for the attention the two bucks paid her. They would attempt to grab her and she’d just walk or hop off, as if she’d been insulted. lolz. She didn’t seem to take a particularly dominant or subservient role with them either. They did tend to be aggressive towards one another over her, which is why I assumed her to be female.

I still have pictures of the whole lot when they were dropped off. I should post a few, they were so adorable! Luckily, one family near here took one of the bucks, but the other disappeared before we could round him up. Sadly, I doubt he made it. ;(

[BinkyBunny]

Oh, what a relief! Then she’s not pregnant. Sounds like just hormones or dominant bunny moves. The fact that she’s littertrained is a great sign that she MIGHT be spayed.

That sure is funny about our “Switcharoo” living. My brother moved back to North Pole Alaska about 8 years ago (for those of you who don’t know, North Pole is not NORTH POLE, but just a town outside of Fairbanks. Those winters sure can be harsh but from what my brother says, not like they were when we were growing up there (left in 1986) – not as crazy cold, but the dark is well…still dark.

I am so glad your bunny is now in safe hands and has a loving place to live. Kudos to you. Look forward to seeing pics.

[Floppy]

Highest price I got for a neuter (which is usually a little cheaper than a spay since
fixing a female is a more complicated process…)
Highest from Floppys vet $300
Middle from Humane Society $100
Lowest from a spay and neuter clinic $40

Goodluck!

[xnovalentine]

Hey! Congrads on the new adoption ! I’ve read through a couple of the responses you’ve gotten and you’ve really got some good advice. I don’t know if you’ve gotten an answer to your question yet as I don’t have time to read them all just yet but I thought I’d throw this in there – I live in a small town where we don’t have a clinic that would do the spaying for a cheap price and I’ll have to take my rabbit to a exotic vet (which i would of done anyway – clinics aren’t exactly the most organized places). The cheapest price I was quoted was $200 total and the most was nearly $300. Truthfully I’d rather pay the higher price for a vet who is more experienced with spaying bunnies than the animal shelter who do not have their rabbits for long (I havn’t even checked in seeing if they even neuter the bunnies there) I would just keep that in mind, and from what i hear (im a pretty new bunny owner) the price is worth its weight in less scratches and more cuddles! Good luck with your vet search if you haven’t found one yet!

[Scarlet_Rose]

Whew she’s not pregnant then.  If you think she will squirm a lot is there someone that can act as an extra pair of hands to secure her while you clip? I usually clip when I am sitting on the floor. If she is really super squirmy then you might want to take her to a groomer or vet to have it done while you both bond and she settles in.

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