spay & neuter – updated – @ home!

[mzsunshine]

My 2 lovebugs Buster & Lola are going to get fixed on the same day, this Wednesday!

I know that most ppl separate their bunnies after they get fixed to avoid any roughhousing, but since they are both getting fixed and recovering, do you still think it’ll be necessary to separate the two?

Also any helps & tips would be appreciated! I’ve been scouring the forums for spay/neuter threads!

[Sam and Lady's Human]

Yes, still separate them Are they a boy and a girl? If so, they should be separated anyway until about 6 weeks post neuter to avoid babies

[Sarita]

Are they already together? If she is getting spayed then there will be no babies. I do not recommend separating them if they are already together. I would only watch for any “rough housing” to determine if you should separate them for a short while.

[Sam and Lady's Human]

Wont the boy still try to mount for weeks after his neuter though? It seems that would be awful for the girl.

[Beka27]

Posted By OneTwoThree on 10/16/2011 11:01 PM

Wont the boy still try to mount for weeks after his neuter though? It seems that would be awful for the girl.

It depends if he’s humping now.  Rabbits who hump BEFORE may continue to hump after, but if they’ve never humped, neutering won’t necessarily cause them to START humping.  If he’s a humper and starts trying to hump the girl post-spay, I would separate them because she’s still in a delicate state, but maybe allow closely supervised time out together.

[Sarita]

Once they are bonded you don’t want to separate them. That could break the bond. Only separate them for a short time if the humping occurs…but neutering does not cause humping. They sound like they are very close now and being together could help them heal and separating could cause depression.

[mzsunshine]

Sarita – That was exactly what I was thinking… They were raised together, and I also brought them home together & they haven’t been separated since! I’ve read many things about how bonded bunnies can help each other cope with stress and heal Thats why I wasn’t sure

However, to answer Beka27’s question, Buster IS a humper, it hasn’t been that bad the past few days for some reason.. but last week it was pretty bad he kept mounting her! I felt so bad D: Thats why I’m unsure… should I just keep an eye on him to see if he does it? If he doesnt maybe I can keep them together, but if they do perhaps a separation would be best if I put a divider inbetween the pen so they’re still next to each other?

what do you guys think? Thanks for all the help!

[Sarita]

I would wait and see before you separate them. If you do it need only be for a few days. Hopefully the neuter will stop the mounting. If you do separate them then yes, the divider is a good idea because you want to get them back together as soon as you can. Pretty much play it by ear is my suggestion.

My Dutch pair (mother & son, I think) had the same issue, mom had already been spayed right away but the son was too young – a few days before his procedure he started the annoying hump and I separated them knowing he would be neutered the next day and after that, no humping.

Also the humping may bother you, but it may not bother Lola so much.

[mzsunshine]

So I just dropped off Buster & Lola at the vet this morning i was so anxious I could barely sleep all night and was on edge this morning. They said to call later today around 2:30 (PST) and then I can probably come pick them up around 330 or 4… I hope everything goes smoothly!

My main concern is that when I was dropping them off I asked her if I would be receiving pain meds, and she said that they don’t give pain meds to take home for bunnies…! should i be worried about this? Should I ask if I can purchase some?? That just seems a bit extreme!

[Sarita]

I would find out what kind of pain meds they give during the procedure and how long they last.

It would be a good idea to see if you can get some for Lola just in case. My vet gives metacam to take home for the females. The males should bounce back quickly.

[bwild]

How did the surgery go? Everyone back home and settled in?

[mzsunshine]

the surgery went well! they came home w/ the little Elizabethan collars, and they were not happy. Buster nibbled on some lettuce, but Lola hasnt touched any of her food D: she did go peepee and her poops seem normal. She’s actually a bit rowdy! She’s managed to squirm out of it! D: i dont know what to do, she runs eveyrtime i try to put it back on… any suggestions? besides not eating, she moves just fine…

[Monkeybun]

Thats odd. usually vets don’t put the collars on bunnies unless they are bothering their stitches. Just keep the collars off unless they start to bug the incision.

[mzsunshine]

i’ve seen her lick, i dont know if its at the incision site or not, but she just starting to clean, is that okay? I mean i’ve been trying to discourage it when i catch her doing it, but when I’m at work I wont be able to keep an eye out and stop her.

yeah i’ve given up trying to put it back on her because i feel like it stresses her out and she just runs away which could be straining the wound even more. D;

[lashkay]

Ditto it’s okay for her to not have the collar on. Unless they bother their incisions they need to be able to groom themselves and eat their cecotrophes, which they might not be able to do wearing the collars.

[mzsunshine]

yeaah, sounds like a good plan, i’ll examine the incision site tomorrow since she’s finally settled down and bunny loafing in her litter box. Buster is fine w/ his collar on, but he looks a little miserable, like ‘mommy, lola isn’t wearing hers, why do i have to wear mine?!?’ poor thing. I’m glad he’s eating though!

[lashkay]

If Buster isn’t bothering his incision, I’d take his collar off. He needs to be able to reach for his cecals and groom himself. Healing vibes to both bunnies!

[mzsunshine]

 Thanks for the tips, I was just concerned because the lady at the front desk at the vet said that they needed to keep it on! I will take the collars off and just keep an eye on them. 

Here’s a pic of Lola w/ her collar before she got it off! 

[tobyluv]

My bunnies that have gotten spayed and neutered have never had collars and they did fine. Did you get any pain medication for Lola, or did the vet say that whatever they gave her would last two or three days?

Lola sure is a cute!  I hope that they will both recover from surgery very quickly.

[Stickerbunny]

I wonder if they suggest the collars because they use outside stitches? My vet said he couldn’t use external sutures on rabbits because they have a very bad habit of ripping them out, so he uses ones that are internal and dissolve and rarely has an issue with rabbits bothering their incision now. Shouldn’t matter as long as they don’t bother it, but might explain why they send home the collars.

Hope they are doing well – she’s a cutie, I bet she was happy to get that collar off though!

[RabbitPam]

I hate to be the devil’s advocate here, but if the vet sent them home with collars and instructions not to take them off, I’m inclined to do that. The vet has personal knowledge of exactly what happened with them, and must have a reason. we can’t see what the vet can, so I believe in following instructions, at least until making a phone call to the vet to ask if it’s ok to remove the collars now.

[lashkay]

I can understand your concern, Rabbitpam. Perhaps it would be best to call the vet, talk to him or her and ask if it’s okay the collars are taken off so the bunnies can reach for their cecals and groom themselves. If the vet says no, you can put the collars back on and ask the vet when they should be removed. I’d point out that all is well and they aren’t fussing at their incisions without the collars.

[mzsunshine]

I lovee all the different perspectives!

So I called the vet and asked about the collar, they said it was more of a precautionary measure. I explained to them that it was rather difficult to get Lola back in the collar, and that I was worried it may be causing more of a strain on the incision site, and she said that it was fine if we left it off as long as we dont see her trying to pull out the sutures.

This makes me very relived! I just hope Lola can behave!! I’ll probably take off Busters too unless I see him mess around with it. I’m sure it’l be easier to get it on Buster cos he kinda just shrivels up and lets you do whatever you want with him silly boy. <3

[mzsunshine]

Home from work and Lola is pretty active for it being only 1 day after surgery. I brought a cardboard box home for her to hide in and recover, but she’d rather climb on it and shred it.

I’ve read so many spay/neuter posts & articles online, I expected her to not want to move and just heal, but she is doing the complete opposite! Should I let her do what she wants or should I restrict her to just bunny loafing around??

[lashkay]

That’s great that they’re recovering so readily. I’d confine them for several days yet so they can’t binky, do the bunny 500 zoom arounds, or leap up onto anything elevated for about a week at least, just to be on the safe side.

[Stickerbunny]

Keep her from jumping anywhere for a few days, you don’t want her to stretch open those stitches.

[bunnyfriend]

This thread is making me feel a lot better about my Wilbur’s spay this Monday, I’m glad your bunnies are recovering well! (:

[mzsunshine]

Thanks for all the advice! I will try to contain Miss Lola for a bit, I wish she would just simmer down for a few days! -__-. Buster is not liking the confinement, I caught him thumping a few times last night!! I was like O__O what is that?! I guess he wants to express his disapproval. Poor baby.

bunnnyfriend – aah yeah I was super worried but she seems to be doing well! wishing Wilbur a good spay as Lola’s!

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