Spaying

[Hamster Munchies]

Ok so before you all jump at me and yell at me for not spaying my rabbits and all that stuff please know that I have two FEMALE rabbits, I am only a teenager, I have to pay for it on my own, and my mom is convinced that it’s cruel to spay them. So please hear me out before you reply.

Ok so I have two six month old rabbits, both female, and I want to spay them but I can’t. People are telling me that if I don’t spay them, they’ll start fighting, and I need to separate them, and some people are also telling me that if I don’t spay them, they’ll get reproductive cancer. I have a few questions about those.

1. My rabbit Daisy has panic attacks if she’s not with Socks. So I can’t separate them.

2. They don’t fight. They clean each other.

3. Why do wild rabbits not get reproductive cancer since they don’t get spayed?

4. How can I convince my mom??

I may add more questions I have later, so please check back soon! Thanks for any help.

[Roberta]

Well, It depends on the rabbit, they may or may not fight…
I have 3 girls still to spay (I have had to keep rescheduling) and they are fine BUT they have been together their whole lives. One thing that happens is false pregnancies and they get a little crazy building nests they don’t need… Blossom is an extremely anxious bunny and she usually starts the whole process and the others join in..
Rabbits in the wild have a considerably shorter life span and are likely to die of disease or predation before they can develop cancer but for all we know a large number of feral/wild rabbit deaths are due to cancer as well as viruses, injuries etc. Domestic rabbits can live to well over 10 years in some breeds where as a wild rabbit would be lucky to live beyond 3 yrs.. Desexing, medical care and a loving home lets domestic rabbits enjoy a much longer life..
Bad habits can and will come as they mature, you might be lucky and you will get the more minor ones or you could end up with two long eared land sharks intend on attacking everything that moves.. It’s a bit of a lottery in that regard.
I really do believe spaying is the best option for so many reasons… If you have a good vet, a healthy bunny and take the right precautions you should not have any concerns.
To convince your Mum you need to do the research and present her with the benefits of spaying and also have some good arguments prepared relating to what are deemed the risks..

[MK]

Your rabbits are so cute! actually, spaying can prevent cancer of the uterus. I had a rabbit die of uterine cancer because she was never spayed (not my fault, I had barely had her several months, I got her from a woman who was moving.) She never showed any signs until the last 48-ish hours. Then she stopped eating , and I went down to breakfast, came up again, and she was dead. I’m a teen too, and I TOTALLY understand how expensive rabbits are!!!!!!! A rabbit’s spay-neuter clinic may be way cheaper than a vet’s office. Go the House Rabbit Society website to find one near you that has experience with rabbits, that’s very important. I would recommend telling your mom calmly what they are at risk of, and that you feel that this is something that has to be taken care of. Perhaps if your mom pays for the spays and pain meds, you can pay her back as you get the money? Good luck!

[LongEaredLions]

Don’t worry, we won’t yell at you, many of our members are teenagers and have to abide by their parents rules!:0

1 and 2. If they don’t fight, you can leave them together, but keep in mind that once they reach maturity they will more than likely fight because of “teenager hormones.” It’s great that they get along now though!

3. Wild rabbits are constantly mating, and mating also prevents reproductive cancers.

4. It sounds like your mom really cares about your rabbits, she just doesn’t know what’s best for them.Have you told your mom about the cancer? Tell her that if they are not fixed, they will develop cancer sometime in their life which is VERY painful, and the rabbit usually dies a painful and slow death unless an emergency spay is done. Spaying is usually not very painful, as most vets provide pain meds. Intact rabbits also still have hormones that drive them to mate. Without being able to mate, they will get very frustrated. Fixed rabbits do not have these hormones, so the bunny is happier and more content. As you will find out in a few months, intact rabbits have an extreme hormonal urge to mark their territory, so they can become very cage aggressive and lose all litter box habits. Tell your mom that spayed bunnies live an average of 5 years longer than intact rabbits. They are happier and healthier in general.
Good Luck!

[LBJ10]

I don’t think anyone is going to jump all over you. =)

It is true that unspayed females can and do fight. I think the real concern is having their bond broken beyond repair if they do happen to get into a nasty fight. So that is why people say to separate them until they are spayed so there is no chance of that happening. It is also true that unspayed females have a high risk of developing reproductive cancers. This is generally been said to be in rabbits over 3 years of age. However, precancerous changes in the uterus have been documented in rabbits under a year old. There is scientific research backing this up. I think the debate is how high the risk actually is. Some say 60%, others say 80%. I think the variability comes from different breeds since different breeds have been documented as having different levels of risk. Still, even the low end (60%) is very high and not worth the risk in my opinion.

For questions 1 and 2, your bunnies may be getting along for now. That’s great. Hormones are very unpredictable though and they could suddenly start fighting as if it were completely out of the blue. That is why it is recommended that they be separated. If they have a really bad fight, you run the risk of not being able to rebond them once they are spayed.

3. This is a very good question. Let’s think about wild rabbits for a second. They are prey animals and they typically do not live very long. Their bodies are designed to reproduce quickly and often. When you have a rabbit who’s life is greatly extended because they are living in a safe and cushy environment (your home), you begin encountering issues that wild rabbits would not experience. You have a uterus that has rapidly dividing cells for the purpose of reproduction in an animal living much longer than they are “meant” to live. When cells are rapidly dividing, there are more chances for “mistakes” to occur. Those mistakes can lead to cancer.

4. Well, you would know your mom better than we would. You said she thought it was cruel. Why does she think that? In my view, it is not cruel. It is ensuring they will live long and healthy lives. There are other benefits though too. Spaying makes it easier to litter train and it eliminates hormone-driven behaviors. You won’t have to deal with false pregnancies either, which can be extremely stressful for a bunny.

[Roberta]

I forgot about the spraying, when Pepper first hit adolescence she could spin on her front paws with her butt in the air and get the pee half way up the sun room wall. The little rat bag would line me up over her shoulder take aim and try to spray me too..

[Beka27]

These are all great questions you asked, and everyone has answered them thoroughly. If you don’t understand something that was said or think of more questions, please ask!

You do not have to spay your rabbits, this is entirely your choice (or your mother’s technically bc she is legally responsible for them as the adult). We recommend spaying bc we’ve seen firsthand what can happen if this is not done. We want the best for you and your sweet bunnies, so this is why we share important information. That’s the whole purpose of the BinkyBunny forum: education!

In the medical field there is something called “informed consent”. Basically, that means that your doctor is obligated to tell you what your options are regarding your health. If he recommends a certain procedure or surgery or medication, he will tell you that if you DO this, “A, B, or C” is possible. He’ll also tell you that if you DO NOT do this, “X, Y, or Z” is possible. After you know the pros and cons of both options, it’s up to you to decide.

This is what we’re doing here. If you don’t spay them, cancer is a real possibility. Will they ABSOLUTELY get cancer? No, but the risk is greatly increased. If they get cancer, will you be able to get them treatment (diagnostic tests, surgeries, medications) or will you decide to have the vet put them to sleep? We can’t tell you what the right decision is but it’s something you would need to be prepared to decide if this situation arises.

About the fighting, I think I might have discussed this with you on a different thread… If you don’t spay them, they might fight, they might not. If you DO spay them, they might live peacefully forever, or they still might fight! Either scenario could happen, we can’t answer for sure. If they fight (spayed or unspayed) they will have to be separated until they can be re-bonded, or if they never get along again, possibly forever.

They are only 6 months right now, so you still have time to decide what you are going to do. Once they’re about 2 years old, the clock really starts ticking.

As a forum, our advice is a always going to be to spay females. Males don’t have to be neutered for health reasons, but their behavioral problems are reduced when neutered so we also recommend neutering boys.

Hopefully this info helps you. 🙂

[calipa_st]

Everyone gave great responses!
I just have to say, when people are shocked I tell them I have my rabbits neutered…you get dogs and cats fixed right? why is it so odd for another house pet to be fixed? They have all he same issues a non-spayed/neutered animal could have…also, if a cat or dog got out, you wouldn’t want it reproducing and making more strays. Same with rabbits. It just seems like common sense to me, and a normal/responsible thing to do when you get a pet.

It can be expensive. It was 250 for my boy to get done. You could do one at a time, doesn’t have to be all at once.

[Hamster Munchies]

Thank you everyone for your very detailed responses! Ok so I’ve started doing my research and putting together everything I’m going to tell my mom (and dad!) My local shelter has a spay/neuter clinic, so I’m going to look into seeing how much it costs. Like someone said up there those tend to be cheaper than the vets

I will keep you guys updated on the situation with my mom, and ask for advice!

[Author]

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