URGENT PLEASE READ!!!

[bucky&bailey]

So i’m getting my rabbit spayed tomorrow, and she is bonded to another rabbit who has already been neutered. What should I do for care wise? Should I split them while my doe is healing or what? Please reply with what I should do with them and any other tips about this!! Thanks!

[sarahthegemini]

You should keep her away from for at least a month (but possibly longer) Some rabbits have a surge of hormones after being spayed so she may well be aggressive towards your other bun if kept together.

[Wick & Fable]

They definitely need to be split up following the spay, preferably for at least a month. This is because there’s a hormonal spike which occurs following a spay, which can exacerbate hormonal behaviors like territorial aggression, mating, and other bonding-destructive things. Below are some important items I know you should keep in mind. Wick is a male, and a neuter is a much more simple procedure than a spay, so there will be spay-specific items to keep in mind that I will mention, but I’ll note I’m not as familiar.

1) Limit free-roam space: Even if your rabbit wants to jump around and hop, she won’t understand how this may damage/rip/disrupt the sutures. The main reason spayed females return to the vet shortly after a procedure (aside from a standard post-op appt) is because the owner noticed the rabbit tore their sutures or somehow infected it/clearly is disrupting its recovery. Limit her to an x-pen, preferably one level, or multiple level with walkable-ramps to escalate those levels. She should stay in limited space for at least a week to be safe. You can let her free roam in larger areas too, but again, minimize big movements.

2) Monitor the surgical site: Some rabbits will really chew or groom their sutures because it’s bothering them. Considering they’re cleaning fiends, this makes sense. Potentially as your vet if there’s a cone they can provide in the case that you notice she’s bothering the suture too much, or ask if the vet has a recommendation on the best house-made cones. Following the procedure, it’s good to get familiar with how the site looks so you have a baseline on it’s swelling, redness, and other visual cues. If you’re not comfortable handling your rabbit to look there attentively, ask the vet to help you when you go to pick her up. You’ll want to try and check the suture site daily at home, so if picking her up and rotating her to see her bum isn’t an option, you can try to see it when she sits, or raise a treat above her head for a short time so you can peak at it when she’s on her hind legs. The reference is important though.

3) Temperature regulation: I am not experienced with this, but I’ve read many people say make sure you have blankets and items to keep your rabbit warm during recovery.

4) Preventing irritations: Analyze how she’s presented hay and see if there are ways you need to adjust so she does not need to jump onto hay to eat it. Hay can prick and injure such a sensitive surgical site. This could mean pushing all the hay on one side, presenting less hay more frequently so it’s easier to manage the chaos of a hay pile, etc. The same goes with litter. If your rabbit’s litter box is set-up so she’s sitting in her soaked litter, change it more frequently or put a temporary screen on top so that soiled litter does not interact as much with the site.

5) Encourage eating (sans treats): If she’s lethargic (very typical the day of the procedure), you can offer a treat just to make sure she’s still in functioning order; however, seeing her eat hay, drinking water, and eating pellets are great signs that you want to try and encourage. This may mean cycling through fresh, out of the bag hay multiple times during the day, freshening her water more frequently, giving her the favorite veggies for a few days, etc.. If she’s not eating and/or drinking and you see this translated into no poops/peeing, you’ll want to syringe feed food/water as needed so she gets those nutrients and doesn’t starve. She needs that energy to recover.

6) Communicate with your vet: Ask your vet what to expect, and what signs to look for that warrant “Call me right away”, that way you do not hesitate if something is askew. Ask the vet what their recommended emergency animal hospital is if you cannot reach them right away and you believe she needs immediate care.

Best of luck and good vibes!!!

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.

[Luna]

Agree that you must keep them separated until she heals. But I think they can be in separate cages that are next to each other a few inches apart (is that right STG?). Wick is correct that you should monitor her temperature for at least the first couple days. A blanket or hot water bottle wrapped in a towel should be provided, but she should be able to move away from the heat source if she wants to (ie. don’t burrito her in the blanket).

Luna sends safe spaying vibes .

[Dface]

I don’t mean to rock the boat or send conflicting messages, but my doe stayed with my male during and after her neuter.
My vets said it would help her cope with stress and make the whole ordeal far less horrible (provided he doesn’t trample all over her)

Seeing as they are already bonded separating them will be a big ordeal in itself.

If he’s a very giddy bunny they might need to be separated just to stop him hurting her, or over grooming. But if he is placcid he may actually help keeping her temperature up and encourage eating as it is a social event
If they need seperation they should be able to be in contact through the bars.
He should certainly accompany her to the vet, even if they are kept apart, so they can see/smell one another.

Hormone spikes can occur, for mine it was not a big issue, she was irritable but not dramaticly so…

[Bam]

DFace makes a good point. I remember our member Gina.Jenny’s Jenny had a rough time after her spay, and another bunny, a neutered male that had been longer in the household (but they weren’t bonded) pretty much saved her life by warming her up.

So not all cases are alike and you have to figure out what works best for your constellation.

[sarahthegemini]

Posted By Dface on 11/07/2017 4:01 PM

I don’t mean to rock the boat or send conflicting messages, but my doe stayed with my male during and after her neuter.
My vets said it would help her cope with stress and make the whole ordeal far less horrible (provided he doesn’t trample all over her)

Seeing as they are already bonded separating them will be a big ordeal in itself.

If he’s a very giddy bunny they might need to be separated just to stop him hurting her, or over grooming. But if he is placcid he may actually help keeping her temperature up and encourage eating as it is a social event
If they need seperation they should be able to be in contact through the bars.
He should certainly accompany her to the vet, even if they are kept apart, so they can see/smell one another.

Hormone spikes can occur, for mine it was not a big issue, she was irritable but not dramaticly so…

That’s interesting but that’s also not the norm so I would still advise seperation. I’d also hesitate to call them bonded seeing as only one is neutered (at the moment) which means a spike in hormones could really shake things up. At least seperate initially and go from there, it’s better to be safe than sorry especially as a spay is so invasive and any kind of physical altercation could cause serious damage inside.

[Bam]

Yes, I’d start by keeping them separate. It’s a big surgery, your girl will be pretty out of it for the next couple of days – a week. It takes 2 weeks for a girl bun’s surgical wounds to heal after a spay. The hormonal spikes are also a concern. But it’s good if they can be in the same room, a few inches apart so they can’t reach to hurt each other through cage bars.

Many safe spaying-vibes for your (((((girl bun)))))

[Gina.Jenny]

I was about to say this when I saw yr post Bam

Jenny was struggling badly with hypothermia after her spay (something you need to watch out for!). Pippi’s bonded boy bun, Rusty had to be put to sleep. Pippi is a very gentle bun, and was quite happy for Jenny to snuggle into him that same evening. He hadn’t enjoyed the solitude while Rusty was at the vets. He accepted her straight away, she warmed up, cuddled into him, and turned the corner towards healing and they are happily bonded now, well over two years later. If they are bonded, she may benefit more from the company, at least while you are around to supervise. It may be wise to keep them separate when you aren’t around, until you see how they are together?

[Dface]

That’s interesting but that’s also not the norm so I would still advise seperation. I’d also hesitate to call them bonded seeing as only one is neutered

Where I am it actually would be considered the norm. Although i would argue it’s hugely rabbit specific and owner discretion is advised. But social animals do benefit from their partners presence.
I’d also say that it’s really unfair to say they aren’t bonded. Before female neutering became common there were plenty of examples of bonded partners, I still know plenty of pairs of non spayed bonded females. It’s easier to bond spayed animals in general, but it’s only become a more recent thing.
When my girl wasn’t spayed she was certainly bonded to her partner.

Granted that’s slightly off topic!
Good luck with the spay!
(((Vibes)))

[Bam]

It IS very important that they can see and hear and smell each other after the procedure. It’s very important for the healing-process, since bunny immune defense is weakened by separation from a bonded partner. But because there is a rather extensive surgical wound, un-supervised direct contact could be risky.

It’s true that across the world, many bonded couples still consist of a neutered male and an intact doe. This is changing because more and more does get spayed for longterm health reasons, and vets are getting better at performing spays safely.

Gina.Jenny, I love that story about Pippi and Jenny =)

Post-spay hypothermia is definitely sth you want to watch out for. Hence the recommendation to have a hot water bottle or hand warmers on hand. You also want to make sure your girl starts eating asap. Don’t go to bed for the night before she has eaten something, by her own accord or by your syringing her pellet mash or Critical Care.

[Luna]

Posted By bam on 11/07/2017 4:15 PM

DFace makes a good point. I remember our member Gina.Jenny’s Jenny had a rough time after her spay, and another bunny, a neutered male that had been longer in the household (but they weren’t bonded) pretty much saved her life by warming her up.

So not all cases are alike and you have to figure out what works best for your constellation.

What an awesome story! 

[Author]

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