Will my baby change??

[LizzieKnittyBun]

Hey folks,

I just read a reply for “How common is this behavior?” where Hedi said that cuddliness in un-spayed rabbits can change with spaying… I’m really worried about this now!

My Remy is beyond cuddly.  He loves to get in my lap, lick my hands, face, and feet, sleep in bed with us, and just generally follow us everywhere.  He loves for me to put my hands entirely around him and get tons of kisses on his face and head.  Basically, he’s perfect.  I would be so sad if that were to change!!

What is the likelihood that any of this will change?  I feel that it would be the responsible thing to get him fixed, since it’s healthier in the long run, but I’m scared of personality changes.

Help!

[Sarita]

Generally a personality change is due more to adolescence than to neutering or spaying. You may notice a change in sex-induced behaviors including the clingy cuddliness but generally his behaviors will not change or they will change for the better like better litter box habits and less chewing, etc…

I think too the sooner you get him neutered the less his “cuddly” behaviors are likely to change.

[LizzieKnittyBun]

Thank you! That makes me feel a lot better!

[LizzieKnittyBun]

Ok, just made the appointment. Now I’m nervous about him being okay!

Ah… I’m a worrier.

[Beka27]

It is a sad truth, but most adult bunnies don’t like to be held or cuddled. They feel more secure on the floor. The cuddly behavior you see is likely due to him being a young bunny and entering puberty (where he will want you to be his “mate”) and that will probably change (neuter or no neuter) as he reaches adulthood. The prospect of not neutering is more grim. Without being neutered he can turn aggressive, territorial, destructive, and all litterbox habits can fly out the door. Males rabbits (and some females) tend to spray urine also. Not a nice thing. You are doing the responsible thing getting him fixed.

[LizzieKnittyBun]

Yeah… well, the scary date is next Tuesday. I guess I’ll just keep taking good care of him and hope that he still wants to spend time with me as he gets older!

[Beka27]

He will! You’re his mama! You bring the food, you give the pets. By doing it sooner rather than later, most of those bad behaviors should hopefully be avoided all together. He will do great! Neutering is pretty simple for a male and they usually can bounce back quickly.

[LizzieKnittyBun]

I hope so. I never imagined I could love an animal as much I love Remy.

Funny – he had an attack of the zooms this morning around 2:30am and jumped on me as I was sleeping. I petted him for a while and then tried to go back to sleep. He burrowed under the covers and nipped my butt!

Needless to say, petting resumed…

I, for one, welcome my bunny overlord…

[LizzieKnittyBun]

One more question………..

Should I keep him confined to his cage for a couple of days after surgery? He’s totally free range and will probably hate it and be upset, but I want what’s best for him.

What do you all think?

[Beka27]

He needs to be limited in his space, for a couple days at least (females need to be confined up to a week). A cage may not be completely necessary, if you can limit him to a corner of a room, or an xpen, that should be fine too. A big concern is to limit jumping. You don’t want him jumping up on things as he can injure himself.

[jerseygirl]

There’s som spay/neuter info and post-op care in the FAQ section you may want to look at. Bunny puberty may have bought about some behaviour changes anyway. It’s more likely this to bring unwanted behaviours than neutering would.

[LizzieKnittyBun]

Yeah, I’ve been doing some major recovery research. I think I have a plan! We’re going this weekend to get an exercise pen, which we’re going to set up in a corner of our living room with his litter box, bowl of water (if he’s too in pain to reach the water bottle), food, herbs, etc. I’ll leave him in there for a few days, and I’ll have room in the pen to check on him!

Still nervous…

[Deleted User]

I had both my male bunnies neutered a few weeks ago and at first they were pretty mad at me for taking them to the strange place and all that but now after 8 weeeks things are going much better and they are getting back to normal . The surgery itself went fine and they both had self disolving stiches so no probem there and they didn
t pull them or bother them at all. The vet did give me the pain med in little syringes and the buns licked it out and he wanted them to have for four days after the surgery. It really wasn’t all that bad and I was very apprehensive too. They came home and were hopping around the room right away like nothing happened but they did lie down in theiir hutch a lot and rest. I am glad I didi it and it is behind us now. The exotic vet I found about 1/2 hour from our home is terrific and gives me so much encouragement and help

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