Neutering a 3 yr old Rabbit

sarahw7

Hi there,

I have a three year old male lop-ear rabbit and have been thinking recently about getting a companion for him. I have been advised that I should have him neutered and attempt to introduce a neutered female rabbit.

My main concern is the surgery and I just wondered if anyone else has had a rabbit of this age neutered and how things worked out??

Thanks in advance

TooManyDogs

I had my male rabbit neutered at 6 months but then I fostered a female rabbit that never left and I got her spayed at nearly 4 years old.

Both were grand but rabbits have a higher chance of not waking up from anaesthetic than dogs and cats so it's something to bear in mind. Your vet will be able to advise you further about risks

Cherry Blossom

There are very few small animal vets experienced enough with this type of thing for me to completely trust that this would go smoothly, so I'd say choose the vet very carefully!

beanie.

I have worked in 7 different practices over the last 10 years (I locum) and have never seen a rabbit die (or any other complictions) from being neutered. Anaesthetics these days are very safe.

TooManyDogs

beanie. wrote: »

I have worked in 7 different practices over the last 10 years (I locum) and have never seen a rabbit die (or any other complictions) from being neutered. Anaesthetics these days are very safe.

That's good news. I've had 3 rabbits neutered altogether and the vets always emphesised the risks far more than they did with the 6 dogs I got neutered. Maybe old habits die hard??

beanie.

TooManyDogs wrote: »

That's good news. I've had 3 rabbits neutered altogether and the vets always emphesised the risks far more than they did with the 6 dogs I got neutered. Maybe old habits die hard??

Ah I think that's just because rabbit surgery is less common than dog surgery.As far as I'm concerned, the biggest problem with neutering rabbits is skin irritation if a clippers is used.

sarahw7

Thanks for all the replies. Will have to give it some serious thought and weigh up the risks.

Jinxi

Hi Sarah,
We moved to a house with a garden when our male buck was 5. He was intact and we decided to get him a mate. We bought a doe and introduced them on neutral ground when he was still intact(while he was held) We did this so his first impression woulod be a positive one;)
Anyway, they had separate cages. 4 days later he got snipped. No complications inspite of a increased risk after the age of 5. After 8 days he stopped trying to hump her. We started to cage them together after we saw them grooming each other(she was very submissive to him. Head hit the floor when ever he came near)
They took about three months to become inseperable. Didn't help when she got bigger than him and started to hump him. She got snipped shortly after.
Now they LOVE each other. Best thing we ever did!

Sigma Force

There's is a risk with any op but as said if you pick an experienced vet you should be fine. Neutering is a quicker op than spaying a female so the risk if even less again. The vet must do a health check first though but this is usually standard.

Important though not to fast the rabbit, rabbits should keep eating so if a vet insists you fast the rabbit don't use that vet.

5-6 months to 3 years of age is the best time it's when they are at their fittest older rabbits can be done but I wouldn't risk it with say an elderly or frail rabbit.

Don't allow him with any females for a couple of weeks though let him heal up.

There's more info on before and after care on my webpage http://guineapigcottage.webs.com/ourrabbitpage.htm

Ensure the vet gives a long acting pain killer and you keep him warm and that he eats asap after the op.

ferretcrazy

how much does it cost to get a male done, we have just got a rescue male and we have 2 female's and dont want babies, male is in seperate cage for now, we live north dublin, thanks.

Jinxi

+ 1 on the not fasting them. And on the long lasting pain killer.
Oh just remembered, where he was shaved for the op he got really dry skin. Got really flaky. DON'T PUT ANYTHING ON IT. It will just encourage him to lick it. And it will give him the runs.

I live in KK. It cost us €60. Ring around. It can vary from vet to vet

Sigma Force

Costs vary hugely from vet to vet so it's hard to say. Anytime I had rabbits done it used to cost be roughly the same as it would to neuter a small cat. Could be anything from €65.00 onwards, saying €65.00 onwards because we had our small dog neutered a year ago and it cost around that and he was small they used gas.
They generally (well the male rabbit I had done yrs ago) have stitches so have to wear a cone on their heads I'd recommend a cone because rabbits are terribly picky and like to take their stitches out.

Jinxi

Neither of out 2 had cones and they didn't touch their stitches. But they are exceptional rabbits:D
He did lick off the oil I put on the flaky skin and he got the runs(silly jinxi). I had to feed him acidphiyllis for a few weeks. Which I would recommend after surgery anyway. They're tummys are so sensitive

sarahw7

Thanks so much Jinxi and Sigma Force, you've both really helped.

Jinxi, I'm so happy to hear how things worked out with your rabbit and his new friend, ideally that is what I'm hoping for, so fingers crossed You've really reassured me, cheers.

Sigma Force, thanks for putting my mind at ease about having a rabbit neutered, and for all your helpful information. I'm off to have a look at your website now.

Aru

Hi
Firstly neutering rabbits still does carry a higher risk than a dog or cat.However the sucess rates have huge increased in the last few years thanks to more research into it as rabbits became more popular pets and new rabbit specific anaesthetics coming out .
But if done by an experienced vet who has experience with rabbits it is still a relatively straightforward operation.
What part of the country are you in?
If your in the east i would highly resommend going to Barbire o'malley in Bray.She is the main exotics vet in ireland.Plus she teaches in ucd and gave us all our lectures on rabbit anaesthesia So should no what she is doing :P

sarahw7

Hi Aru,

Thanks for the recommendation, I am in the east and to be honest I'm willing to travel as far as I need to find the best vet. Cheers

Rabbitandcavy

Hi,
Just wanted to add don't introduce him to any females until 6 weeks after the surgery as they can still get them pregnant somtimes. I have heard lots of stories of people getting their rabbits done and them being shocked to find a litter of babies 4 weeks later.