Neutering rabbit
- 1. Why Neuter Your Rabbit? The One With The rabbits
- 2. Prevent reformation / babies Can have a new litter of babies each month Females may experience false pregnancies Stressful hormones are eliminated Resulting in a calmer rabbit Easier to litter train Un-neutered rabbits can not live together safely
- 3. Neutering will cancel the risk of disease related to their reproduction systems. Un-neutered Female rabbits run a 80% risk of developing cancer in their ovaries. Un-neutered males occasionally develop cancer in their testes and prostate gland. Neutering will prevent hormonal behaviour Such as aggressiveness, towards their human owner and other animals. Territorial behaviour Females may experience false pregnancies They will pull fur to make a nest, excessive pulling may cause soars and scars
- 4. Neutering is key to litter training your rabbit Naturally a very clean animal Eliminates spraying and marking their territory You will need: Litter tray with not too high edges Wood or newspaper based cat litter works best (In my opinion) Hay feeder & Hay Clean every other day Place hay-feeder above the litter tray As rabbits like to eat and do their business (no comment) More tips on litter training will be linked below in the post
- 5. The eliminated hormones result in a much calmer rabbit More likely to become receptive to human interaction (co-ordinated with overall good rabbit welfare) Rabbits are social creatures and therefore thrive when having a friend In order for them to socially thrive and get a long both genders has to be neutered Un-neutered rabbits, regardless of gender, will likely start fighting as their hormones become active Therefore I suggest to neuter your rabbits as soon as they reach maturity Females reach maturity at 5-6 months Males reach maturity at 12 weeks
- 6. Choose one that specialises in rabbits Quality over price One time price, no need to be skimpy Differ in price according to animal gender, female rabbits run at a higher price Vet should provide you with pain relief and instructions on how to use them Schedule a post-op for removing stitches or just a health check Always safe after an operation
- 7. Distribute pain relief provided by veterinarian Your pet might be tired in the first days Disinfect their living area, keep in clean Check your pet in case of bleeding Very important that your rabbit is eating and drink. If your rabbit does not eat or drink on their own they must be forced, due to their digestive system I suggest having Oxbow Critical Care, the powder mixes with water to make a thin paste or mushy liquid, feed it through a syringe in their mouth. Alternatively you can mix their pellets with water to make the same mushy liquid I encourage to google Critical Care, there are several helpful videos on how to force-feed your rabbit without causing harm
- 8. A lot of rescue pets are already neutered, which saves you the price and the time. If you are looking for a new pet, please get in contact with the animal shelter in your region! :)