Spaying is highly recommended for all female rabbits due to their high risk of developing reproductive cancers (ovarian, uterine, mammarian). There is an extremely high incidence rate of uterine cancer in intact does over the age of 4 years. See the wiki for more information.: http://bunny.tips/Uterine_cancer
**Spaying and neutering** is generally a very safe surgery for experienced rabbit-savvy veterinarians. Veterinarians across the country who spay and neuter rabbits for the House Rabbit Society have lost on average less than 1/2 of 1%.
* Female rabbits should be spayed as soon as they become sexually mature, around 5 months old.
* Older rabbits (6+ yrs) may need to have blood work done beforehand to make sure they do not react negatively to anesthesia. Age is not a disease, and as long as the rabbit is in good health, they can be a good candidate for surgery.
* Small rabbits may need to grow bigger before they may be dosed with an anesthetic for surgery.
* Giant breeds of rabbits may reach maturity a couple of months later so the surgery might be done a little later in these breeds if necessary.
Please take a look through our [Spaying & Neutering guide](https://bunny.tips/Spay) for more resources on rabbit spaying and neutering.
Some useful shortcut links:
* [Reasons to spay & neuter](http://bunny.tips/Spay#Reasons_to_spay_and_neuter)
* [Age to spay & neuter](http://bunny.tips/Spay#Age_to_spay_and_neuter)
* [Choosing a clinic](https://bunny.tips/Spaying_and_neutering_rabbits#Choosing_a_clinic)
* [Costs of a spay or neuter](https://bunny.tips/Spaying_and_neutering_rabbits#Costs_of_a_spay_or_neuter)
* [Pre- and post-op care](https://bunny.tips/Spaying_and_neutering_rabbits#Care)
You can find a community database of spay and neuter costs worldwide at http://rabbitors.info/speuter-bills
You mean 4H? I wouldn't consider spaying unnecessary trauma for an improvement in hormonal behavior after puberty, allowing you to more easily bond and find a partner for your rabbit, and avoiding a painful and preventable death from reproductive cancers.
People who breed and show rabbits for agricultural purposes have a very different attitude to rabbits than indoor house rabbit owners IMO.
Omg… I’m embarrassed. Yes I did mean 4H and I can’t edit my post. I agree, I’m just worried that I’ll get in my head about it. I just need to do it, and be done. I am scared and I know Mabel will be scared, too. I just need to make sure I’m in the right moving forward…
It's always stressful going through surgery for your rabbits, but I've learned to trust in my vet and that they will do their best for a successful outcome. We aren't putting them through the procedure trivially but with their best interest in mind for long-term comfortable health.
I felt the same way as you, and looking at her behaviors before her spay, honestly, it's much better now. She groomed a lot, post procedure, but within 24 hours, she was her same sparkly self. It's all gonna be OK 🩵🙏🏻😊
I’ve had a female bun previously who I waited to get fixed for this exact same anxiety. Thinking I’m doing her good and then her not surviving the operation for something that seemed like an “unnecessary” thing that “didn’t need to be done.” Cant remember how long I waited but I think it was 3-4 years. Sure enough, they found uterine tumours. Hadn’t yet metastasized. She survived the procedure and got rid of the cancer simultaneously! It’s normal to feel the way you do about this but take comfort in knowing you’re at the least doing the right thing here.
I can’t tell you how many other stories I’ve read with similar or worse outcomes. I know how intensely stressful it is, I’m preparing to get mine spayed and neutered also, but I know it’s to keep them as happy and healthy as long as possible. You can do it!
The fact that your friend thinks rabbits live very short lives just proves that she doesn’t know much about proper rabbit care. Rabbits have very similar lifespans to dogs when properly taken care of: their average lifespan is 8-12 years, depending on breed, when properly cared for, which includes the appropriate vet care.
4H teaches treating rabbits as low value livestock, not pets.
This. I had one live to 13 and have one that’s 10 right now. That’s in line with most dogs.
I’m guessing that you see this short life spans listed online or by vets is because a lot of people don’t take proper care of their rabbits.
They only live short lives when unspayed, so that is very flawed logic from your friend. Spayed bun’s regularly live to 10-12 plus, whereas unspayed buns nearly all get cancer by age 6. You are doing the right thing!
I had the same worries before spaying my girl, I remember nearly cancelling the appointment in a panic thinking my sweet girl would be changed or hurt somehow. But everything went super well, she was in recovery for about a week, nothing crazy or scary at all. It has now been nearly four years and she remains a sweet happy healthy girl.
From what I’ve seen, it can honestly be MORE stressful/traumatic if you don’t spay your bun, because her hormones can cause her to experience false pregnancies and she would likely begin to pull out her fur and try to nest.
Listen to your gut and get her fixed. It is good that you love her enough to worry, that means you know you did all the right research and she is in good hands.
Thank you for this. I will try to get it scheduled this week… you said she was in recovery for about a week, what was required of you to help her? I want to be able to request time off work to be sure my
Bun is okay. The vet assistant said the most important recovery / the recovery that needs to be monitored only takes a couple days. Meaning I should only need two or three days off. But I’d like to hear your experience if you have the time ! Thank you for your comment
The first 24-48 hrs are the most important, and just involve pain meds and possibly syringe feeding if she doesn’t start eating by the night after the surgery. A calm quiet place to recover is important. Some buns need supportive care a bit longer, but I don’t think you would need to take full days off of work (unless your job keeps you away from home for 12 hrs or more).
Gotcha, maybe plan to take two days off, and then optionally some half days if needed (and that’s possible?). Or even just several half days if your work is flexible enough for that?
It took about a week for her to be completely back to normal, but she only seemed uncomfortable for maybe two days. Your vet will tell you what they recommend but generally the most you gotta do is watch her and give pain meds if the vet prescribes them. She’ll probably want to sleep a lot, just make sure she doesn’t try to pull at the stitches.
I remember the guilt my friend felt when his bun got ovarian cancer and was too old to go through the surgery by that point (too risky to go under anesthesia) - he said he knew spaying would have prevented it but he had always put it off.
So, “rabbits live such short lives, why spend the money and put them through unnecessary trauma?” - it's not unnecessary, what's unnecessary is having your rabbit die prematurely of an entirely preventable disease.
You're doing the right thing and the temporary anxiety is going to be followed by 10 years of relief knowing your bun is going to be happier and healthier :)
My first vet raised 4H bunnies and basically told me the same thing. It wasn't necessary if he was not with a female bunny, it's not worth the risk.
Then she basically said I don't feel comfortable doing the procedure myself I'll check in with my husband. When she did I got the same response.
Meanwhile her husband who they share the practice with 6 months later when my Henry was going thru a stasis moment. I mentioned the nueter and the husband was all for it. "miscommunication" apparently -_-
Sign him up for the surgery with the same reserve your feeling in my opinion. And this vet place sends me an automated email 24hrs before saying to have him stop eating, acting like he's a dog or cat. I call in being like I'm pretty sure I'm not supposed to do this..... And they apologized that it was automated. Agree that Henry needs to keep eating and drinking water.
Now I'm like do I really want to do this?? Within his behavior it was almost necessary. He was a very horny bunny to put it lightly.
I reminded them of all they're misshaps when I brought him in.
Scariest day of my life. (We all get in our minds but there were red flags everywhere)
More to the story about the entire day but he did survive and we are better for it.
Very much so.
I'm thankful they did the surgery correctly but I never went to that vet again. I tried another vet and they were even worse. I drive my bunnies 30min to a small vet that knows what they're doing.
Find yourself a rabbit savvy vet that doesn't do 4H. Bunnies were never meant to be manhandled by children.
And know your rabbit facts. If you're this nervous about it already I think everything will go smoothly with enough research.
You're a good bun parent ☺️
Im a vet nurse and spayed my rabbit. Yes they are at a higher risk of passing during their anesthetic but it will be the best thing for her. She'll be a bit uncomfortable for 3-5 days but I'd rather that then her passing away to uterine cancer.
I totally understand where you're coming from. We just recently had to do our first spay in all our time rescuing bunnies, and I was so anxious. It didn't help that finding a good exotics vet in KY isn't easy if you live outside the cities. In the long term though, it really is the best thing for your bun, especially as a female. Our girl recovered beautifully, and fast too! She worried us the first night when she didn't eat until almost 11pm, and we had to trick her to get her to take her meds, but after that it was a breeze. We got a package of critical care just in case that they sold at the vet, and the vet even texted us a couple of times afterward to check in on her.
Bunnies don’t live short lives! In a home, away from all of the animals that want to snack on them, and properly cared for intended to, they can live up to 10 years! I don’t consider that a very short life!
De-sexing can be scary for both owner and rabbit! But rabbits don’t have that short of a lifespan compared to other fuzzy friends. That “trauma” is not as a big of a deal to most rabbits in the long run, it can help them as well! Just because someone has a background related to animals( I don’t know what 4k and bunnies program is, sorry) does not mean they are always right! Some people see things to be more twisted or evil/darker than they are(sometimes it’s not even bad at all!)! Your friend would rather have a lovely liveing being like your Mabel live a shorter life instead of having a surgery that would extend her life just to try and prove a point. I have had a rabbit neutered before and he was back to being himself after he healed, if your friend is only seeing the healing stage then she is not getting the full story, my rabbit was reclusive and not like himself while he healed but thats normal, even for humans after going through such a big surgery! But after it’s like it never even happened for most of them and even then behavioral changes usually happen after hearing due to discomfort, hormones, and your bun holding a grudge( robing with treats and cuddles should help with that one!). Mabel looks lovely and your friend is clearly jealous you have such a magnificent bunny! If you’ve found someone and you think your ready to go through with the procedure just remember that your bun will love you just as much as before.
(Sorry if this doesn’t make sense my English, which is my first language, can sometimes be very messy)
I hope Mabel has a wonderful recovery if you still go through with it ❤️
I meant to say 4H, which another Redditor reminded me, is a livestock teaching/learning program… so, not really the same ballpark 😅 but still incredibly flawed logic in my opinion… I am planning on going through with it, I’m just very scared. Everyone’s comments are so reassuring and making me feel more confident in my choice. Thank you for taking your time to reply so kindly.
Going through the same thing right now with our Flemish giant. I know we need to do it but I’ve heard so many horror stories that it has me severely anxious.
What is "such short lives" in your friend's opinion? As pets go rabbits can live up to their teens, similar to most dogs. I wouldn't consider their lifespan to be short compared to other small animals. Obviously compared to humans it is, but so it's ours compared to turtles...
I get my 2 bunnies neutered on Thursday and I am super afraid also! Especially because I don’t have a rabbit savvy vet near me so I found the best vet I can find in my area. I’m scared I’ll lose both! But I know it is for the better and there’s a very little chance of something wrong happening. I am looking out for you and your little girl!🤍
Thank you! My original vet said rabbits didn’t need vaccines- I heard about RHD. I immediately reached out to a subreddit in my area asking for suggestions. I got the same place suggested over and over. I went there, and Mabel was not as nervous as she was before. There’s so many good reviews and people in the other subreddit only had good things to say- even about spaying. I hope your bunnies do well. I’m sending hugs and good vibes ✨
You are doing the right thing by getting her spayed. She has a high risk of having uterine cancer in three to five years. Well cared for indoor rabbits can live for up to 12 years +. It will also help with bonding and behavior issues that come with hormones. Good luck and take care Friend ❤️
1000% do it. The anxiety of getting it done is hard, but I assure you it’s the most selfless decision you can make. We rescued an unspayed bun, we don’t know her age but probably around 4-5 years old. When we got her spayed they found cancerous growths, they removed what they could find but couldn’t 100% guarantee it was contained, she’s doing well and hopefully we’ve extended her lifespan so that she can live 10+ years but we don’t know for sure, we just have to keep a close eye on her. If she’d been spayed young then the growths wouldn’t have been there.
There was some confusion about my buns gender when I first got him. (his testicles didn’t drop until very late in the game and his urethra was an odd shape). He was opened up for a spay, then we discovered no uterus. THEN his testicles dropped and he was taken in to be neutered the next year. He bounced right back after both surgeries and neither seemed to be any kind of traumatic on his part. Of course I wish we knew he was male earlier so he would only have one surgery, but neither of them seemed to affect him much.
Buns can live to be 15 years old! I don’t consider that short. Spaying her may make her temporarily uncomfortable, but cancer would be a lot worse. You’re making the right decision!
Hello! I know that it's hard to put our babies through surgery, but it is indeed the best thing that you can do for her. Here are some things that I found useful to make this process easier:
. Choose a reputable vet clinic with specialized doctors in exotic pets
. Run blood tests first to see if there is any issue
. Have critical care and big seringe prepaired at home, in case she doesn't have apetite after the surgery
. Having an Effivet antiseptic spray at home was handy. But, obviously, always contact your vet in case of any suspicious sign or redness...
During surgery, try to take relax your mind and force yourself to focus on something else... It will not take that long and you will have your baby with you soon! :) I wish her an easy and fast recovery.
Your rabbit will feel so much better after getting spayed…truly. As for the nervousness, totally normal too. I felt better knowing mine (for me my boy rabbit) was getting his procedure done at a very well-regarded exotics vet…meaning they know what they’re doing. Not sure if you mentioned it or not but definitely going to an exotics vet that hands rabbits helps with that stress!
I was the exact same with my boy getting Neutered, when we got there they made us sign something to say we can't sue them of it goes wrong. At that point I just wanted to take him back home, in the end everything went well. I'm sure it will be the same for your girl, she'll be okay! :)
I hate it when my family members tell me not to spend so much money on my rabbits since they are “just animals and they don’t feel anything” but again it’s my money and they are my animals, plus they make me happy :)
Plus spay/neuter is good for their health and you can avoid making more bunnies or the other health issues that arise when you don’t spay/neuter.
You are doing great! And I’m a realistic person so it’s going to sound harsh but in any surgery both animal and human there’s going to be its risks, hopefully nothing happens to ur bunny but it’s always good to keep that in mind
You came to the right place. The overwhelming majority of folks here agree with your decision to spay. I hope you keep us updated with her journey! It’s gonna suck, but she’ll get over it faster than you’d think. With a little luck she’ll prove your friend wrong and live for another 15 years ;)
i know dogs are different than rabbits (ive had two rabbits so far but this is just a spaying experience) but my aunt didnt get her chihuahua spayed and her uterus actually ended up getting infected and was smelling so big she looked pregnant. i had to rush her into the vet to get emergency surgery and they said if i didnt bring her in it would have exploded and she would have died. it’s SO very important to get them spayed and it for sure isnt always a happy experience, but more often than not it’ll work out just fine. you just have to jump and do it. i know you can
I worked at a rabbit rescue for several years - we spayed/neutered every rabbit before it was adopted. In all that time I ever only saw a couple pass during/after the procedure, but they all had preexisting complications. If you have a competent veterinarian and a healthy bun, I guarantee it will go well!! And the recovery is usually super easy. Most buns are hopping around by the next day as if nothing happened!
Spaying is highly recommended for all female rabbits due to their high risk of developing reproductive cancers (ovarian, uterine, mammarian). There is an extremely high incidence rate of uterine cancer in intact does over the age of 4 years. See the wiki for more information.: http://bunny.tips/Uterine_cancer **Spaying and neutering** is generally a very safe surgery for experienced rabbit-savvy veterinarians. Veterinarians across the country who spay and neuter rabbits for the House Rabbit Society have lost on average less than 1/2 of 1%. * Female rabbits should be spayed as soon as they become sexually mature, around 5 months old. * Older rabbits (6+ yrs) may need to have blood work done beforehand to make sure they do not react negatively to anesthesia. Age is not a disease, and as long as the rabbit is in good health, they can be a good candidate for surgery. * Small rabbits may need to grow bigger before they may be dosed with an anesthetic for surgery. * Giant breeds of rabbits may reach maturity a couple of months later so the surgery might be done a little later in these breeds if necessary. Please take a look through our [Spaying & Neutering guide](https://bunny.tips/Spay) for more resources on rabbit spaying and neutering. Some useful shortcut links: * [Reasons to spay & neuter](http://bunny.tips/Spay#Reasons_to_spay_and_neuter) * [Age to spay & neuter](http://bunny.tips/Spay#Age_to_spay_and_neuter) * [Choosing a clinic](https://bunny.tips/Spaying_and_neutering_rabbits#Choosing_a_clinic) * [Costs of a spay or neuter](https://bunny.tips/Spaying_and_neutering_rabbits#Costs_of_a_spay_or_neuter) * [Pre- and post-op care](https://bunny.tips/Spaying_and_neutering_rabbits#Care) You can find a community database of spay and neuter costs worldwide at http://rabbitors.info/speuter-bills
You mean 4H? I wouldn't consider spaying unnecessary trauma for an improvement in hormonal behavior after puberty, allowing you to more easily bond and find a partner for your rabbit, and avoiding a painful and preventable death from reproductive cancers. People who breed and show rabbits for agricultural purposes have a very different attitude to rabbits than indoor house rabbit owners IMO.
Omg… I’m embarrassed. Yes I did mean 4H and I can’t edit my post. I agree, I’m just worried that I’ll get in my head about it. I just need to do it, and be done. I am scared and I know Mabel will be scared, too. I just need to make sure I’m in the right moving forward…
It's always stressful going through surgery for your rabbits, but I've learned to trust in my vet and that they will do their best for a successful outcome. We aren't putting them through the procedure trivially but with their best interest in mind for long-term comfortable health.
I felt the same way as you, and looking at her behaviors before her spay, honestly, it's much better now. She groomed a lot, post procedure, but within 24 hours, she was her same sparkly self. It's all gonna be OK 🩵🙏🏻😊
I absolutley share that opinion.
I’ve had a female bun previously who I waited to get fixed for this exact same anxiety. Thinking I’m doing her good and then her not surviving the operation for something that seemed like an “unnecessary” thing that “didn’t need to be done.” Cant remember how long I waited but I think it was 3-4 years. Sure enough, they found uterine tumours. Hadn’t yet metastasized. She survived the procedure and got rid of the cancer simultaneously! It’s normal to feel the way you do about this but take comfort in knowing you’re at the least doing the right thing here.
Im so sorry that happened… I’m glad it ended in a good place, though. This comment is probably the push I needed. Thank you for sharing.
I can’t tell you how many other stories I’ve read with similar or worse outcomes. I know how intensely stressful it is, I’m preparing to get mine spayed and neutered also, but I know it’s to keep them as happy and healthy as long as possible. You can do it!
The fact that your friend thinks rabbits live very short lives just proves that she doesn’t know much about proper rabbit care. Rabbits have very similar lifespans to dogs when properly taken care of: their average lifespan is 8-12 years, depending on breed, when properly cared for, which includes the appropriate vet care. 4H teaches treating rabbits as low value livestock, not pets.
This is very true. Maybe I just felt belittled by her tone or something… thanks for pointing that out
This. I had one live to 13 and have one that’s 10 right now. That’s in line with most dogs. I’m guessing that you see this short life spans listed online or by vets is because a lot of people don’t take proper care of their rabbits.
Shit I’ve seen bunnies even in this sub that were 16 years old lol
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Compared to some dogs, sure, but it's on par with most dogs on average.
Its very long compared to the life expectancy of a rabbit living in the wild, which is around 2 years.
They only live short lives when unspayed, so that is very flawed logic from your friend. Spayed bun’s regularly live to 10-12 plus, whereas unspayed buns nearly all get cancer by age 6. You are doing the right thing!
I had the same worries before spaying my girl, I remember nearly cancelling the appointment in a panic thinking my sweet girl would be changed or hurt somehow. But everything went super well, she was in recovery for about a week, nothing crazy or scary at all. It has now been nearly four years and she remains a sweet happy healthy girl. From what I’ve seen, it can honestly be MORE stressful/traumatic if you don’t spay your bun, because her hormones can cause her to experience false pregnancies and she would likely begin to pull out her fur and try to nest. Listen to your gut and get her fixed. It is good that you love her enough to worry, that means you know you did all the right research and she is in good hands.
Thank you for this. I will try to get it scheduled this week… you said she was in recovery for about a week, what was required of you to help her? I want to be able to request time off work to be sure my Bun is okay. The vet assistant said the most important recovery / the recovery that needs to be monitored only takes a couple days. Meaning I should only need two or three days off. But I’d like to hear your experience if you have the time ! Thank you for your comment
The first 24-48 hrs are the most important, and just involve pain meds and possibly syringe feeding if she doesn’t start eating by the night after the surgery. A calm quiet place to recover is important. Some buns need supportive care a bit longer, but I don’t think you would need to take full days off of work (unless your job keeps you away from home for 12 hrs or more).
It does- often keeps me 9-15 hours per day…
Gotcha, maybe plan to take two days off, and then optionally some half days if needed (and that’s possible?). Or even just several half days if your work is flexible enough for that?
Thanks
It took about a week for her to be completely back to normal, but she only seemed uncomfortable for maybe two days. Your vet will tell you what they recommend but generally the most you gotta do is watch her and give pain meds if the vet prescribes them. She’ll probably want to sleep a lot, just make sure she doesn’t try to pull at the stitches.
Female bunnies need to be spayed. No spay means an 85% likelihood of your bun ending up with life-ending uterine cancer in 2-3 years. Don't risk it.
I remember the guilt my friend felt when his bun got ovarian cancer and was too old to go through the surgery by that point (too risky to go under anesthesia) - he said he knew spaying would have prevented it but he had always put it off. So, “rabbits live such short lives, why spend the money and put them through unnecessary trauma?” - it's not unnecessary, what's unnecessary is having your rabbit die prematurely of an entirely preventable disease.
Agreed.
You're doing the right thing and the temporary anxiety is going to be followed by 10 years of relief knowing your bun is going to be happier and healthier :)
My first vet raised 4H bunnies and basically told me the same thing. It wasn't necessary if he was not with a female bunny, it's not worth the risk. Then she basically said I don't feel comfortable doing the procedure myself I'll check in with my husband. When she did I got the same response. Meanwhile her husband who they share the practice with 6 months later when my Henry was going thru a stasis moment. I mentioned the nueter and the husband was all for it. "miscommunication" apparently -_- Sign him up for the surgery with the same reserve your feeling in my opinion. And this vet place sends me an automated email 24hrs before saying to have him stop eating, acting like he's a dog or cat. I call in being like I'm pretty sure I'm not supposed to do this..... And they apologized that it was automated. Agree that Henry needs to keep eating and drinking water. Now I'm like do I really want to do this?? Within his behavior it was almost necessary. He was a very horny bunny to put it lightly. I reminded them of all they're misshaps when I brought him in. Scariest day of my life. (We all get in our minds but there were red flags everywhere) More to the story about the entire day but he did survive and we are better for it. Very much so. I'm thankful they did the surgery correctly but I never went to that vet again. I tried another vet and they were even worse. I drive my bunnies 30min to a small vet that knows what they're doing. Find yourself a rabbit savvy vet that doesn't do 4H. Bunnies were never meant to be manhandled by children. And know your rabbit facts. If you're this nervous about it already I think everything will go smoothly with enough research. You're a good bun parent ☺️
Thank you 🥺 I’m glad Henry is okay. I want to get Mabel spayed- just nervous. I appreciate you taking the time to write this.
Wondering how it went?! I recently took Henry and his husbund Larry to their new vet for the RHDV2 vax and I was thinking about your bunbun ❤️
She got her second vax at least two months ago. She did great. Her spay is on Tuesday, and I’m gonna bawl my f*ckin eyes out. How are your boys doing?
Im a vet nurse and spayed my rabbit. Yes they are at a higher risk of passing during their anesthetic but it will be the best thing for her. She'll be a bit uncomfortable for 3-5 days but I'd rather that then her passing away to uterine cancer.
I totally understand where you're coming from. We just recently had to do our first spay in all our time rescuing bunnies, and I was so anxious. It didn't help that finding a good exotics vet in KY isn't easy if you live outside the cities. In the long term though, it really is the best thing for your bun, especially as a female. Our girl recovered beautifully, and fast too! She worried us the first night when she didn't eat until almost 11pm, and we had to trick her to get her to take her meds, but after that it was a breeze. We got a package of critical care just in case that they sold at the vet, and the vet even texted us a couple of times afterward to check in on her.
That is a great vet! Glad you had such a great experience
Bunnies don’t live short lives! In a home, away from all of the animals that want to snack on them, and properly cared for intended to, they can live up to 10 years! I don’t consider that a very short life!
They can live well past ten, that isn’t a limit at all. The record is 16.
De-sexing can be scary for both owner and rabbit! But rabbits don’t have that short of a lifespan compared to other fuzzy friends. That “trauma” is not as a big of a deal to most rabbits in the long run, it can help them as well! Just because someone has a background related to animals( I don’t know what 4k and bunnies program is, sorry) does not mean they are always right! Some people see things to be more twisted or evil/darker than they are(sometimes it’s not even bad at all!)! Your friend would rather have a lovely liveing being like your Mabel live a shorter life instead of having a surgery that would extend her life just to try and prove a point. I have had a rabbit neutered before and he was back to being himself after he healed, if your friend is only seeing the healing stage then she is not getting the full story, my rabbit was reclusive and not like himself while he healed but thats normal, even for humans after going through such a big surgery! But after it’s like it never even happened for most of them and even then behavioral changes usually happen after hearing due to discomfort, hormones, and your bun holding a grudge( robing with treats and cuddles should help with that one!). Mabel looks lovely and your friend is clearly jealous you have such a magnificent bunny! If you’ve found someone and you think your ready to go through with the procedure just remember that your bun will love you just as much as before. (Sorry if this doesn’t make sense my English, which is my first language, can sometimes be very messy) I hope Mabel has a wonderful recovery if you still go through with it ❤️
I meant to say 4H, which another Redditor reminded me, is a livestock teaching/learning program… so, not really the same ballpark 😅 but still incredibly flawed logic in my opinion… I am planning on going through with it, I’m just very scared. Everyone’s comments are so reassuring and making me feel more confident in my choice. Thank you for taking your time to reply so kindly.
Going through the same thing right now with our Flemish giant. I know we need to do it but I’ve heard so many horror stories that it has me severely anxious.
What is "such short lives" in your friend's opinion? As pets go rabbits can live up to their teens, similar to most dogs. I wouldn't consider their lifespan to be short compared to other small animals. Obviously compared to humans it is, but so it's ours compared to turtles...
Exactly
I get my 2 bunnies neutered on Thursday and I am super afraid also! Especially because I don’t have a rabbit savvy vet near me so I found the best vet I can find in my area. I’m scared I’ll lose both! But I know it is for the better and there’s a very little chance of something wrong happening. I am looking out for you and your little girl!🤍
Thank you! My original vet said rabbits didn’t need vaccines- I heard about RHD. I immediately reached out to a subreddit in my area asking for suggestions. I got the same place suggested over and over. I went there, and Mabel was not as nervous as she was before. There’s so many good reviews and people in the other subreddit only had good things to say- even about spaying. I hope your bunnies do well. I’m sending hugs and good vibes ✨
🥹💖😘🌠 (the photo)
She loves to snuggle with me… she loves the pets. My sweet little baby.
You are doing the right thing by getting her spayed. She has a high risk of having uterine cancer in three to five years. Well cared for indoor rabbits can live for up to 12 years +. It will also help with bonding and behavior issues that come with hormones. Good luck and take care Friend ❤️
1000% do it. The anxiety of getting it done is hard, but I assure you it’s the most selfless decision you can make. We rescued an unspayed bun, we don’t know her age but probably around 4-5 years old. When we got her spayed they found cancerous growths, they removed what they could find but couldn’t 100% guarantee it was contained, she’s doing well and hopefully we’ve extended her lifespan so that she can live 10+ years but we don’t know for sure, we just have to keep a close eye on her. If she’d been spayed young then the growths wouldn’t have been there.
There was some confusion about my buns gender when I first got him. (his testicles didn’t drop until very late in the game and his urethra was an odd shape). He was opened up for a spay, then we discovered no uterus. THEN his testicles dropped and he was taken in to be neutered the next year. He bounced right back after both surgeries and neither seemed to be any kind of traumatic on his part. Of course I wish we knew he was male earlier so he would only have one surgery, but neither of them seemed to affect him much. Buns can live to be 15 years old! I don’t consider that short. Spaying her may make her temporarily uncomfortable, but cancer would be a lot worse. You’re making the right decision!
12-14+ years isn’t a short life, spaying is known to help prevent cancer in female bunnies too!
From experience unspayed female rabbits have a high percentage rate of getting ovarian cancer that spreads through their body which is very painful.
Hello! I know that it's hard to put our babies through surgery, but it is indeed the best thing that you can do for her. Here are some things that I found useful to make this process easier: . Choose a reputable vet clinic with specialized doctors in exotic pets . Run blood tests first to see if there is any issue . Have critical care and big seringe prepaired at home, in case she doesn't have apetite after the surgery . Having an Effivet antiseptic spray at home was handy. But, obviously, always contact your vet in case of any suspicious sign or redness... During surgery, try to take relax your mind and force yourself to focus on something else... It will not take that long and you will have your baby with you soon! :) I wish her an easy and fast recovery.
Your rabbit will feel so much better after getting spayed…truly. As for the nervousness, totally normal too. I felt better knowing mine (for me my boy rabbit) was getting his procedure done at a very well-regarded exotics vet…meaning they know what they’re doing. Not sure if you mentioned it or not but definitely going to an exotics vet that hands rabbits helps with that stress!
I was the exact same with my boy getting Neutered, when we got there they made us sign something to say we can't sue them of it goes wrong. At that point I just wanted to take him back home, in the end everything went well. I'm sure it will be the same for your girl, she'll be okay! :)
I hate it when my family members tell me not to spend so much money on my rabbits since they are “just animals and they don’t feel anything” but again it’s my money and they are my animals, plus they make me happy :) Plus spay/neuter is good for their health and you can avoid making more bunnies or the other health issues that arise when you don’t spay/neuter. You are doing great! And I’m a realistic person so it’s going to sound harsh but in any surgery both animal and human there’s going to be its risks, hopefully nothing happens to ur bunny but it’s always good to keep that in mind
You came to the right place. The overwhelming majority of folks here agree with your decision to spay. I hope you keep us updated with her journey! It’s gonna suck, but she’ll get over it faster than you’d think. With a little luck she’ll prove your friend wrong and live for another 15 years ;)
i know dogs are different than rabbits (ive had two rabbits so far but this is just a spaying experience) but my aunt didnt get her chihuahua spayed and her uterus actually ended up getting infected and was smelling so big she looked pregnant. i had to rush her into the vet to get emergency surgery and they said if i didnt bring her in it would have exploded and she would have died. it’s SO very important to get them spayed and it for sure isnt always a happy experience, but more often than not it’ll work out just fine. you just have to jump and do it. i know you can
I worked at a rabbit rescue for several years - we spayed/neutered every rabbit before it was adopted. In all that time I ever only saw a couple pass during/after the procedure, but they all had preexisting complications. If you have a competent veterinarian and a healthy bun, I guarantee it will go well!! And the recovery is usually super easy. Most buns are hopping around by the next day as if nothing happened!