Spaying & Neutering
(originally published at www.allpets.com April 2000)

Introduction: Is a rabbit the right pet for me?

As the Easter season approaches, bunny rabbits become a hot commodity for pet stores everywhere. Baby bunnies in store windows lure parents and children alike into an often impulsive decision to bring home a bunny. A month or two pass and the bunny’s cute face and silly antics start to lose their appeal as children face the reality that this is not a stuffed animal and needs daily attention and care. A lack of proper planning and education leads to thousands of domestic rabbits dying through neglect or being dumped on shelters a result of the Easter rush.

Rabbits are high maintenance pets. They require daily care that is often too much for a child to handle alone. If parents take an active role in feeding and cleaning and loving the new addition, a bunny can be a wonderful addition to a home and can teach children priceless lessons about responsibility and unconditional love.

This column is intended as a starting point to help educate new rabbit owners about the care and feeding of bunnies. It is not intended as a substitute for veterinary care. If you are willing to take the time to learn about your rabbit’s needs, your rabbit will light up your life and be a source of unending joy.

Part One: Spaying and Neutering

Of course we have all heard the saying “multiply like rabbits.” That is definitely true. The sad reality is that rabbits in the wild exist at the bottom of the food chain. To survive as a species, they have had to adapt to that reality. Early sexual maturity and short gestational periods contribute to the speedy propagation of their species. The gestation period for rabbits is approximately one month and they produce large litters. Female rabbits can also become pregnant immediately after birthing a litter.

Unfortunately, the same biological mechanisms that have helped bunnies to survive as a species now contribute to the overpopulation of domestic rabbits. Shelters and humane societies are not always equipped to handle exotics and unwanted domestic rabbits are frequently sold as snake food or dumped in the wild where they cannot survive on their own.

Local chapters of the House Rabbit Society (www.rabbit.org) provide fostering and placement of unwanted domestic rabbits, but too often they are unable to handle the large number of unwanted rabbits that are dumped on them, particularly in the summer months following the Easter season.

Spaying and neutering are the most effective means of halting the overpopulation of unwanted rabbits. In the hands of an experienced exotics veterinarian, spays and neuters are simple procedures which, should result in a healthy happy rabbit and rabbit owner.

One of the most important things you can do for your new bunny is find a good exotics vet. The House Rabbit Society website (www.rabbit.org) has links to a list of recommended veterinarians in many states and contact names for references. If your bunny is old enough (usually 4-6 months of age, depending on the size of the bunny), and healthy enough, the vet will schedule a spay or neuter.

SPAYING

Spaying female rabbits has several advantages. First and foremost, it prevents them from bearing litters and adding to the already high domestic rabbit population. Additionally, spaying reduces certain behavioral problems. Spayed females tend to be less territorial and better behaved. They are also far less likely to spray their humans and bunny roommates. Finally, unspayed female rabbits have a very high incidence of ovarian and uterine cancer. The risk increases with age. Spaying eliminates the risk entirely.

A spay is invasive surgery, but a bunny-savvy vet will be able to perform the spay with a minimum of risk to your bunny. Ask the vet about her personal experience with spaying bunnies and the outcomes of those procedures. An experienced exotics vet will have performed a number of spays with a very high success rate. This discussion is important for it will give you a feel for the vet and help you to determine if this is the right vet for your bunny.

Preparing for surgery

Unfortunately, pre-operative instructions tend to be written for dogs and cats and are not usually rabbit specific. Desk personnel are often not well educated in the specific needs of rabbits and will often quote dog or cat instructions to bunny owners. Some of those instructions may be dangerous if followed for a bunny.

Specifically, pet owners are often instructed to have their pet fast the night before surgery. Fasting is required in dogs and cats because of the danger of aspiration through vomiting. Rabbits do not vomit so the danger is significantly minimized if not eliminated in their case. Bunnies should not be made to fast the night before surgery. A rabbit’s digestive system depends on a continuous supply of food and long periods of fasting can have serious consequences. A few hours before the procedure is long enough for them to go without food.

When you take your bunny in for surgery, take along some of her regular food (hay, pellets, a few vegetables), a familiar toy or towel, and a dish for water. Vets are often well-equipped for their canine and feline clients, but often not as well-equipped for bunnies. Help your bunny to feel safe by making the environment as much like home as possible. Also, if you have bunnies who are bonded to one another, take them both along. Most vets will not mind having the other bunny along for moral support.

Before your bunny comes home

Anytime your bunny (or any pet) has surgery, it is a good idea to take the time to thoroughly clean their living area before they come home. Take advantage of their absence to sanitize their litterboxes, floors and beds. This will help prevent infection of the suture site. Prepare her litterbox with soft, paper-based or similar litter.

You will also want to evaluate her environment for other types of risks. If she moves around too much the first day or two after her surgery, she may harm herself. If her housing is multi-leveled, it may be a good idea to temporarily shut off all but the main level to prevent her from attempting to jump from one to the other in the first two days following her surgery.

Post-operative Care

It is always a good idea to get your bunny home the same day as the surgery, as long as there are no complications. This way, she can be in her own surroundings as she recovers from the surgery without having to spend the night in an unfamiliar environment surrounded by unfamiliar smells and noises.

Before leaving the veterinarian’s office, make sure to ask a lot of questions so you know exactly what to expect when you get home. The doctor may prescribe pain medication for the first few days following the spay. If so, administer them per the vet’s directions.

Your bunny will not want to do much for the first day or two following her spay. Many bunnies will not use their water bottle following a spay. It may be too much work for them to lift their heads. So make sure she has a bowl of water nearby.

It is very important to monitor her eating. She should start eating and drinking again within a few hours of coming home. Entice her with her favorite foods. She needs to eat. If she refuses to eat, contact the vet. Stress sometimes brings on a condition known as G.I. Stasis in which bunnies stop eating altogether. A vet will help you know how to handle it if it happens.

Check her incision site periodically for redness and swelling and any discharge. Be sure to contact the vet if you notice anything unusual. As she heals, your bunny will start to move a little more each day until she’s back to normal. Even if there are no stitches to remove, your vet may still want to schedule a follow-up appointment to be certain everything is healing properly. Take advantage of that opportunity. Even if things seem fine, it is a good idea to have the vet check things out just in case.

NEUTERING

Like spaying, neutering has several advantages. Neutered male bunnies are more docile and gentle and tend to be far less aggressive. They also tend not to mark territory by spraying and are more willing to cohabitate with another bunny. And, of course, neutered rabbits cannot impregnate does and so will not contribute to the overpopulation problem.

When it comes to the surgery itself, male bunnies sometimes have it a bit easier than the girls. Neuters are fairly simple, straightforward procedures requiring minimal recovery time. Prepare your male bunny for surgery as you would a female. Take his favorite foods along for the ride, clean his environment thoroughly and make sure he comes home with you the night of his surgery. Follow your vet’s instructions regarding aftercare.

As with females, males need to be restricted in their movement for a few days following the surgery. Because the surgery is less invasive then a spay, males will tend to feel better much more quickly than females and will want to run around and jump as though nothing had happened. This can sometimes lead to complications, so it is a good idea to limit them to a single-level environment for the first few days.

After surgery, he will also need to be monitored to be sure he is eating and drinking and urinating. A failure to urinate often indicates a serious problem requiring medical attention. Some males may also experience a buildup of fluids around the site or unusual discharge. This is a cause for concern and should be brought to the vet’s attention as soon as possible. As always, call the vet if there is anything unusual going on. It is always better to be safe than sorry.

With a little patience and a lot of love, your bunny will heal quickly and fully from the surgery. Then you can get down to the real fun of living with a bunny.