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Kountry_Kritter_Keeper

I was just wonderin' as to how many of rabbit owners have them spayed/neutered once they are no longer used for breeding.
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Kountry Kritter Keeper

twohunnyz · Joined: 15 Jul 2006 Posts: 4 Karma: +1 (1)

We'll probably keep the does, still breed them even with small litters, for the main purpose of using them as foster mother's. The bucks we may neuter and give away as pets to schools, etc. Don't know for certain, though. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it! Wink

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Krystal
Two Hunnyz Rabbitry

standard chinchillas · Joined: 14 Jul 2006 Posts: 9 Karma: 0 (0) Location: WA

I have found that spay and neutering rabbits is extremely dangerous. even just pets, the % of fatalities is double that of any other animal.

Kountry_Kritter_Keeper · Posted: Sun Jul 16, 2006 9:13 pm Post subject: Harmful to have buns fixed?

Is it that harmful to have them fixed? Do they pass on at the time of the operation or sometime after? Interesting!
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Kountry Kritter Keeper

twohunnyz · Joined: 15 Jul 2006 Posts: 4 Karma: +1 (1)

On the other hand, I've heard, much like with cats, that if a female is not used for breeding and is not spayed, there is a substantially greater risk for uterine cancer.
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Krystal
Two Hunnyz Rabbitry

twohunnyz · Joined: 15 Jul 2006 Posts: 4 Karma: +1 (1)

By the way, I started the topics in the Rabbits section of the forum with a Poll. I'm interested in seeing the results. Please cast your vote! Smile

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Krystal
Two Hunnyz Rabbitry

standard chinchillas · Joined: 14 Jul 2006 Posts: 9 Karma: 0 (0) Location: WA

I have only heard of rabbits getting cancer when they have been fix, but rabbit cancer is not some thing i have researched that extencively.

lauryn89 · Joined: 14 Jul 2006 Posts: 2 Karma: 0 (0)

Spaying and neutering rabbits is only fatal if the veterinarian performing the spay/neuter doesn't know what they're doing. I work for a vet who has done several spays and neuters on rabbits. I recently had a chocolate dutch buck severly injure himself on cage wire (or at least that's my best guess as to what happened). I had to have him neutered for the sake of keeping him alive. That was back in February--he is just as happy and healthy today as he was before the surgery. I have heard that NOT neutering or spaying a rabbit gives the rabbit a HIGHER chance of cancer...I believe that this idea started when animal shelters noticed an increase of bunnies coming in. In my opinion, shelters started saying things like this to encourage people with pet rabbits to have them fixed, much like they encourage spaying/neutering your dog or cat. However, I have asked my vet about it and she said that the rabbit is no more or less likely to get cancer EITHER WAY.

SBR_MiniRex · Posted: Sat Jul 29, 2006 6:11 am Post subject:

It's all misconceptions.

Uterine TUMORS are more likely... not CANCER... two separate conditions and issues. Most often (90% of cases) benign tumors (fibroids) are misconstrued and labeled as Cancer.
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Sunshine S. Patron
SunnieBunnie Rabbitry

imvenus143 · Joined: 02 Feb 2007 Posts: 2 Karma: 0 (0)

I love rabbits so much that some of my "pet" rabbits live in my house. Any rabbit that lives in my house I get spayed/neutered. I like to try to bond them so I don't have to keep them seperate. This just doesn't work if they aren't altered. Any of my breeding stock I will continue to try to breed as they get older. Sometimes they take, sometimes they don't. And my vet who specializes in rabbits says the same thing.. It doesn't matter either way. This is an interesting topic for sure. My absolute favorite rabbit was 2 years old when I got him and refused to litter train. About a month after I got him neutered he stopped spraying and is now completely litter trained... lol good thing or he wouldn't be living in my house.

wvsaphire · Posted: Wed Feb 21, 2007 4:18 am Post subject:

If you ask the local, well the 4-8 hr away vets that even see rabbits here, they say that having your rabbit fixed prolongs life and prevents a mass of other problems. So far I don't see any difference in that with older intact breeding stock. We had a dutch mix live for 12 years, pet and meat breeder, no problems and intact right up to the day he passed in his sleep. Mini Rex our first Speck died at the age of 9.5 and very well could've lived longer I believe if not for the extra weight she was carring around even though that is consider'd old for a rabbit. She was used in breeding for 5 years, started when she was almost 3 years old. Late and always had small litters but it did not cause any problems for her or cause problems with delivery, how ever the line itself were always bred later in life as well. One of our other Mini Rex firsts that we got a year to few months later are MG who is 10 and half this April year and Pete who is 8 in March. All intact, all in good condition, all able to be bred IF I would. MG is not bred in over 2 years but Pete is used a few times a year permitting he feels up to it lol. I see no difference in having them fixed and not fixed as far as life span goes for me. We got MG n Pete when they were already adults but had Speck since she was 6 wks old. I think it has more to do with the quality of life provided then any thing else, given you have a very healthy line of rabbits to begin with with no medical history of kind.
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Jennifer of Saphire Moonz Rabbitry
Current breeds: Mini Rex, Mini Lop, Netherland Dwarf, Dwarf Rex, Lion Head, Holland Lop, Lion Lop, Flemish Giant, English Spots
Location: West Virginia
Web: http://www.wvsmr.net