# Neutering a rabbit



## Hammylover123 (Oct 2, 2012)

I'm thinking of getting a rabbit very soon and trying to get everything otganised. Which is the best sex? Female or male for a teenager and what breed would you suggest. Do u need to get them neutered and spayed as they are expensive but wouldn't mind paying the price if its needed. My friend and the Internet sites say no they don't need them but what do you think? Also what happens if there not and when does the spaying need to happen and vaccinations x


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## Guest (Oct 26, 2012)

Hammylover123 said:


> I'm thinking of getting a rabbit very soon and trying to get everything otganised. Which is the best sex? Female or male for a teenager and what breed would you suggest. Do u need to get them neutered and spayed as they are expensive but wouldn't mind paying the price if its needed. My friend and the Internet sites say no they don't need them but what do you think? Also what happens if there not and when does the spaying need to happen and vaccinations x


The best sex is a neutered buck and spayed doe pair because rabbits are very social animals so do much better in pairs, a single rabbit is a lonely rabbit.

The best breed is what ever your preferences are, I have a few breeds that I like personally but all bunnies are pretty much the same they just vary in size and some breeds have a few different characteristics.

It is best to get both sexes spayed/neutered for both behavioural and health reasons.
Entire bucks will become sexually frustrated(leading to humping and/or aggression), they can spray, and they will live shorter lives.
Entire does have a huge amount of hormones running through their body which leads to 85% of does contracting uterine cancer by the age of 5 (I personally have lost a doe to cancer at the age of 3 she was spayed at 2 but that was too late for her), they will have phantom pregnancies (which put a huge strain on their bodies), they will become territorial (leading to humping and/or aggression) and they also live shorter lives.

So as you can see neutering and spaying is extremely important, as for what age, for bucks they can be neutered as soon as their furry teabags arrive (normally around 4 months but this can vary depending on the breed) and for does it is best to spay around 6 months old.

As for vaccinations there are 2 diseases that we can protect against and that is VHD (Viral Haemorrhagic Disease) and Myxo, there is a combo vaccination that needs to be done every 12 months.

Have you thought about looking into getting some rescue rabbits? Rescues will come spayed/neutered, vaccinated and have a full health check before they are rehomed, that way you could look at giving an already bonded pair a home and it saves you the expense of the spay and neuter. You will also get rescue backup for life


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## Hammylover123 (Oct 2, 2012)

Hiya thanks for the great reply, you have explained to me how important it is to get them done! I appreciate it, yeah I have thought about the rescue there is a rescue by where I live , fat fluffies or something don't know whether youv heard of it, but they have some in there 100 pound for the two, there's these littleuns called the island kids and I really like these two called gozo and kassos there a boy and girl and neutured and vaccinated. Its just persuading my dad to get 2, its hard enough trying to get one! I'm just worried about things like twice the vet bills and things like that, also iv been told if one rabbit gets a disease the other one can catch it quite easily and I'm worried about having to get them both treated


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## Hammylover123 (Oct 2, 2012)

iv found this:

kuunoita

Having just one rabbit is fine. As long as you spend time with it and play with it it will bond to you instead of another rabbit.

There are many problems that can arise from keeping two rabbits together. Fighting being one of them. Even if both are neutered and spayed they can still fight and inflict harm on each other.

If you have one there is less of a chance of it catching a rabbit disease that can kill it.

Many people have had just one rabbit and it was fine. Too many rescuse groups put human emotions and feeling on animals that have nothing to do with how they really are.

Source(s):

Breeder of show, pet and meat rabbits for 16 years
ARBA member- American Rabbit Breeders Association, Inc.
4H advisor

and now i don know really what to do


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## Guest (Oct 27, 2012)

Hammylover123 said:


> iv found this:
> 
> kuunoita
> 
> ...


For starters that is an American site so not really relevant and not being funny but on the internet you will always be able to find an article to match up to what you want no matter what it is. And 4H really isn't the best place to be getting info from, they aren't really known for their good information :nono:

Lone rabbits are NOT fine, they suffer immensely, Some will suffer silently (so will appear to be fine), whereas others will develop sever habits like pacing, bar chewing, head nodding which can all become learned so even if you eventually get a friend there is no guarantee that the habits will stop.

Rabbits NEED company, it is as simple as that.

Yes illnesses can spread between the two but then if you are vigilant enough and get the right treatment in time then it isn't an issue, I have rabbits here with serious and highly contagious illnesses (I have one that is a snuffles carrier) but with good hygiene habits and quarantining in place he is the only one still with the illness 

Of course you will have two vet bills but in all honesty rabbits are NOT cheap pets (an emergency vet appointment can end up running into the thousands depending on the problem, my last emergency appointment cost me in the region of £800).

I hate to say this but if your parents are adamant that you only get one rabbit then please, please be the responsible person and either talk them round (showing them new rabbit owner threads on here might help) or decide that rabbits really aren't for your family just yet.


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## Hammylover123 (Oct 2, 2012)

i feel terrible iv posted that now, i feel so irisponsible :cryin: i will try and talk them round im so sorry i posted that


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## Hammylover123 (Oct 2, 2012)

wht do you think about pet insurance?


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## Guest (Oct 27, 2012)

Hammylover123 said:


> wht do you think about pet insurance?


Due to the many restrictions that come with rabbit insurance I'm not one that advises it, instead I have a separate bank account which I put in £20 a month and I will only use it for emergency vet treatment so I know I always have the money if needed


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## Hammylover123 (Oct 2, 2012)

ok thanks i think that what i will do i get a certain amount of llowance each month so that is something i could put it towards, it would help if i needed it right? im so sorry for what i posted btw


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## Guest (Oct 27, 2012)

Hammylover123 said:


> ok thanks i think that what i will do i get a certain amount of llowance each month so that is something i could put it towards, it would help if i needed it right? im so sorry for what i posted btw


That's a very responsible thing to do, every little bit helps where vet bills are concerned 

There is no need to be sorry, you are asking questions and everyone has to learn somewhere 
You will find that on the internet there are a certain group of people that will use any excuse to try to justify what they do, so long as you make sure you do as much research as possible you will be able to spot the "false truths" 

Just remember that when it comes to rabbit care many people are unfortunately still stuck in the victorian times when keeping a lone rabbits in a tiny hutch was the acceptable thing to do.

Edited to add: For future reference you might want to post rabbit questions in this section Rabbits - Pet Forums Community you might get more replies there because not many people come in this section


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## Hammylover123 (Oct 2, 2012)

ok then thankyou. at first i had the imagination of a nutshell where rabbits are concerned, now i know much more and have decided rabbits are the pets for me . you have helped me a great deal and i think i have found the perfect pair over on the fat fluffs rabbit rehoming site thankyu so much


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## purplesponge (Nov 10, 2012)

Hi guys, Ive had my little boy for about a month now, and i didn't realise how vital it was to have two of them together, like hammylover i was told as long as you give them enough attention they would be alright on their own :/ Is it now too late to get another to introduce them? thanks


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## Guest (Nov 11, 2012)

purplesponge said:


> Hi guys, Ive had my little boy for about a month now, and i didn't realise how vital it was to have two of them together, like hammylover i was told as long as you give them enough attention they would be alright on their own :/ Is it now too late to get another to introduce them? thanks


It's never too late so long as both are neutered and bonded correctly


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## Louiseandfriends (Aug 21, 2011)

I though Buddy (black) was fine as a lone rabbit. I think I was wrong, don't you? xx


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## Louiseandfriends (Aug 21, 2011)

B3rnie said:


> It's never too late so long as both are neutered and bonded correctly


Buddy lived 2 years ad is extremely sociable!


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## Theresa L.W. (Jan 22, 2020)

Hi, I'm new to this and not sure if this thread is still active, but here goes - 
I have a very lively, neutered 9-year-old mini-lop. He was bonded with another neutered male, who has sadly died. I want to get him a companion of a similar age and have been offered a 6-year-old entire doe.
I understand that having her spayed at this age may be dangerous and also that it may not be possible to bond them without doing so.
Does anyone have any advice please?


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## kimthecat (Aug 11, 2009)

Theresa L.W. said:


> Hi, I'm new to this and not sure if this thread is still active, but here goes -
> I have a very lively, neutered 9-year-old mini-lop. He was bonded with another neutered male, who has sadly died. I want to get him a companion of a similar age and have been offered a 6-year-old entire doe.
> I understand that having her spayed at this age may be dangerous and also that it may not be possible to bond them without doing so.
> Does anyone have any advice please?


Rabbits can be very territorial and they need careful introductions . I had neutered bucks and unspayed does and they got on fine. If you are worried then perhaps best to wait for a spayed female.


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## Theresa L.W. (Jan 22, 2020)

Thanks - it did take quite a while to bond him with the last rabbit and, though he was fine with the cat I already had when I got him, he was furious for some time when I got a kitten, so if the doe is territorial as well, it probably wouldn't be a winner. One of the cats is very timid as well, so the doe might make his life a misery too.
Thanks for your advice - I think it probably is best to wait.


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