Determine Whether to Have Your Rabbit Neutered

Should you have your rabbit spayed/neutered? In a word, yes! If you are not a professional breeder breeding purebred rabbits for shows and modeling (commercials, movies, tv, etc.) then your rabbit should be spayed/neutered, regardless of gender. Why?

Steps

  1. Understand the rabbit mating game. A female rabbit ovulates whenever she is mounted by a male, immediately and every time. Nature designed rabbits to be a "prey" species. Indoor rabbits are not being eaten by predators on a regular basis but they still "reproduce like rabbits" anyway. It isn't pleasant having a large herd of rabbits living in your house; within a year, there will be hundreds, if not thousands, an impossible amount to find good homes for every year. One or two rabbits are adorable. Hundreds and hundreds of rabbits means a very fluffy plague of locusts; they eat everything in sight. And then they pee and poop everywhere. And then they eat some more.
  2. Understand that the usual reason for fixing is to get a tamer, unisex pet. They will be easier to handle and less vicious. Aggressive behavior can be countered by careful taming and selection of a good breed, however. A rabbit living on its own does not need to be fixed, and for an adult pet owner you need to consider the implications of removing an animals' sexual organs for your own requirements. If you have more than one rabbit you should definitely get it fixed, although there has been history of two female unfixed sisters living in general peace with each other.
  3. Ponder the benefits of neutering to the rabbit's behavior. Even if your rabbit never goes anywhere near another rabbit, he or she must still be fixed in order to live a long, healthy life:
    • Female: An unfixed female rabbit gets uterine cancer very quickly. The odds get worse every year she remains unfixed. By the time she's 5 years old, her odds of dying of uterine cancer are 80%.
    • Male: Male rabbits living with other rabbits will pee on everything in sight to mark it as their territory if not fixed. An unfixed male rabbit living on its own is much less likely to. Male rabbits lead to baby rabbits and unfortunately, male rabbits sometimes kill baby rabbits.
  4. Potty train your rabbit. All rabbits, not just fixed ones, can easily be potty trained to use a litter box. Make sure to get a deep box and put it in a place where they feel secure, like a dark corner.

Tips

  • Neuter your rabbit as early as possible. Rabbits can reproduce at an astonishingly young age, 6 months for males and 4 months for females. Neutering can and will make a world of difference in behavior.

Warnings

  • Make sure you choose a vet that specializes in small animals or at least works with rabbits regularly. This is very important.
  • "Fixing" rabbits costs slightly more than dogs and cats, but it is delicate work, and worth every penny.
  • Leave your rabbit alone after he is neutered, but stay with him for comfort.
  • Do not pick the rabbit up for a couple days. Be sure to be gentle.

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Sources and Citations

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