| Education, Rescue, and Respect |
| Spay/Neuter |
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One of the most important things you can do for your rabbit's health and
well-being is to spay or neuter.
First an foremost, spaying/neutering your bunny will help it to calm down and it will be much easier to deal with.
Unspayed females have better than an 80% chance of developing reproductive cancer by age three. Un-neutered
males will spray to mark their territory. If only more people would spay/neuter their bunnies, there would be much
fewer bunnies dumped at shelters and rescues due to behavioral issues.
Spay/neuter can go along way towards avoiding urinary tract infections, uterine cancer, uterine disease, mammary
gland disease, testicular cancer, and of course, it will prevent unwanted pregnancies. It will also make your rabbit
mellower and easier to get along with. Behavioral problems as a result of hormones gone wild during adolescence
accounts for nearly all the dumps/abandonments/etc of young rabbits (those who didn't die in the first few weeks, of
unintentional neglect). If people had been prepared to take proper care of the bunny, and get it spayed/neutered when
the time was right, they would have discovered how wonderful bunnies really are as house pets.
Like humans, rabbits go through an adolescence of wildly shifting hormones, and just like humans, they act out.
Males, and some females, spray - this has nothing to do with litterbox habits and it is not something they can control
- the hormones are causing it. The best way to solve this problem is to have your rabbit altered (spay for females,
neuter for males) and then after about a month (for the hormones to clear) the rabbit will calm down, be much easier
to deal with, and you will have a wonderful companion and member of the family.
If you have more than one rabbit, regardless of their sexes, altering them also will make them much less likely to
behave aggressively towards each other (which could result in serious injury or even death).
Female rabbits can become pregnant almost immediately after giving birth, so even if your bunny has just had a
litter, that doesn't mean she can't get started on another one.
Some reasons for preventing your rabbit from breeding include:
Rabbit overpopulation - there are far too many unwanted rabbits in shelters and rescues already
It is impossible to find good homes for all the offspring (4 to 14 kits) in a litter
Untimely death - most rabbits die before their first birthday due to ignorance and/or improper care
The rabbits are sold or given away, and ultimately wind up in the hands of people who will use them as dinner for
themselves or their snakes
Unspayed females have a better than 80% chance of developing uterine and/or ovarian cancer by the age of 3 years.
Reference: © David L. Fisher
http://www.3bunnies.org/spay_and_neuter.htm
well-being is to spay or neuter.
First an foremost, spaying/neutering your bunny will help it to calm down and it will be much easier to deal with.
Unspayed females have better than an 80% chance of developing reproductive cancer by age three. Un-neutered
males will spray to mark their territory. If only more people would spay/neuter their bunnies, there would be much
fewer bunnies dumped at shelters and rescues due to behavioral issues.
Spay/neuter can go along way towards avoiding urinary tract infections, uterine cancer, uterine disease, mammary
gland disease, testicular cancer, and of course, it will prevent unwanted pregnancies. It will also make your rabbit
mellower and easier to get along with. Behavioral problems as a result of hormones gone wild during adolescence
accounts for nearly all the dumps/abandonments/etc of young rabbits (those who didn't die in the first few weeks, of
unintentional neglect). If people had been prepared to take proper care of the bunny, and get it spayed/neutered when
the time was right, they would have discovered how wonderful bunnies really are as house pets.
Like humans, rabbits go through an adolescence of wildly shifting hormones, and just like humans, they act out.
Males, and some females, spray - this has nothing to do with litterbox habits and it is not something they can control
- the hormones are causing it. The best way to solve this problem is to have your rabbit altered (spay for females,
neuter for males) and then after about a month (for the hormones to clear) the rabbit will calm down, be much easier
to deal with, and you will have a wonderful companion and member of the family.
If you have more than one rabbit, regardless of their sexes, altering them also will make them much less likely to
behave aggressively towards each other (which could result in serious injury or even death).
Female rabbits can become pregnant almost immediately after giving birth, so even if your bunny has just had a
litter, that doesn't mean she can't get started on another one.
Some reasons for preventing your rabbit from breeding include:
Rabbit overpopulation - there are far too many unwanted rabbits in shelters and rescues already
It is impossible to find good homes for all the offspring (4 to 14 kits) in a litter
Untimely death - most rabbits die before their first birthday due to ignorance and/or improper care
The rabbits are sold or given away, and ultimately wind up in the hands of people who will use them as dinner for
themselves or their snakes
Unspayed females have a better than 80% chance of developing uterine and/or ovarian cancer by the age of 3 years.
Reference: © David L. Fisher
http://www.3bunnies.org/spay_and_neuter.htm
| Pre- and Post-operative care of Rabbits |
Any surgery can be stressful to your companion rabbit, and there's really no such thing as a surgery that is 100%
risk free.However, the following information should help you and your rabbit get through either emergency or
elective surgery with a minimum of stress, and a maximum of safety.
Pre-operative Care
1. Be sure you schedule surgery with a veterinarian who is very familiar with a rabbit's unique anatomy and
physiology, and who has had a great deal of experience and success with rabbit surgeries and anesthesia.
Veterinarians who specialize in "exotic" species are a good place to start when seeking a rabbit-experienced
veterinarian. If you cannot find an experienced rabbit vet in your local yellow pages, you may wish to contact your
local House Rabbit Society volunteer to see if s/he can help you with a referral. There is also a veterinary referral
list linked to the National House Rabbit Society web site.
2. If possible, schedule the surgery so that you can bring your bunny home with you the same evening. Spending the
night in an unfamiliar place, surrounded by strange people and sounds, can add unnecessary stress, and lengthen
your rabbit's recovery. Very few veterinary hospitals have 24-hour monitoring staff, and your bunny will probably not
be watched for at least part of the night, if he stays in the hospital. Home, where he can be monitored constantly,
showered with love, and offered his favorite treats, is best.
3. If your rabbit is bonded to another rabbit, it is important to bring them both to the vet so that the mate can offer
moral support during the pre-operative waiting period and during recovery. It also will help prevent the dreaded
un-bonding phenomenon which sometimes occurs when one member of a bonded pair comes home smelling of
strange and scary hospital. The last thing you want your bunny to suffer after surgery is violent rejection by his/her
own mate! Unfortunately, this goes for bonded groups, too. Its best to bring everyone in for moral support and to
prevent post-operative social rejection.
4. DO NOT FAST YOUR RABBIT PRIOR TO THE SURGICAL APPOINTMENT, even if the person scheduling your
appointment (usually a receptionist, who is instructed to give everyone the same instructions for pre-surgical care,
but knows only what is appropriate for a dog or cat) tells you to do so. Here are the reasons why some clinic staff
might suggest fasting, and why these reasons do not hold true for rabbits:
a. Some surgical anesthetics can cause nausea. One of the reasons vets fast most animals pre-operatively is
because of the risk of vomiting during surgery or recovery. Rabbits lack the vomiting reflex, and are physically
almost incapable of regurgitation. In rabbits, the risk of post-operative vomiting (which can cause accidental
aspiration--liquid being breathed into the lungs) is very low.
b. Some veterinarians may be concerned that food in the intestine will interfere with their obtaining a "true body
weight," which is necessary to calculate the proper dosage of injectible anesthestic. There are two reasons that this
should not be a concern with rabbits.
(i) Under normal circumstances, the intestine of a healthy rabbit is never empty, and should not be. Rabbit gut
passage time is relatively long (approximately 12 hours), so to get the intestine completely empty would take a very
long time. Also, since an anorectic rabbit can begin to suffer liver damage in relatively short time when the gut is
empty, it is not advisable to fast the rabbit before surgery.
(ii) If the veterinarian is using isoflurane or sevoflurane, the gas anesthetic of choice, body weight is not an issue,
since the gas is adminstered through the respiratory tract. Even though isoflurane gas is more expensive than
injectible anesthetics, it is worth the extra cost to ensure a safer surgery and faster recovery.
CALL IN ADVANCE AND ASK WHAT ANESTHESIA WILL BE USED. IT IT'S NOT
ISOFLURANE, CANCEL THE APPOINTMENT AND FIND A MORE RABBIT SAVVY VET.
(IMPORTANT NOTE: Although intubation allows much more precise administration and monitoring of gas anesthesia,
and is safer in case of an emergency cardiac or respiratory arrest during surgery, please be aware that intubation of
rabbits is a delicate procedure requiring a great deal of practice and expertise. If your vet is NOT experienced with
rabbit intubations, it is probably much safer for the isoflurane to be administered via mask. You might wish to ask
your vet about this before you schedule the surgery. An inexperienced veterinarian attempting to intubate a rabbit
can actually cause its death by over-stimulating the vagus nerve, which runs close to the trachea, and inducing
cardiac arrest.)
c. Feeding your bunny before surgery helps the gastrointestinal (GI) tract remain active, which will speed recovery.
Rabbits who become inappetent after surgery are more difficult to "jump start" back to normal eating habits. Even
relatively brief periods (24 hours) of anorexia can result in GI stasis and some liver damage in rabbits. For more
information on this condition, please refer to "Treating Ileus".
5. Take some of your rabbit's normal food (pellets and hay) along as well as a bag of favorite fresh herbs. Ask that
the foods be offered to your bunny as soon as the anesthesia wears off. The sooner bunny starts eating again after
surgery, the quicker the recovery.
Post surgical Care
1. A neuter and (especially) a spay will make your bunny sore for a day or two. Many experienced vets routinely
administer analgesics (e.g., Banamine (flunixin meglumine) )after the surgery, just to keep the bunnies comfortable
and to encourage them to eat as soon as possible.
3. Keep your rabbit quiet for a few days after surgery, but do try to maintain normal feeding and bonding times. There
is no reason to separate bonded pairs or groups as long as the bunnies interact calmly. Adhesions usually will begin
forming within 24 hours. If your male bunny seems very sore after his neuter, a sitzbath in a weak solution of
betadine and lukewarm water (about 1 tablespoon of betadine in four cups of water) can be very soothing. Be sure to
gently check the sutures for a day or two after surgery to be sure the bunny isn't chewing them, and to check for
unusual redness, swelling or signs of infection. If you see any sign of problems, the bunny should be taken back to
the vet immediately.
2. Under normal circumstances, rabbits do not require post-surgical antibiotics.
3. There is no reason to separate bonded pairs or groups as long as the bunnies interact calmly. Adhesions usually
will begin forming within 24 hours. If your male bunny seems very sore after his neuter, a sitzbath in a weak solution
of betadine and lukewarm water (about 1 tablespoon of betadine in four cups of water) can be very soothing. Be sure
to gently check the sutures for a day or two after surgery to be sure the bunny isn't chewing them, and to check for
unusual redness, swelling or signs of infection. If you see any sign of problems, the bunny should be taken back to
the vet immediately.
4. Watch to be sure that your bunny does not chew out the sutures! Many vets use subcuticular (under the skin)
sutures that cannot be chewed out, and may even put a line of surgical glue over the incision for extra strength. You
might ask your vet about this before your bunny has his surgery. In most cases, an E-collar is not necessary for a
rabbit, and may cause more stress than it is worth, except in extreme suture-chewing cases. If your bunny does end
up wearing an E-collar for a day or two, note that you will probably have to feed him his cecotropes, since he will not
be able to reach them for normal ingestion. (More information on the nature of cecotropes can be found in "The
Mystery of Poop".)
5. Healing is usually well under way by seven days after neutering for a male, and ten days after spaying for a
female. NOTE THAT MALES MAY HAVE VIABLE SPERM FOR UP TO FOUR WEEKS POST-NEUTERING! Do not place
your male with an intact female until a minimum of four weeks after his neuter surgery!
6. If your rabbit has a bonded mate, you may need to separate them physically for a day or two to avoid injury if they
continue to mount one another, or play too roughly. Usually this is not necessary. But if it is, be sure to allow them
to see, touch and smell each other at all times, even if they cannot physically contact one another. The rabbit who
has undergone surgery will need the emotional support of his/her mate for an uneventful recovery. Allowing them to
be in contact also reduces the chances that they will fight after re-introduction.
7. Offer your rabbit a bowl of water, even if a water bottle is usually used. A rabbit needs to drink after surgery, but
often won't do so if he has to "work" for his water. He will recover more quickly if he's well hydrated.
8. If your bunny is reluctant to eat after surgery, offer a favorite treat. He will recover more quickly if the GI tract
gets back up and running as soon as possible after a surgery. Fragrant herbs, such as basil, parsley, dill and mint
seem to appeal to a bunny recovering from surgery.
9. It is not unusual to see a few soft or mucus-covered stools after surgery. Stools should return to normal within a
day or two, if your bunny has returned to regular eating habits. If you continue to see mucus in the stool beyond a
day or two, or if fecal production stops, consult your veterinarian immediately.
10. If your rabbit hasn't eaten ANYTHING within 24 hours of surgery, we advise calling your veterinarian. Monitor the
output of fecal pellets closely. If fecal output slows or stops after surgery, your bunny may be suffering from GI
stasis (ileus) due to the stress of the surgery. THIS IS CONSIDERED A EMERGENCY AND YOU NEED TO ACT
QUICKLY. GI STASIS IS KNOWN AS THE SILENT KILLER.
11. If your bunny suffers unusual complications, you may need to "force feed" her for a few days after surgery to help
get the GI tract back to normal. A very good product for this purpose is Critical Care, manufactured by Oxbow Hay
Company, and often available through your veterinarian.
Reference: Dana Krempels, Ph.D.
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/opcare.html
risk free.However, the following information should help you and your rabbit get through either emergency or
elective surgery with a minimum of stress, and a maximum of safety.
Pre-operative Care
1. Be sure you schedule surgery with a veterinarian who is very familiar with a rabbit's unique anatomy and
physiology, and who has had a great deal of experience and success with rabbit surgeries and anesthesia.
Veterinarians who specialize in "exotic" species are a good place to start when seeking a rabbit-experienced
veterinarian. If you cannot find an experienced rabbit vet in your local yellow pages, you may wish to contact your
local House Rabbit Society volunteer to see if s/he can help you with a referral. There is also a veterinary referral
list linked to the National House Rabbit Society web site.
2. If possible, schedule the surgery so that you can bring your bunny home with you the same evening. Spending the
night in an unfamiliar place, surrounded by strange people and sounds, can add unnecessary stress, and lengthen
your rabbit's recovery. Very few veterinary hospitals have 24-hour monitoring staff, and your bunny will probably not
be watched for at least part of the night, if he stays in the hospital. Home, where he can be monitored constantly,
showered with love, and offered his favorite treats, is best.
3. If your rabbit is bonded to another rabbit, it is important to bring them both to the vet so that the mate can offer
moral support during the pre-operative waiting period and during recovery. It also will help prevent the dreaded
un-bonding phenomenon which sometimes occurs when one member of a bonded pair comes home smelling of
strange and scary hospital. The last thing you want your bunny to suffer after surgery is violent rejection by his/her
own mate! Unfortunately, this goes for bonded groups, too. Its best to bring everyone in for moral support and to
prevent post-operative social rejection.
4. DO NOT FAST YOUR RABBIT PRIOR TO THE SURGICAL APPOINTMENT, even if the person scheduling your
appointment (usually a receptionist, who is instructed to give everyone the same instructions for pre-surgical care,
but knows only what is appropriate for a dog or cat) tells you to do so. Here are the reasons why some clinic staff
might suggest fasting, and why these reasons do not hold true for rabbits:
a. Some surgical anesthetics can cause nausea. One of the reasons vets fast most animals pre-operatively is
because of the risk of vomiting during surgery or recovery. Rabbits lack the vomiting reflex, and are physically
almost incapable of regurgitation. In rabbits, the risk of post-operative vomiting (which can cause accidental
aspiration--liquid being breathed into the lungs) is very low.
b. Some veterinarians may be concerned that food in the intestine will interfere with their obtaining a "true body
weight," which is necessary to calculate the proper dosage of injectible anesthestic. There are two reasons that this
should not be a concern with rabbits.
(i) Under normal circumstances, the intestine of a healthy rabbit is never empty, and should not be. Rabbit gut
passage time is relatively long (approximately 12 hours), so to get the intestine completely empty would take a very
long time. Also, since an anorectic rabbit can begin to suffer liver damage in relatively short time when the gut is
empty, it is not advisable to fast the rabbit before surgery.
(ii) If the veterinarian is using isoflurane or sevoflurane, the gas anesthetic of choice, body weight is not an issue,
since the gas is adminstered through the respiratory tract. Even though isoflurane gas is more expensive than
injectible anesthetics, it is worth the extra cost to ensure a safer surgery and faster recovery.
CALL IN ADVANCE AND ASK WHAT ANESTHESIA WILL BE USED. IT IT'S NOT
ISOFLURANE, CANCEL THE APPOINTMENT AND FIND A MORE RABBIT SAVVY VET.
(IMPORTANT NOTE: Although intubation allows much more precise administration and monitoring of gas anesthesia,
and is safer in case of an emergency cardiac or respiratory arrest during surgery, please be aware that intubation of
rabbits is a delicate procedure requiring a great deal of practice and expertise. If your vet is NOT experienced with
rabbit intubations, it is probably much safer for the isoflurane to be administered via mask. You might wish to ask
your vet about this before you schedule the surgery. An inexperienced veterinarian attempting to intubate a rabbit
can actually cause its death by over-stimulating the vagus nerve, which runs close to the trachea, and inducing
cardiac arrest.)
c. Feeding your bunny before surgery helps the gastrointestinal (GI) tract remain active, which will speed recovery.
Rabbits who become inappetent after surgery are more difficult to "jump start" back to normal eating habits. Even
relatively brief periods (24 hours) of anorexia can result in GI stasis and some liver damage in rabbits. For more
information on this condition, please refer to "Treating Ileus".
5. Take some of your rabbit's normal food (pellets and hay) along as well as a bag of favorite fresh herbs. Ask that
the foods be offered to your bunny as soon as the anesthesia wears off. The sooner bunny starts eating again after
surgery, the quicker the recovery.
Post surgical Care
1. A neuter and (especially) a spay will make your bunny sore for a day or two. Many experienced vets routinely
administer analgesics (e.g., Banamine (flunixin meglumine) )after the surgery, just to keep the bunnies comfortable
and to encourage them to eat as soon as possible.
3. Keep your rabbit quiet for a few days after surgery, but do try to maintain normal feeding and bonding times. There
is no reason to separate bonded pairs or groups as long as the bunnies interact calmly. Adhesions usually will begin
forming within 24 hours. If your male bunny seems very sore after his neuter, a sitzbath in a weak solution of
betadine and lukewarm water (about 1 tablespoon of betadine in four cups of water) can be very soothing. Be sure to
gently check the sutures for a day or two after surgery to be sure the bunny isn't chewing them, and to check for
unusual redness, swelling or signs of infection. If you see any sign of problems, the bunny should be taken back to
the vet immediately.
2. Under normal circumstances, rabbits do not require post-surgical antibiotics.
3. There is no reason to separate bonded pairs or groups as long as the bunnies interact calmly. Adhesions usually
will begin forming within 24 hours. If your male bunny seems very sore after his neuter, a sitzbath in a weak solution
of betadine and lukewarm water (about 1 tablespoon of betadine in four cups of water) can be very soothing. Be sure
to gently check the sutures for a day or two after surgery to be sure the bunny isn't chewing them, and to check for
unusual redness, swelling or signs of infection. If you see any sign of problems, the bunny should be taken back to
the vet immediately.
4. Watch to be sure that your bunny does not chew out the sutures! Many vets use subcuticular (under the skin)
sutures that cannot be chewed out, and may even put a line of surgical glue over the incision for extra strength. You
might ask your vet about this before your bunny has his surgery. In most cases, an E-collar is not necessary for a
rabbit, and may cause more stress than it is worth, except in extreme suture-chewing cases. If your bunny does end
up wearing an E-collar for a day or two, note that you will probably have to feed him his cecotropes, since he will not
be able to reach them for normal ingestion. (More information on the nature of cecotropes can be found in "The
Mystery of Poop".)
5. Healing is usually well under way by seven days after neutering for a male, and ten days after spaying for a
female. NOTE THAT MALES MAY HAVE VIABLE SPERM FOR UP TO FOUR WEEKS POST-NEUTERING! Do not place
your male with an intact female until a minimum of four weeks after his neuter surgery!
6. If your rabbit has a bonded mate, you may need to separate them physically for a day or two to avoid injury if they
continue to mount one another, or play too roughly. Usually this is not necessary. But if it is, be sure to allow them
to see, touch and smell each other at all times, even if they cannot physically contact one another. The rabbit who
has undergone surgery will need the emotional support of his/her mate for an uneventful recovery. Allowing them to
be in contact also reduces the chances that they will fight after re-introduction.
7. Offer your rabbit a bowl of water, even if a water bottle is usually used. A rabbit needs to drink after surgery, but
often won't do so if he has to "work" for his water. He will recover more quickly if he's well hydrated.
8. If your bunny is reluctant to eat after surgery, offer a favorite treat. He will recover more quickly if the GI tract
gets back up and running as soon as possible after a surgery. Fragrant herbs, such as basil, parsley, dill and mint
seem to appeal to a bunny recovering from surgery.
9. It is not unusual to see a few soft or mucus-covered stools after surgery. Stools should return to normal within a
day or two, if your bunny has returned to regular eating habits. If you continue to see mucus in the stool beyond a
day or two, or if fecal production stops, consult your veterinarian immediately.
10. If your rabbit hasn't eaten ANYTHING within 24 hours of surgery, we advise calling your veterinarian. Monitor the
output of fecal pellets closely. If fecal output slows or stops after surgery, your bunny may be suffering from GI
stasis (ileus) due to the stress of the surgery. THIS IS CONSIDERED A EMERGENCY AND YOU NEED TO ACT
QUICKLY. GI STASIS IS KNOWN AS THE SILENT KILLER.
11. If your bunny suffers unusual complications, you may need to "force feed" her for a few days after surgery to help
get the GI tract back to normal. A very good product for this purpose is Critical Care, manufactured by Oxbow Hay
Company, and often available through your veterinarian.
Reference: Dana Krempels, Ph.D.
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/opcare.html
| Too Many Bunnies |
| Sexing Your Bunny |
Sexing a young bunny is next to impossible, even for the experts. But, if you have a adult bunny, you may be able to
tell if you have a boy or a girl. You can compare your bunny to these photos to determine your rabbits sex.
tell if you have a boy or a girl. You can compare your bunny to these photos to determine your rabbits sex.
| Male |
| Female |
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