On the Importance of Spaying/Neutering

Probably the number one thing you can do to make bonding work is to spay/neuter your rabbit. Why? you ask. Well, for many reasons ...

Unfixed rabbits are sexually aggressive animals. You'll never see two rabbits meet for the first time and start playing together, like dogs in a dog park might. In the best cases they stay warily at opposite sides of their space. At their more typical they lunge at each other, bite, mount, and pull out fur. Watching your beloved Thumper become part of a roiling ball of teeth-gnashing fur with another animal is not fun, believe me.

Fixed rabbits are calmer, less prone to destructive behavior like digging and chewing, they don't spray urine, they're easier to litter train, females have a drastically longer life when the 85% risk of uterine cancer is removed ... and of most interest to us is the fact that they're less aggressive when the urge to mate is removed. That means less hormone-induced biting, lunging, circling, and growling, and so an easier bond weather it be with a rabbit or with another pet like a cat or dog.

Plus, by spaying/neutering you'll be sure not to accidentally contribute to the rabbit overpopulation problem ... remember that rabbits are the third most abandoned pet after cats and dogs.

For more information on the importance of spaying/neutering as it relates to bonding rabbits, visit www.rabbit.org/health/spay.html

And for info on choosing a rabbit-savvy vet, see www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/vet.html (I'll be writing more on this topic soon!).

1 comment:

  1. Wow, this was a real shock to me. I always new about the importance to neutering when it came to cats and dogs, and it makes sense you'd want to neuter rabbits, their ability to reproduce is well known. But I had no idea they were so aggressive about it. My daughter has wanted to get a rabbit or two, so knowing that that's so important is definitely something I'll thank you for. Thanks for writing!
    http://www.winstonhillsvet.com.au/Desexing.aspx

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