In my experience chatting with the public during educational event, I have found that fully 80% of pet rabbits out there are not spayed or neutered. Beyond the fact that spayed/neutered buns make much better pets, for female rabbits to stay unspayed, it is a virtual death sentence.
87% or almost 9 out of 10 unspayed female rabbits will get cancer or tumors in their breasts or uterus by the time they are 4 years old. So this means that if you do not spay your girl bunny, she is very very likely to become very sick and die, long before her prime.
Most rabbits who are properly cared for will live 8-10 years, with some of the smaller breeds living a 10-12 years on average. If you care at all about your pet, why would you be willing to allow her to become painfully ill and suffer such a horrible early death? Especially, when it is not necessary.
I know that when people buy $10 or $20 rabbits at a pet store or elsewhere, they often are shocked when they learn that it will be $200-400 (our local prices) to get them spayed/neutered. From what I have seen out there, the expense usually means that most bunnies end up not having it done.
Even worse, in our area rabbits are still classified as livestock. This means that unlike a dog or cat who must be spayed or neutered before they are adopted from a shelter, by law, rabbits do not have to be fixed before they are adopted.
Some shelters realize the importance of spay/neutering in order to have a successful adoption. Who wants a male bunny who is going to spray all over the place or a female who will eventually become sick. These shelters and rescues make sure every bunny that they adopt has it done.
Our local House Rabbit Society Chapter here in San Diego provides spay and neuters for bunnies at a half dozen shelters in the county. They raise and spend tens of thousands of dollars each year to insure that every rabbit being adopted has the surgery.
This is a huge undertaking, but critical for the rabbits. Their behaviors are usually a lot better after spay/neuter, which makes the likelyhood of success a lot higher for the adoption. Litter box training is a breeze after bunnies are fixed and it tones down male aggressiveness, just as in other species.
Yet, in light of all the benefits of having your pet rabbit spayed/neutered, most of them are not. We must change the way the public looks at having their pet bunnies fixed, because spay/neuter is part of responsible pet ownership for ALL animals.
Have you sentenced your female pet rabbit to an early death? Have her spayed NOW, before it is too late.
I have 2 bunnies, a male and a female. The male is older and I wanted to have him neutered, but cancelled twice. I thought I’d let him “have fun” then neuter him. Seems he is Very absorbed in the baby girl bunny, grooming and playing with her. And yes,
Humping or trying to. Mostly the first two.
Where I live I can Only keep 1, but I Love them both! Neutering the male Would be “cheaper” but, I am Allergic to his fur sheds. He’s a Jersey Wooly. The little baby girl is a Dutch, shorter fur. Spaying Would be More costly, for me, but I believe that, If someone Loves and Cares how Long their Pet lives, And I Do, I Will do the Right thing and Spay her!!!
I live in Massachusetts and the price for Spaying a bunny is exhorbidant!! One place charges $350! For a Bunny? Wonder what it costs to Spay a Large Dog?
I would spay the girl first, because it is the most expensive and most risky. There is a chance that she will not survive the surgery, but more important the female bunnies need to be spayed ASAP to avoid any chance of tumors or cancer. The longer you wait, the more chance that they will develop.
It sounds like the two are bonded, so I would not separate them. Rabbits in pairs console and entertain each other. They never get bored or sad because the house is empty while everyone is gone at school and work during the day.
Actually, $350 is very reasonable for a spay. It costs $7-800 for a spay in our area. There are some places that do it for less, though. I bet that if you checked with some local rabbit vets, you might find a lower cost alternative. Also, the local House Rabbit Society will be able to steer you towards lower cost vets or they might even subsidize their surgery like our San Diego House Rabbit Society does. They give rebates to families who spay and neuter their rabbits.
Visit rabbit.org to find the local chapter of the House Rabbit Society. Then visit the webpage for the local chapter and they will have a list of all the vets in your part of Mass. that they recommend for rabbit surgeries. If you call around, you will find that the costs can vary by a factor of three, meaning that some places will charge three times what others do. It is worth making four or five phone calls.
Whatever you do, DO NOT use a dog and cat vet to do this surgery, especially the spay. Giving anesthesia to a rabbit is an art that must be done over and over to get it right. You do not want someone PRACTICING on your rabbits.
Please try and find a way to keep these two together. They love each other and will be heartbroken if you separate them. Meanwhile, get one fixed ASAP so that she cannot become pregnant.
Thanks for loving these rabbits!
The Bunny Guy