Animal Care Spay & Neuter


Averting Disaster
Though we spay and neuter all Rabbits before they are exposed to members of the opposite sex, the effects of not doing so have recently made themselves very apparent to us. And after a few tragedies, the typical pleas for caretakers to have their Rabbits altered have shown themselves to be the tip of the iceberg.
Let's recap the primary issues
Health issues - Unspayed female Rabbits have a very high occurrence of ovarian, uterine, and mammarian cancer. Though the occurrence rate seems to vary geographically, in some areas it has been charted as high as 85% by the age of two. Male Rabbits are also prone to testicular cancer. The danger of these diseases occurring are eliminated by spaying and neutering.
Early age pregnancies can be very dangerous. Females do not always make it through the birth. If mated with a larger Rabbit, this can be true at any age.

Cleaning difficulties - Unaltered Rabbits can be almost impossible to live with. Males and females will both "spray" and unlike the easy clean up of other Rabbit "accidents," the mess made by markings can be very difficult to clean up as the scent glands secrete an odorous oily substance. Yuck!
Because they are actively pursuing sex, unaltered Rabbits will mark their territory with fecal droppings as well, these being their way of inviting a mate, making it very difficult to litter train them.

Behavior problems - Unaltered Rabbits become extremely aggressive. As prey Animals, their need to reproduce in order to perpetuate their species is great. A Rabbit can give birth every thirty days. Imagine the hormones involved in that process. Human males going through adolescence experience about a tenth of the drive a male Rabbit experiences. Female Rabbits experience PMS times ten. All these hormones lead to aggressive behavior in both sexes. During some portions of her cycle, a female Rabbit will go through a false pregnancy, during which time she will adamantly defend her nest.
In addition to aggression, unaltered Rabbits are far more destructive. Males will dig at carpets, as digging is one of their ways of showing their dominance over their environment. Without the testosterone levels inherent in intact males, these displays are curbed greatly. Intact females will put great energy into digging as they prepare their "nests." Both sexes will curb their chewing activities with alteration, as they won't need the outlet for all that hormonal energy.

Keeping them home - Rabbits are very territorial. They want to stay home, where they feel safe. We occasionally have escapes from our Rabbit yard. They always come back within an hour. So why so many stray Rabbits at shelters? The pursuit of sex. Unaltered Rabbits, if given an opportunity, will stray, looking for a mate.

Overpopulation - Rabbits and other Exotics are dramatically increasing in numbers as members of the homeless Animals in shelters across the country. As the demographics of our society changes, so are our choices of Companions. Some shelters have seen an increase of over 300% in the past 5 years. People are living in smaller dwellings and so are opting for smaller Animals. Unfortunately, many are unaware of the amount of work involved in caring for exotics. Spaying and neutering our companions is an act that saves lives.

Maintaining peace - Bringing any Animal into our lives is an act that carries some expectation of obtaining a loving companion. Rabbits have a hard time consistently living up to that expectation as prey Animals who are naturally suspicious of humans in the first place. When unaltered, this becomes almost impossible. The nervous energy that accompanies all of those hormones mentioned earlier, get in the way of a relaxing relationship.
Rabbits are also very social Animals. Rabbits in pairs are far happier than Rabbits alone. It is impossible to keep Rabbits together unless they are spayed and neutered. Males will pester females incessantly and fight with other males. Females may get along with other females for a time, but once those PMS modes set in, a once happy pair can become bitter enemies, which leads to fighting, which leads to injuries. Rabbits who live alone who are not altered will attempt to have sex with other species, much to the other species displeasure.
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