Why should I spay or neuter my bunny? What are the advantages?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! While it isn’t an issue to have a male and female bunny, I would strongly recommend staying and neutering them prior to introducing them, especially if they are old enough to reproduce.

Hi Kian! You have some great questions. Even when keeping just one rabbit, I don't recommend leaving a buck unneutered. When male rabbits become sexually mature, they can act aggressively. The hormones can trigger territorial and dominance aggression. The most common signs of sexual maturity in a male include circling you, mounting you, or trying to bite you. Unneutered males can also frequently spray urine. I do urge you to have Fluffy neutered before four months of age. I hope this helps!

There are definitely benefits to neutering your rabbit- decreased risk of testicular cancer and urinary tract problems, decreased chance of behavioral issues like aggression, decreased chance of urine marking and increased chance of litter box training. You can read more at https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4951545. That being said, you do not have to neuter your rabbit, and many rabbits will live a full life without being neutered, so it is a personal decision you can make based on the information provided.

Hi there and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Usually aggression in our pets can be altered a bit by removing excess testosterone with neutering. While it is not impossible he is lonely-likely he is frustrated with the removal of his mates each time. Neutering may help with his need for female attention as well as curbing unwanted aggression due to excess testosterone. I hope this helps!

Hello. I would definitely consider neutering Bun Bun in case this is testosterone/sexually based aggression. If so, his attitude should improve over the next 4 weeks. This could also be aggression based on resource protection. Some rabbits become a bit aggressive when an owner is changing food or even putting out fresh hay or treats. A rabbit can perceive this as a threat to his "stash". But the easiest thing to do is neuter him, & of course, never reinforce his aggressive behavior ( some people will see this as cute & funny & inadvertently cheer the behavior on ). Good luck & thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

It is recommended for pet rabbits to be spayed because of the very high risk of uterine cancer in this species - around 50% of intact female rabbits are estimated to get uterine cancer, which is a huge number. It's true that wild rabbits don't have surgery to be spayed, but they also have many more health problems and shorter lifespans than pet rabbits :) The cost to spay a rabbit will vary depending on what part of the country you live in and which specific clinic you use, so I would recommend calling around to some local vets who do this surgery to ask about costs.

There have been studies that have proven an extended life span in dogs and cats that are neutered but I do not think there have been any such studies in rabbits. However, we do know that neutering can prevent certain cancers like in the prostate and testicles. That being said, I think it is more important that Julius is safe and if you do not feel like there is someone that can safely neuter him, I would probably avoid it. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.