Spaying or Neutering Your Pet Bunny

If you are contemplating the need to spay or neuter your bunny, you are not alone. This is one my most often asked questions.

These procedures are not necessary. However, they can be very helpful in prolonging your pets life and eliminating bad bunny behaviors as well. It will also allow you to bond 2 rabbits. Un-altered rabbits will not usually bond, unless they are 2 does from the same litter.

If cost is not an issue, I would tell you to make the appointment today. Not only will you reduce the chances of cancer, you will also more than likely calm your rabbit down and make him/her a more enjoyable pet. Unfortunately, the cost of a spay/neuter in this area is a bit high and it usually has to be considered.

Neutering Your Buck

Neutering is usually a good bit cheaper and a less risky procedure. It can be done once the rabbit is mature at around 3.5 to 4 months of age. Some un-altered bucks do end up spraying urine. I have noticed it in around 10% of my bucks. Others tend to want to breed and that drive can lead to unwanted behaviors, such as mounting. These behaviors can be reduced or eliminated by neutering.

It usually costs between $100-$140 to have a rabbit neutered. Some vets require an overnight stay, but I would try to avoid that if at all possible, due to noises of dogs barking, etc (unless the vet only treats small animals). Rabbits are very nervous creatures and the combination of stress, medication, lack of appetite, etc can cause digestive distress which is a leading cause of death among dwarf rabbits. It would be much better to have the bunny recover in the comfort of your home where he is less stressed.

Spaying Your Doe

Spaying is usually done to reduce the risk of cancer in does. Most vets will not spay a doe until she is full grown at 6 months of age. Unspayed female rabbits have a very high risk of uterine and mammary cancers. They can also get irritable once they are mature and ready to be bred. They tend to be more territorial and hormonal than the bucks and spaying helps calm them down.

It usually costs between $150-$250 to have a rabbit spayed. It will require an overnight stay, but they should be released within 24 hours. A rabbit should NEVER fast, so be weary if a vet tells you to do this prior to the procedure. It can throw the rabbit into digestive distress. Do not have a rabbit spayed at a clinic that treats large animals, unless they are kept overnight in an area with no noise from dogs barking. You should also visit your bunny after the procedure to show her that she has not been abandoned. Some rabbits will get very depressed and it will slow recovery or lead to other problems.

Take a bag of bunny food with you to the appointment and a toy that he/she likes. You might also want to take a small blanket with your scent on it, so they feel more at ease in their surroundings. I take a small baggie of oatmeal and parsley, since it is good for stress. If you have well water and the clinic has city water, you might want to take a bottle of water with you. Some rabbits won't like the taste and can get dehydrated.

Cages, Cages, Cages!!

There are so many cages to choose from. It can be hard to decide what to buy for your bunny. There are some questions you need to ask yourself before you go out and buy your cage.

Are you keeping the bunny outside or indoors?
Is the bunny a buck or doe?
If you are a breeder, how much space do you have?

Indoor Pet Bunnies

There are a lot of nice pet bunny cages at your local pet store. Some have solid bottoms and wire sides/top. Others have a wire bottom with a pan to pull out and clean. Both are fairly easy to clean, however I don't recommend them for all rabbits.

Bucks should definitely have urine guards. If you have a buck with short hair, I'd recommend a solid bottom cage. It is also a good idea to purchase a litter box for solid bottom cages. If your rabbit has longer hair, you should definitely get a wire bottom cage to keep the bunny clean. You can then buy urine guards to attach to the inside of the cage.

Does don't necessarily need urine guards, so I recommend buying a wire bottom cage with tray. You can then determine if urine guards may be needed in the one corner they use as their potty.

Outdoor Pet Bunnies

There is really only one type of outdoor hutch that I recommend. The hutch should have two compartments with a doorway in between. One side should be protected from the weather with wood sides and door. There should be a roof and wire bottom on both sides. There should also be a piece of wood cut to place in the enclosed side in cold weather which is able to be moved to the other side as a resting board in the summer.

Breeders or owners of multiple rabbits
(meant for those who keep them in a building)

When I first got into breeding, I had a hard time deciding what cages I should buy or make.

If you have plenty of space and dirt floors, you might prefer hanging cages. They are cheaper to make and easy to shovel out and clean.

If you are like most of us, space is an issue and we have to get stackable cages. I use mostly Havahart cages, but I also really like Bass Cages. It is more difficult and costly to make your own stackable cages. I haven't been able to come up with a plan to make them that actually saves enough money to be worth it. The Tractor Supply Company will give you a discount if you are buying a bunch of them, so it's around $50.00 for one cage with water bottle, feeder and stackable hutch kit (legs). I've ordered cages from Bass Equipment that are just as nice or nicer for my bucks at around the same price. There are a lot of companies that make nice ones, though. You can also purchase them and pick them up at rabbit shows to save on shipping.

The one mistake I made from the beginning was that I didn't buy urine guards. You should definitely have urine guards for any stacking cages that you buy. It will keep the cage nice much longer and give you extra years before needing to buy new ones. Plus it will keep your floors dry.

Jersey Woolies

The Jersey Wooly is also known as the Dwarf Angora in Europe. The Jersey Wooly was developed by crossing the Netherland Dwarf and the French Angora. They weigh between 2.5 to 3.5 pounds. These rabbits are very affectionate and playful. They love to be around other animals especially cats and small dogs. Jersey Woolies are very intelligent and can be taught some simple tricks. Most Jersey Woolies have very friendly personalities. As pets they range from laid-back lap bunnies to outgoing explorers. They have an easy-care coat, due to the high ratio of guard hairs. Once they are 6 months old, they require very little grooming, but they should be given hairball preventative treatments. These rabbits were officially recognized by the ARBA in 1988.

Growing Up!

These are pictures of a bunny of mine named Princess. Bunnies are born with no hair and their eyes are closed. After a few days the hair grows in, but their eyes are still shut. At around day 9-12 the eyes open. Between day 14-18 they will leave the nestbox and begin to eat a little food and hay. They will be weaned at around 7 weeks of age. At 6 months of age they are considered an adult.

Walk the Bunny

Your bunny will probably end up walking you, but it is a fun way to give your pet bunny a little exercise. There are special leashes/harnesses made for rabbits. Please do not use a cat collar and leash. You could injure your bunny. Do not pull on the leash. Just give the bunny a little freedom to roam around and eat some dandelions. Most bunnies seem to really enjoy it. :)

Faders

I usually wean my rabbits between 6-7 weeks of age. Weaning begins much earlier, though. Kits begin the weaning process as soon as they start eating on their own. This usually occurs between day 14-18. At that time, they are still getting the majority of their food from their mother's milk.

The process of weaning can be a very stressful time on a dwarf rabbit. Roughly 25% of dwarf rabbits are born as peanuts and can not digest food. These peanuts are also deformed and die within 1 week of birth. Unfortunately, there is nothing that can be done to save them.

"Faders" or "Runts" also occur in dwarf rabbit breeds. These kits are usually born small and show a lot of good show quality characteristics. They do well the first 2-4 weeks, but then gradually fade away. I believe that there are some dwarf rabbits born that are not quite normal, but not a peanut either. They are something in between. From my observations these rabbits usually grow fairly well while they are on their Mom's milk. The problem develops when the Mom is no longer able to provide everything the bunny needs solely through her milk. I don't think the digestive system is formed well enough to handle solid foods yet. The kit usually loses weight gradually over a few days and goes into digestive distress. I have had a few of these kits make it through this stressful period. I think that some of them are just a few weeks behind and it takes a bit longer for their digestive system to develop completely. I have fed them electolytes, hay, baby food, probiotics and more. It usually doesn't work and they fade away. Maybe some of them would never be normal. I can really only guess. I do know that this seems to occur most with small does or brood does with a very large litter. It also seems to have a genetic component. I would not personally breed any faders that live to a breeding age, although they seem to live normal lives once they make it past 12 weeks of age.

Thrianta Rabbits

The Thrianta rabbit is one of the newest breeds to be recognized by the American Rabbit Breeder's Association in 2006. Thriantas (pronounced Tree-an-ta) are known as "The Fiery Red Rabbit" or the "Fire of the Fancy". They have a beautiful orange-red coat and brown eyes. Thriantas are between 4-6 lbs, which makes them a good small sized pet rabbit.

The Thrianta traces its history back to the Netherlands in 1938, when Mr. H. Andreae, a school teacher, began developing the breed as a tribute to Holland's royal house, the House of Orange. Bred from Black Tan, English Spot, and Havana rabbits, the Thrianta was accepted in the Netherlands in 1940, but the original standards, stipulating a hint of tan coloring under the orange top coat, made the breed difficult to maintain. World War II also took a toll on the Thrianta population, as the Netherlands were invaded by German forces just days after the breed's first official recognition. By 1966, Thriantas were no longer listed in the Dutch standards.

Thrianta rabbits look like a larger rabbit in a small package. For those interested in the longer ears and sweet personality of the large breeds, but don't have the space. You might be interested in these fiery rabbits. They probably come with a higher price tag though, since they are still fairly rare and hard to find ($75-$100).