Desexed at four months???

maherwoman · May 5, 2006

Hey guys...someone just told me atanother site I've been checking out (and very quickly considering notchecking out any longer) that some vets will spay bunnies that are 4-5months old if their hormones are stressing them out enough.Is this true? Is this safe?

The ONLY reason I ask is due to the fact that my sweet Maisie becomesmore withdrawn and non-social everyday, when she used to jump into mylap and ask for me to hold her! I find her now pushing all ofher box-type toys to the front of the cage, totally baracading thebottom floor so no one can see in. Not only that, but everyday that goes by, she acknowledges me less and less, and is lessinterested in spending time with me. She hardly even comesout of her cage anymore.

I don't think she's sick, I just think it's her hormones takingover. I just don't want this to build until I'm runningaround with a bunny chasing me and nipping at my ankles! And,to be honest, right now I'm starting to wonder if that's something Ineed to worry about. Edit: I'm also worried thatshe will start to try to bite me when I put things (like her veggies orfood) in her cage. She seems to be getting more and moreupset when my hand enters the cage, so I'm starting to wonder...

So...back to my original questions...is it safe to spay that early?

pamnock · May 5, 2006

Rabbits can reach sexual maturity at early as 12weeks of age, andsome individuals (smallerbreeds)maynearly have reached their fullgrown size by 4-5 months of age. I would discuss this optionwith your vet.

Pam

naturestee · May 5, 2006

Yeah, I'd talk to your vet about it.My vet did spay Mocha at 4.5 months, but she was very nearly full grownat 2 lbs. Her adult weight is only a few ounces more thanthat, and the vet said her organs were fully matured. Somevets are not comfortable doing surgery on does less than 6 months.

It sounds like she's getting cage aggressive, which all three of mygirls have been to some extent. It's generally based onhormones. Usually the best thing is to work aroundit. Don't mess with her cage while she's in there.Take her bowl out while she's out playing, and if you have to put itback in while she's in there then put it near the door. Andbe confident. If she know's you're scared of getting bit,she'll use it to her advantage. Cheeky little monkeys!

maherwoman · May 5, 2006

Ok, thanks guys. I don't think I'll beexploring the option, as she's still very much growing. I'llwait and see how things progress. She isn't biting...butseems to be agressive about anyone other than me doing anything in hercage. As of me, well, I'm just the one she asks for petting,which is nice.

She hasn't acted agressivelytoward me just yet, so I'm not TOO worried, but she accidentally bit methrough my denim jeans a couple weeks ago (she was tasting them, andgot a bit too far through) and I had a red mark for about a weekafter. She didn't break the skin, but it hurt bad enough thatI'm now a bit paranoid about getting bit (and now poor Maisie's a bitparanoid about jumping into my lap, poor dear). I guess inthe long run it won't be horrible (which I guess I should keep inmind), but eek!!:shock:

Anyway, it's healthier to wait to get her spayed until she's sixmonths, right? I would much rather do what's healthier for mybaby...even if that means wearing thick gloves and braving thecage. I would wait until she's out of the cage to do things,but even when I have the cage open all day, she doesn't come out veryoften, and when she does, it's to get attention from Mama, so I don'thave free time to do anything in her cage (I guess that's a side effectof her having such a big cage all to herself...it's so big, she doesn'tseem to have the desire to leave it). When I've tried to dothings with her outside the cage, she usually goes right back in andinvestigates what I'm doing. Not aggressively, mind you, justsupervising to make sure there aren't any huge changes takingplace. It's something she's done since the day I brought herhome at eight weeks, so I'm not terribly concerned.

I think reading all those agressive rabbit posts have gotten me a bitparanoid as far as what I'm in for during "hormone season" (the timebefore she gets spayed). But at her age of four months, willit really get all that much worse? It would be nice if shestayed at the level she's at now, which isn't bad at all!:? Here's hoping!!

FlopsnWills · May 5, 2006

hey.. i'm just wondering why you're thinkingabout leaving the other forum.. is it something someone said? hope youdon't hate us over there!

maherwoman · May 5, 2006

It's not the RU site, if that's what you'rethinking...it's one I found within the last few days. I'mfinding there are a lot of quite rude people on the site, being allowedto say quite rude things, and I just find that it's difficult tocommunicate around such things. I've reported the comments,but I don't see anything being done about it.

But, no, it's not RU, don't worry...I LOVE RU. The two of these sites are awesome!