Is it to late to neuter?

[Mariam+Theo]

Hi Guys! I just joined and am so happy about it. I have owned a rabbit for a year and love him so much! He is such a sweet boy (even though he looks evil in the pic). He is a year old and has never been neutered, which brings me to my question. Is it ever to late to neuter? He was born July 7, 2017 and I didn't get him neutered, was that a mistake?
Thanks!

 

[Mariam+Theo]

Oh! BTW, my bunnies name is Theo.

 

[jamesewaller]

Hi Guys! I just joined and am so happy about it. I have owned a rabbit for a year and love him so much! He is such a sweet boy (even though he looks evil in the pic). He is a year old and has never been neutered, which brings me to my question. Is it ever to late to neuter? He was born July 7, 2017 and I didn't get him neutered, was that a mistake?
Thanks!

dear ooO,-to neuter,or not to neuter,--it is the question of the century,-rr,rr..--some-people will have it done for their convienence-not the rabbits choice..-sometimes it is a medical question-supposed to have less problems,-ie.cancer,etc,-,I guess males spray at times...next week B-denium-will be 13 years old {91}-un neutered,oh yes he has a full history of fun..even at his age he cringes at the thought.{rabbit psychology 101}--to be continued....rr,rr-sincerely james waller for joseph r cottontail rip

 

[Popsicles]

Theo is gorgeous, lovely colouring! It’s never too late to neuter, and he is still pretty young neutering can decrease territorial behaviour such as spraying urine and cage aggression, and make him easier to litter train. It also reduces the risk of hormone related diseases. If you go to a rabbit knowledgable vet the risk of the procedure is very low, but understand that there is still a risk with any surgery, so it’s a case of weighing up the pros and cons for your own particular bunny.

 

[A & B]

I would say go for it with a vet you trust and is very knowledgeable about rabbits. The pros strongly outweigh the cons.

 

[Mariam+Theo]

Thanks! I know it would be a possibility that he doesn't come out of surgery, but does that happen often? I love him too much to lose him! I go to a vet that is specifically for rabbits, so they are very skilled.
Thanks!

 

[Popsicles]

With a vet who is competent in rabbit surgery the risk should be less than 1%, you can ask your vet about their own success rate if it makes you feel better. There is a risk with any procedure, it’s a case of weighing that up against the benefits.

 

[Mariam+Theo]

Okay, Thank so much!

 

[JBun]

There is always a risk with surgery. I've had several go through their neuter without issue, I've also had one die and another almost die. So it can happen.

With reproductive cancer not being a big risk for male rabbits, there are two other main reasons to neuter male rabbits. If they are exhibiting unwanted hormonal behaviors such as spraying, humping, marking territory/not using litter box well, or aggression from sexual frustration. Unneutered males can also be a bit musky. The other reason is if there are plans to bond him with another rabbit. If a rabbit didn't have hormonal behaviors that are bothering me, used the litter box well, and I didn't have plans to bond him with another rabbit, I probably wouldn't risk neutering. Especially if this was a bun that I was particularly attached to.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

Risk is smaller with a male--we may be the luckiest as we have had 47 rescues done with no losses, but we also went with Vets that did rabbits all the time.

 

[Bam Bam]

I rescued a bunny who we estimated was 11 and the rules of our rescue is rabbits get neutered and spayed.
His name was Horace and he handled it fine. I ended up adopting him.

 

[Mariam+Theo]

Yes, my Theo is one that I definitely don't want to lose. He doesn't seem very territorial and has never bit me, even during his teen months. He is not litter trained, as he lives in a hutch in our shed. I really want another bunny, but don't think he would do good with bonding with the new rabbit. Thanks again for all your advice.

 

[squidpop]

If you think you might someday want to bond him with another bunny it would be a good idea. Also, not all vets have the specialized equipment for rabbits (like the tube that keeps there throat open during anesthesia that's made especially for rabbits) so it's important to get a vet that's rabbit savvy and has done rabbit neuter operations before.