male rabbit advice

loopy · Jul 15, 2007

Hi,

I have a male rabbit, that is 1yrs old, i plan to get him "done" at the vets, so that i can them get a female rabbit to live happy with him.

When i get my rabbit done, what does the after care involve? also will he have towear a collar?

Thanks Loopy.

polly · Jul 15, 2007

Usually they don't get a collar. They are usually still a bit high on pain meds. We are always told to use a blanket or fleece on the hutch floor rather than shavings then we just put some hay in the corner and the litter tray with shavings in and it has never been a problem. They will check him out after 5-7 days and tell you to keep an eye on his bits to make sure they don't get an infection. They will be a bit swollen for a few days.

Its much easier getting a boy done as it isn't so invasive

SParrott · Jul 16, 2007

I had my boy done 10 days ago. I have never had a rabbit neutered before and I was very worried what he would be like when I went to collect him from the vets.

Well I don't know what I was worrying about.........when I picked him up it was as if nothing had been done to him, he was his usual bouncy self and he was eating and drinking.

The vet told me to keep and eye on the area to make sure it stayed dry and he wasn't over grooming it, keep him warm and not allow him to jump about for a few days.

Now 10 days later the area is pretty much healed and he's is usual bouncy self and causing trouble.

Boys bounce back much quicker than girls, I took my little girl in the same time as my boy and it look her about 3 days to get back to herself.

loopy · Jul 16, 2007

well i rang the vet to find out more ie: cost and they said Â£52.15

not cheap.

and that they would do him in a morning and keep him in till the following morning, I don't no how i will keep him dry though as he has a hutch (large one) and a very large run attached to it that is open for him 24/7 and he is always out in the run even when it's raining, he just blinks every time the rain water runs down his face

So i guess i will have to keep him locked up in his hutch that he will not like though

anyone got any otheridea's to keep him warm? and is the price about right?

SParrott · Jul 16, 2007

I would keep him in just his hutch for @ least a day. Although he will be awake when you get him back he won't be 100%. With regards to keeping him warm, this is very important because after the anaesthetic they find it difficult to control their body temperature. Perhaps you could give him a fleece (make sure he doesn't eat it) and lots of shredded news paper too keep him warm.

The price seems about right.

I haven't ever heard of vets keeping them in over night.

I took Buck & Bailey in at 8.30 in the morning and collected them at 6pm the same day. I would rather have them at home with me, that way I could keep an eye on them and see how much they were eating and drinking. Bailey would only eat dandelions for 2 days and you can bet your vet won't be going out picking dandelions at 10 o'clock at night!

When I said too keep him dry I meant the wound must be kept dry. You must make sure that he isn't washing that area too much. Buck had his stitches on the inside and they were dissolvable so he wasn't able to pull on them.

gentle giants · Jul 16, 2007

Some vets over here will keep them overnight, it just depends on the vet. Mine does send them home the same day, because I can keep an eye on them better than a busy vet clinic, and they will be more comfy at home. Is there any way you can keep him in the house for a day or so? That might make it easier to make sure he stays warm and the like. It usually isn't difficult to take care of one that has just been done, it's a pretty routine surgery.

loopy · Jul 17, 2007

Yes i have thought about keeping himinside for a few days, and thought of getting a indoor rabbit cage so he can, as that would be better, i will have to see how much they cost, hopefully not to much.