Need help with my rescue bunny

[reagansmomma2016]

Hello, so as above... I have a doe that is about 4 years old and the breeder wanted to change colors and she was too "fatty" to breed any longer (being new to rabbits I did not know this meant ovaries/etc so I looked at her and said she's not fat, she insisted she was). She's very healthy (more so than when she was brought here). I have since in the 6 months that I've had her have become very familiar with dietary needs, and exercise time so I'm more confident in that respect.

My problem is that even though she is very healthy she's also extremely skittish towards people (other than myself and that's taken up until recently to where I can pet her) and unfamiliar situations (I mean skittish with a capital S-- she becomes very physically stressed) because she wasn't shown much in the way of a life breeding in and out of a cage and not a lot of floor time/etc. I don't have any rabbit savvy vets nearby to me as I live in a very, very rural area. I'm afraid the trip to get her to the vet would kill her from the stress.

She barely made it here (1 hr from where she was living) without having some issues. To make a long story short, I'm scared to death she'll die if I don't get her spayed, and equally scared to death she'll die in the process of fright if I take her the 3hr (it's winter) drive to where there is a rabbit savvy vet.

I've seen people say that not spaying is condemning their does to certain death, and other people saying that theirs have lived to their natural life span without it. I've been so upset about it. I don't know where else I can turn and I just want the best for her. If it helps any, she's a Chocolate Pearl French Angora, I don't know if breed makes a difference to reproductive cancer. I would post her picture, but I'm not on the right device.

She still freaks out at toe trims massively and she's very much not a cuddly pick me up bunny because of how she was raised but does appreciate head pats.

 

[hunnybunny254367819364]

Sorry to hear of this tough situation. I’ve heard statistics that over half- some even say up to 80%- of does will get reproductive cancers by ages 4-6 if not spayed. People who haven’t gotten theirs spayed may just have gotten lucky. Here is what I would do. Book a spay appointment maybe a month or a few months away. Then just work extremely hard to help her trust again. I find that sitting on the floor letting my rabbits have free roam helps as well as hand feeding them veggies and treats. Do this everyday I know it’s a lot but she needs this socialization. You’re between a rock and a hard place: extreme stress or possible cancer. I really think though that stress over a spay appointment would be better than potentially getting cancer but you’re the person who has to make that call. You know your rabbit best and if anything just focus on now. Focus on giving her the absolute best that she deserves. She’s lucky to have you!