Post-neuter concerns

[whiskylollipop]

Rose and Merlin got their little man bits chopped off yesterday (turns out they're both boys, but we decided not to change Rose's name). They're eating and active and all seems well, so this isn't really an Infirmary emergency thread. I just have a few questions though:

Firstly, the vet told us to separate them to keep them from humping/fighting/tearing their stitches out. He said they've got internal stitches done, so that should keep them from chewing out their own stitches, we just have to keep them apart till it heals, and how long depends on each rabbit. How long do you guys think I should keep them apart?

We only have the one big dog crate, so we've put one of them inside and left one out, swapping them every few hours. Will the one outside tear his stitches running around? How can you tell if he does, will it bleed a lot?

Lastly, their poos are a little weird - black, hard and misshapen and some of them are big and round and really soft (not cecals). They've been eating hay. Is it temporary, due to the stress of surgery/meds, or did the vet accidentally screw up their innards somehow?

Thanks guys! :inlove:

 

[Azerane]

If they continue to eat well the poos should right themselves. Having surgery, anesthetic and not eating during that time can mess things up a bit. I think I kept Bandit caged for about 5 days, at that point he was becoming so restless I knew he was fine, lol. If you're keeping one outside the cage I would still limit that space as much as possible. Is it an x-pen? Make it reasonably small so he can't risk damaging his stitches by leaping around, I think the main thing you have to worry about is them jumping up and down from things, so make sure he doesn't have that opportunity.

 

[JBun]

The poop should go back to normal in the next day. My rabbit had mushy poo and some tiny irregular poop after her spay, and was fine the day after.

I wouldn't be letting either of them run around at all, or it could result in injury to the surgical site. If the injury is internal, you may not be able to see any outward signs right away. I would give it at least 7 days before letting them hop around in too big of an area, 10 days would be better. You don't want them hopping up on things, or attempting zoomies or binkies.

Keeping them separate would in part depend on if they were separate before the neuter. If they were together before the neuter, and were bonded with each other and didn't get into scuffles or hump each other, then you may be fine putting them back together. You absolutely don't want any humping or fighting going on, so they would need to stay separate if they are inclined to try any of this. If they are trying to hump each other, I would think they would need at least 2 weeks or more to heal well, before trying to put them together, but it will usually take more than 4 weeks for the hormones to really start fading.

 

[whiskylollipop]

Thanks so much. They don't jump on furniture at all, we were clear about discouraging that behaviour early on so they're good little bunnies now. They do have episodes of mad running about though. Unfortunately we don't have an xpen, although the outside bunny is confined to the living room area which is pretty small (we live in a city apartment). I hope that's ok? I've just been keeping an eye on them for any signs of injury/pain, and there doesn't seem to be.

They were both bonded AND massively relentless humpers before the neuter lol, so yeah I guess we'll just have to keep them separated for a few weeks. They were even humping in the pet carrier on the way home from the vet! Unbelievable. When the humping first started we thought, "Aww how cute, they disagree on who should be the dominant bun," but now we figure they're just incredibly horny. Hopefully the neuter cures this particular obsession of theirs soon.

 

[tonyshuman]

I agree, no excessive activity for at least 4 days. Maybe you could keep them in smaller spaces like bathrooms or walk-in closets? Be sure to put down rugs or towels on the bathroom floor if you go that route so they have some traction.