# Bunny seems sad after neutering :(



## lizzym (Jun 20, 2012)

Hello, my fellow bunny enthusiasts!

My dwarf bunny Pierre is a little more than 4 months old. He was neutered 4 days agoâ¦I know they are known to calm down a bit after neutering, but I feel like he has lost his personality! He looks like he's healing great, he just doesn't play and act like the crazy bunny he used to. He used to hop on the couch, sneak up on me, and give me unlimited bunny kisses and cuddle! Now he only comes up on the couch when I'm not there and immediately hops down if I come over to say hello.

Besides the neutering, I did upgrade his cage to a larger one recently and relocated him to the living room instead of the spare room. I also got a female bunny recently but they get along so great!

Basically, I'm just wondering everybody else's experiences with getting your bunny neutered and the post-op behavior. I haven't seen Pierre binky even once since he's come home.  Hopefully I"m overreacting and he is just taking it easy during recovery. He's eating normally and drinking water, passing stools normally, etc. Any insight is greatly appreciated.


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## BunMommaD (Jun 20, 2012)

Our cookies neuter was far from normal, as he had some complications... But he wasn't himself for nearly a good 6 weeks after! And he was completely healed by about 3/4 weeks... So there was a good 2/3 weeks after he wA all healed up that he just kinda layer around and was a little grumpy... But then? WOAH! Lol he is WAY more curious NOW, then before he was neutered and he also is mire interactive with us... It's easier for him to sit for a cuddle with us and relax without all the hormones racing  just last night he sat next to me in the couch and insisted on being scratched for nearly an hour and a half! Lol he would have never done that before! We are nearly 3 months out from his surgery now, and he is such an awesome guy  
Yu mentioned him jumping up and down from the couch? Did your doctor warn you to restrict their activity after surgery? I don't know the normal time frame for a surgery without complications but cookie was completely confined to his xpen for 4 weeks! Because if he were to jump at all he would have pulled something and hurt himself...
Best of luck! I'm sure he will be back to him old self (minus hormonal behavior) in no time


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## LakeCondo (Jun 20, 2012)

Yes the slow loss of hormones may be confusing for him for awhile but the other changes you mention can be contributing to his acting differently. Plus it's only been 4 days.


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## MiniLopHop (Jun 20, 2012)

Think about it, you just cut off his man-parts. That has to be sore. Yes it is a lot more invasive for females, but the boys slow down a little too until they are healed. Plus with the cage change that is a lot of change for a rabbit. That alone can put them into a weird mood for several days. I think he's just adjusting and before you know it he will be even happier than before.


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## Korr_and_Sophie (Jun 20, 2012)

Neutering is surgery and does come with some pain and discomfort. Even with pain medication, some rabbits do feel it more than others. The personality of the rabbit also makes a difference, some just bounce back faster. 4 days is a short time, so he might not want to run around too much yet. 
The changes in his cage and where the cage is can also throw him off. Some rabbits stress out more with moving and new cages, so may be more withdrawn for a short while as they adjust. The change in cage along with the neutering have probably stressed him out a bit so it could take longer for him to recover to what he was like before.

If he is eating, drinking, peeing and pooping, then he should be ok. Just give him some time to recover from the surgery more. If he is not more normal in about a week, then you should talk with the vet. He should be more healed by then and more willing to run around a bit. Since many vets will want to do an incision check around that time (10-14 days after surgery), it can be a good time to get him checked out if needed.


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## lizzym (Jun 20, 2012)

Thank you all so much  His one week check-up is tomorrow so I will make sure everything is a-okay. Sounds like he is just recovering though. Thank you all for the peace of mind.  I will try to avoid him jumping on the couch!


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## Nancy McClelland (Jun 20, 2012)

Some of ours was like nothing happened while a couple took a month or two, but all came back to what passes for normal here.


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