# Anyone have a rabbit that is NOT spayed/neutered, and HAPPY the way they are?



## blondiesmommie

Anyone have a rabbit that is NOT spayed or neutered, but your happy with them the way they are? Do they have any bad habits? Are you afraid if you get him/her fixed, their good habits could actually change to bad habits? Just curious bc I was talking to someone about this today!!!


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## Korr_and_Sophie

I have 2 intact bucks who are pretty good. Tesla is humpy and doesn't like to be held (he'd rather run around than sit still), he is good with his litter habits, doesn't spray and is very friendly. Kraken is more mellow, has excellent litter habits, no spraying and is also quite friendly. 
I have a good vet, so am not worried about the medical part of getting them neutered. They don't have really bad habits, so I don't feel a pressing need to get them neutered. 

Now with females, they do get spayed. It is more of a health issue and to prevent breeding since breeding is harder on the female than the male.


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## gmas rabbit

My daughter has an intact female mini lop. She is incredibly good natured and gentle. My concern is that she is 3, no longer going to have any litters, and the fear of her getting uterine cancer as she gets older is now a major health issue. I would like to she her neutered for her own protection, not because of behavior problems.


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## ldoerr

Neither one of my rabbits is spayed. I really want to get Shiny Things spayed. She is crazy. Beauty on the other hand is perfect the way that she is. The only complaint that I could posibly have with her is that she is not fully litter box trained. But that is my fault. I have not tried to teach her.


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## MikeScone

My first rabbit, Scone MacBunny, was never neutered, and he lived a happy, healthy and full life before he passed away at seven-and-a-half. 

As others have said, for females spaying is a health issue - I did have my current bunny, Natasha Rabbitova, spayed - but for males neutering is primarily a behavioral thing. Since Scone never sprayed and was never territorial or aggressive, I saw no reason to put him through the surgery.


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## MagPie

I have no experience on this but I am happy that I got Harvey neutered. He was a pest. haha.


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## Kipcha

Babbitty, Willow, Spyro and Ty are not fixed and I love the way their personalities are now. No bad habits and very loving little buns.


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## caustin4

I definitely like them neutered better. It just takes the breeding instinct out of them and let's their personalities show. Besides that the main reasons are: for males, behaviors issues (humping, spraying, etc) for females, health issues & bonding is easier.


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## LiRa92

Mine is not neutered. I think I am okay with that but it is really depressing when I am not allowed to add a third rabbit since my mom said it is not okay to add another. My second rabbit was actually a male (pet shop owner mistaken his gender) and now my first bunny keeps sticking out his "you-know-what" when he needed to mate. Poor Monday.


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## Angel Bunny

I have a new Bunny " Merlin" he's an intact fellow and he sprays and carries on especially when I hug any other bunny. He's in love with "me"!! I spray him with a water bottle if he sprays me and this settles him.He is gorgeous and is so loyal and was easy to litter train. The only thing is the other male "Jones" has gone a bit looney with the new male around. He was a sweet quiet boy , not any more. I just accept them the way they are an adjust my behaviour to cope with them.:biggrin:ray:


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## MiserySmith

Peppy is not neutered. We have no other buns so it's not a pressing concern. No spraying or aggression, only humping which I can deal with. I DO want to get him neutered some day, he's 4 now though so I doubt the humping will really stop. Hopefully he'll be a bit less frustrated when fixed though.


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## Lmu123

I am Happy the way my bunny is and he is a buck!


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## Troller

I'm presently mulling that myself right now. Of course I just got my bunny barely a week now, and he's only 15 weeks but puberty is around the corner so a decision will have to be made.

My situation is that we have only the one Flemish Giant, and are not interested in getting any other rabbits. We own a pair of birds and we are very happy at keeping it at that. I was always led to believe you've got to spay/neuter the pets in your life and was all ready to do so until the wonderful breeder I implicitly trust mentioned it might not be necessary.

She said since I do not intend on getting another rabbit, and she breeds rabbits with very good behaviors, its quite possible it would be more traumatic to do that for little benifit. Now I'm not naive, if behavior does become an issue after several months (is 6 months enough to ride out the worst?) I'll have to but if I can spare that well as a man how could I not save another male from getting their danglies chopped...

My concern is I love to research, and well there is a lot to be found regarding the need and benifits to spay or neuter and the outcome, not a lot is available if you should choose against that route. To those who went against the grain, was it difficult? Did any errant behavior diminish over time and age? Any helpful advice?


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## cassnessxox

My girl Cleo isn't spayed and she has the most wonderful personality. She is almost perfectly litter trained and is so loving and attention seeking.

It doesn't make sense to me that I need to rip my rabbits reproductive organs out so that she gets along with another rabbit of the same sex but all the talk of cancer and bunny fighting has me worried now that we have got a companion for her. So... :dunno I'm going to get her spayed very soon because I couldn't bare if something bad happened.

I just hope she stays the same loving, well behaved girl I have had for the past 8 months.


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## PaGal

Thumper is seven months old now and is not neutered. I do not plan on having him neutered unless it would become necessary. I feel the risks of surgery outweigh the benefits right now since he does not spray, hum, behave agressively or act territorial.

He is pretty laid back except when playing and then he is just plain fun.


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## MikeScone

*Troller wrote: *


> To those who went against the grain, was it difficult? Did any errant behavior diminish over time and age? Any helpful advice?


For female rabbits, spaying is no-brainer. Just too much evidence of the danger of uterine cancer. 

For males, neutering is purely a matter of behavior. If your rabbit isn't showing behavior you can't put up with, then there's no reason to put him through the surgery. However little risk there is, it's too much if there's no behavioral problem to solve. 

Scone began to show his hormones at around six months of age, and his teen-age months lasted until he was about a year old. After that he settled down a lot. While he was a teen-ager, though, I had to constantly remind him that I was not a female bunny. I found that pushing him away and saying, "No! Just kiss!" eventually worked. 

One thing that helped was to provide Scone with a stuffed bunny to act as an ... erm ... love object. (this is a family forum, after all...)







He would work off his urges on Butter - in fact, he'd knock any stuffed animal with uppy ears flat and have his way with it. Animals with floppy ears, or non-rabbits, he ignored. Oddly, when I bought Borders, a stuffed bunny who looked just like Scone, with a natural rabbit-like posture, Scone treated him as a friend, and would groom him and lie down next to him. 






Even though she's a female, and spayed, Natasha does the same - humps Butter and grooms Borders. It must be something about the way Borders looks.


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## MagPie

The reason I had Harvey neutered is his behavior got worse instead of better. He was always bugging the cats, humping, spraying and I didn't want to risk him getting bit or scratched again. My cats are well behaved but there was only so much of that behavior they would tolerate. So it was either leave him locked up all the time or try neutering. I did try to correct the behavior but it didn't work. He never did any of that with me and if I didn't have the cats I'm sure he wouldn't have gotten so bad haha. Neutering got that all out of his system and I noticed more of his personality come out when he wasn't obsessed with breeding. He actually started giving me more attention.


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## jcl_24

My Mini-Lop rabbit Guy, is unfixed and is a very happy, loving bunny. He is so enthusiastic about almost everything and has a buzzy excited noise that can be heard very often :bunnyheart

Yes, he likes to try and hump my hand and can be a little nippy when he gets carried away, but he is adorable and I don't want to "fix" him and have him lose his lust for life.

The only exception would be if he started spraying me, I would have to consider getting him snipped then 

Jo x


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## Imbrium

yeah, I bet pee to the face has a funny way of changing opinions about that sort of thing


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## OakRidgeRabbits

Our pet rabbits have not been spayed or neutered. With the price being so high, few area vets being savvy and no concrete evidence of health benefit (other than behavioral), it was just never a big concern.

Two of ours are does. One just passed this summer at the age of 10 1/2 from unrelated health problems. She was a pet store bunny, so it was great that she was with us for so long. She was a little territorial when she was young but by 2 years old, she settled down and was very friendly. At one time, she was litter trained, but due to progressive arthritis in her later years, she had been in a regular, bedded, solid floor cage for awhile.

Another is 9 and still going strong! She is the sweetest thing ever, actively seeks out attention, follows us around. No territorial or aggressive behavior, and she is littertrained.

Our other one is an 8 1/2 year old buck. Again, very sweet and friendly. He does have a toy girlfriend, but is littertrained and never sprays or anything.


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## christinebunnies1

Yes, I have two girls that are not spayed and they are fine - Sullen the New Zealand White was quite a handful during her teenage stage - from about 4 - 10months. When she turned one year old she totally changed and is calm and perfectly litter trained. Landy a Checkered Giant was always well behaved and littertrained. Well I mean they both chew wires and Landy destroys all the baseboards - she is like a beaver Im serious - she chews them up and spits out the pieces - nice white baseboards and pretty new house but what can I do - she is so lovable - she carries her two stuffed animals around and brings them to me and she brings me my socks and does flying binkies and is so happy to see me and gives me bunny kisses. Sullen is in charge of the house - she is the dominant one - and very detemined to get what she wants and when she wants it. She is the alarm clock - when it is time to get up it is time to get up - but she is so cuddly and smells so sweet- although she is getting a little plump with all those treats. I cant have them together because Sullen is dominant.


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## bethepoet

As everyone has said, not spaying was not an option. I did, however, put it off for as long as possible because I knew it would really upset me. 

We got a baby girl about two years ago, then another, older girl, then a grown boy. Our boy, Alfie, was already neutered and his owner claimed it hadn't calmed him down any, but they failed to mention he'd been poorly bonded with another male, and they fought for everything. Poor Alfie was covered in scabs when he came to us. He still has behaviour problems now so I dread to think what he was like intact with another male. But yeah, that choice was taken out of our hands but we would have had him neutered had we got him intact. 

Our first girl was next, as she and Alfie had been showing some interest in each other and we wanted both of them to have a friend. We had her done at just over one and she coped admirably. After she had healed it was a matter of weeks before they were living together. I think she's been good for him because she is very much the boss. As soon as he accepted that they were in love, haha. They are a VERY destructive couple, though. Can't have anything nice around them, hahaha. 

The second girl we got was now living alone. She's sooo timid and introverted, so I put off having her done for a good while. She's the biggest out of all of them but she's definitely the softest. She got well into two years old before I bit the bullet and had her spayed last week. I cried, lol. She's never had any bad habits apart from pooing whilst out, and weeing when she could smell our other girl. 

She's recovering nicely, and I think we'll try to bond all three when she's healed. Although Harriet seems to HATE her, so we may be looking at getting a new baby for Jessie as I think she'd be a wonderful surrogate. 

Sorry for the essay! Short of it is no, we have no intact buns and wouldn't ever NOT get future buns done!


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## dungeonbunnies

I had Minion fixed, and I was glad I did, it mellowed him out. But for the rest of the rabbits, it's not getting done. Harold doesn't stink like Minion did, neither ever sprayed. Harold's also extremely laid back. On the last point, he's my stud, so obviously fixing isn't an option at this time. Someday I'll retire him, and he'll get snipped. I believe in snipping the boys if you're not planning on breeding them.

It simply costs too much for the does to be done, and without any rabbit savvy vets around, I find It way too invasive to be convenient. My girls are all well behaved, my lop doe is a little high strung sometimes, but that's it. I want the Polish spayed, but like I said, the cost and lack of experienced vets is leaving me preferring her intact for now...


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## christinebunnies1

Yes, same here - you definitely should have a rabbit savvy vet if you consider getting a doe spayed because it is invasive and can be risky. I dont have a very good rabbit savvy vet in my area and so I can`t just bring my girls in for that - and they are just fine.


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## JavaBean85

I had a rabbit named Coco for 8 years and she was not spayed. Her personality was wonderful and she was litter trained. She was never around other bunnies so I didn't think I needed to get her spayed. One day we noticed she was picking at herself a lot and was bleeding. We took her to a vet and she developed mammilary tumors and we had to get her put to sleep. When I got a new rabbit a few months ago, I swore I would never let this happen to my new female rabbit. My new bunny Java had a great personality before she was spayed and was litter trained. I don't really think her personality actually changed much at all after she was spayed, the only reason I did it was because I was nervous for her to get cancer. I do have to say though, I did plenty of research about getting her spayed and it took me a bit to find a vet that I felt comfortable with and liked for Java's surgery. Once I found my vet, I was extremely happy with my decision to spay her. 

Hope this helped!


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## ldoerr

Since I first posted in this topic a lot has changed. Beauty has been spayed. She is not using the litter box very well (I think that is my fault, I moved the box). Shiny Things will hopefully be getting spayed this Friday. She was supposed to be spayed the same day as Beauty but was running a fever so the vet would not do it. If she is healthy on Friday (as determined by the vet) she will get spayed the same day. I have to travel 1.5hrs each way to their vet, but it is worth it.


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## Troller

I often hear the whole probability of cancer higher in unspayed does but have yet to find the hard evidence of the study. I heard that the study often quoted for this conclusion was two decades ago, using a limited test group (just one breed and about a dozen rabbits) in only one area. That's not enough of a group to establish a pattern.

This bothers me because when I search I'm also told its only in the last decade that people have been studying rabbits as pets phenomena. Meaning where they should be best kept (indoors or outdoors), how they should eat and their behaviors. Often mentioned is because rabbits never enjoyed the popularity of cats and dogs, therefore as much money wasn't dedicated for research and so only recently have we been getting a better idea of how best to raise these wonderful creatures. 

I'm not saying neutering/slaying shouldn't be done, rabbit population still needs to be controlled and to those who want to have bonded ones its a must, its just I don't see hard proof is all in terms of cancer. All animals have chances to get cancer, especially the older they get. Just because a rabbit gets it when their older, well for most people that's when it happens too. As it is a pet rabbit's lifespan has dramatically increased from what was once believed to be a 5-8 year range. Can anyone point me to where I can find info on the prevalance of uterine cancer in rabbits? Oh, and I mean that sincerely just in case tone gets lost in Internet posting.

Not that it affects my circumstances. Conan the Bunbarian is a buck (of course!) And at 22 weeks, exihbits no extremes of hormonal behavior. Of course the jury is still out if I'll neuter him or not, especially since I'm on the fence about bonding and such, but I don't know I wish a more gentle method seas available rather then chop and hack stuff out. Otherwise if he's stays mild in behavior it makes it seem all that much crueler.


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## agnesthelion

I don't have any statistics specific on what you are looking for, but I will say this.

I do believe that the 85% number is probably thrown around too loosely. Maybe there isn't a specific study or big enough study done to prove that specific number, but I have absolutely no doubts that unspayed rabbits do have a higher cancer rate. That has, in my opinion, been proven.

So then I feel like the issue then lies with weighing the risk of spaying itself. Even if the cancer stats are 50%, let's say, (just throwing out that number) I don't believe that spaying could ever even be that dangerous. So it's a decision I'm glad I made. I stressed about it and was nervous, but I'm SOO relieved I did.

Here are other two things to consider. You know how they say never say never?  when i got Agnes I never (haha) thought id get another rabbit. And here I am less than a year later with two.

Also, this might be a small factor to some, but the way her pee smells after the spay vs. before the spay is AMAZING. I wasn't sure how much truth there was to the smell thing but oh my goodness is it true. Even if there are mo behavioral issues, i will fix for that reason.

Lastly. I think the opposite as you as far as it being cruel to "hack" off his stuff. Could you imagine having hormones racing through you driving you to do the one thing you can't ever do? It's in their blood to mate with a pretty little girl bun, and yet they never get too. I think THAT is cruel. Taking away that urge so they can relax is doing them a favor, in my opinion.


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## BugLady

When my family got a rabbit when I was in middle school, we didn't know much about how to care for her, but we learned, and she became a spoiled house bun pretty quickly.

However when she was two years old she started bleeding one day... took her to the vet... they said it was probably cancer. They did an emergency spay, and yup, her uterus was full of cancerous tumors. 

She lived another 6 years after that, ended up passing from E. cuniculi. 



With that story in mind, when I adopted my first bun, I took her to get spayed - but she didn't survive the surgery. I was heartbroken, and beat myself up about it for a while. 

But after that I only adopted from shelters, where they were already spayed/neutered. It's easier when you don't have to make that decision yourself. The thought of cancer, especially in such a young bun, scares me.


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## Troller

agnesthelion wrote:


> Lastly. I think the opposite as you as far as it being cruel to "hack" off his .



Thanks for the insight, but Im quoting this just to mention its not a guy sensitivity to having his boy animal losing his 'lil boys', cause my lament is for both genders. I just meant a less butchery method ala tubes tied, vasectomy etc. I know small animals anotamy is challenging but c'mon. Anyway it's a pie inthe sky pipe dream. 

And again, I got back and forth on whether to have a pal or not for Conan. Right now it's no feasible, and not right if his behavior is still so sterling. We'll see though, since its only fair as I've neutered my cats before. But then with them I was worried that there were a few cats in the area and the last thing I needed was a surprise litter. With the rabbit that's not an issue. No neighbors nearby with rabbits. 

Thanks for sharing Bugslady. Again, Im just venting hear and I like to research the hell out of things so its frustrating when numbers are quoted at me and I can't verify them. I'm also going nuts with the presidential elections because of that.


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## katherine at sacred stories

I believe that spaying and neutering is a good idea for many reasons. 

However, I had a vet once who believed the risks of spaying for female rabbits were greater than the risks of cancer. He believed that the decision should be made on a case by case basis...depending on behavior, situation, health and general quality of life. 

I don't agree with him based on everything I've read but I think everyone's opinion should be respected. He had an unspayed female rabbit who was 18 years old, healthy, an absolute sweetheart and going strong.

My bunnies were fixed before I got them (thank goodness). It would be a really hard decision to make to get the surgery in this area because I don't completely trust any of the vets.


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## Ape337

Every dog, cat, and rabbit that I have ever owned has been fixed. I don't wait for unwanted behaviors to show up. When my animals are of age, they are altered. I believe it is my responsibility as a pet owner to prevent unwanted breedings. 10 years ago when I had my last pair of bunnies I had both of them fixed. It wasn't as popular to fix bunnies then but I treated them as any dog or cat in my house. My young female Honey already had a pre-cancerous uterus at 1 year old. 6 months ago Humma jumped over a 36" high wall to get to Faith. If both of them hadn't been fixed, I would have babies now. Spaying is an invasive procedure to be sure, but even though I lost Trillian during her spay surgery it did not stop me from having Faith spayed a month later.
I don't have a crystal ball and I can't say that 5 years from now I won't become terribly ill with cancer and have to rehome my precious bunnies. Obviously this is an extreme example but I believe in "what if" situations. In this case scenario my rabbits will never be able to add to the unwanted rabbit population. This is obviously just my opinion and I wouldn't force my opinion on anyone else here. I was fortunate enough to have 2 of my bunnies come in already fixed (both males). I had to fix 4. Good luck to everyone here with whatever you choose for your pets. My story is only my story.


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## katherine at sacred stories

:yeahthat:


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## BugLady

Yeah it's hard to know what the real life statistics are throughout the world in terms of cancer rates and success of surgery.

The vet I went to (where my Petunia didn't make it), they warned me against spaying her at her age (almost 2), said it was really dangerous.

But the shelter I adopted from later on said that after hundreds of spays over many years, of rabbits of all different ages, they have never lost one, and that it's really safe. 

A good option might be to find a vet that does spaying/neutering for a rabbit shelter and see what they have to say, since they probably see many more rabbits than an average small animal vet.


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## Troller

Yeah well it was both my Vet and the Breeder who mentioned it may not be necessary, but they weren't against the idea either. So it will end up being my decision and his behavior that influences it. He's a Flemish so he's just now reaching sexual maturity, and well he hasn't really done anything yet hormonal. Except for circleing, but now sound to it.

If I do do it though, one of the main reasons will be I cant determine the future so if bonding or rehoming become an option its better to do it earlier.


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## LeFuzz

Troller wrote:


> Thanks for the insight, but Im quoting this just to mention its not a guy sensitivity to having his boy animal losing his 'lil boys', cause my lament is for both genders. I just meant a less butchery method ala tubes tied, vasectomy etc. I know small animals anotamy is challenging but c'mon. Anyway it's a pie inthe sky pipe dream.



I don't want to misinterpret what you are saying here, but it's really not butchery, it's castration. I mean, I haven't had it done, but tying a womans tubes is no snippity snip for like a vasectomy is for a man. It is invasive either way. The point of castration is to eliminate horomones. The ones that feed the need to breed and can cause "bad" behaviors. 

I did have my bun fixed, he was a bona-fide PoopZilla and had sprayed my dog a few times before his appointment. I went out of my way to find a bun savvy vet who charged what I thought was a good rate ($80) and came highly recommended. Even if I had the most laid back bun, I would still neuter. Or spay. Nothing against his "danglies", but the humans are the only ones allowed in this house with horomone issues.


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## Bunnies

blondiesmommie said:


> Anyone have a rabbit that is NOT spayed or neutered, but your happy with them the way they are? Do they have any bad habits? Are you afraid if you get him/her fixed, their good habits could actually change to bad habits? Just curious bc I was talking to someone about this today!!!



I have a 1 year old female rabbit and she’s not spayed. I won’t be getting her spayed and she’s really healthy and so friendly. She can be territorial sometimes in her cage but I love herb personality just the way it is. Shes litter trained and only leaves a couple of droppings out of her litter box. She doesn’t bite unless if she’s in a really bad mood or feels in danger. I don’t see any signs of her being sick at all and I’m always watchknfout for her health and doing lots of research. I don’t think it’s exactly necessary for u to spay your rabbit. My rabbit is doing great


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## Liung

I have experience with a male who’s been neutered since he was a baby, a female who was unspayed her entire life, and a female who was spayed as an adult, so allow me to compare and contrast. 

I did absolutely no research before getting buns and decided that I wanted two females, so that I wouldn’t have to deal with territory behaviours and so that I wouldn’t have to pay to get them fixed. 

Well, that worked for about 3 months before Lahi’s balls dropped, lol. So he got neutered. Picca stayed intact. She was... grumpy might be an understatement. She was successfully litter trained, and curious and inquisitive, just like Lahi. They would explore and run around together. She’d come and climb all over me. She could be a sweetie sometimes. Other times... well, I discovered that bunnies can growl. Picca would pin her ears back and snarl, lashing out with her claws. She was VERY territorial. 

Lahi has always been the most gentle bun when it comes to humans. He’ll yank some fur out when he’s having a dispute with a bun, but he has never ever used his teeth on me for anything but gently grabbing a limb in an attempt to move it. He did draw blood once when I stupidly put my hands between him and Picca while he was lunging for her, but that was an accident, and very shallow. He was only trying to grab her fur. He’s not cuddly in the slightest but I think that’s because I handled him way too much as a baby. Toward his bonded bunnies he wants to have the biggest cuddles. He also loves my mom, and will climb up into her lap as she sits in her armchair, jump up to her shoulder, and cuddle her face. I am the giver of medicine and the harbinger of vet visits, so I get fond ankle pokes and climbed on, but my hands are Not To Be Allowed The Privilege Of Touching His Dignified Person, or face the angry foot of I Am Deeply Offended and the foot flicks of How Dare You and the cold shoulder of Shun The Blasphemer. 

Pictures because seriously his adoration for my mother has to be seen. I think she was more upset about him moving out than me when I got an apartment. 





(Bald ear due to surgery to remove a malignant tumour at the base)

The most aggression he’s ever shown is toward the hated litter scoop. He was neutered shortly after his balls dropped, and never got around to developing bad behaviours. He will occasionally pee outside the litter box, but I attribute that to the fact that he is currently 12, rather than any deliberate behaviour. He’s getting a little forgetful in his dotage!

When Picca and Lahi were 5 years old, I got wind of a rabbit who needed a home, and agreed I could take her. Delilah was also not spayed. 

Delilah was and always has been the biggest cuddlebun, the most loving and vivacious rabbit I have ever met. It quickly became apparent that she was badly neglected by her previous owner, and desperately wanted to be loved. 

She would also, if I let her run around a room, occasionally leap into the air and TWIST, spraying pee in a full 360’ circle like some sort of furry sprinkler. 

She had a LOT of bad habits, but they were pretty much attributable to the neglect she experienced. She would rattle the bars of her cage for HOURS on end. She would rhythmically thump her foot for HOURS. She would absolutely destroy all attempts to keep litter in the litter box, digging it furiously everywhere. She was litter trained but the litter wouldn’t stay in the box after the fact. She would shove her face into her food bowl and try to inhale her food, and actually did end up choking a couple times from eating too fast. So on top of being neglected she had been deprived of food, too :’(

She was too clueless about how to be a proper rabbit to really be territorial, but Picca was VERY territorial. It took a solid year of extreme effort to bond the two girls. Lahi pretty much took one sniff and started grooming Delilah. Picca was much, much less willing. After a year they could finally be in the same room without a divider, though I honestly don’t think they were ever fully bonded. I have exactly three pictures of all three buns cuddling, and Lahi’s in the middle in all three pictures. We got a few months of bonded bliss, sort of. Then the two girls got into one massive, fur-flying fight, and never forgave each other. They couldn’t even be separated by cage bars without trying to bite each other’s faces off. 

Then, at age 6, Picca died. The vet palpated her abdomen the night before when we brought her in for laboured breathing, awkward head carriage, and overall signs of pain. He found masses in her abdomen, and it was then I was finally educated about the risk of cancer in unspayed females. We took her home and she was found dead in the morning. 

I’m pretty sure Delilah was the only reason Lahi didn’t follow his sister out of grief. She cuddled the hell out of him, kept him moving, and eventually he began eating again with major encouragement. 

Delilah was booked for a spay the very next month. 

Delilah’s behaviour has improved immensely compared to how she used to be, but a lot of that is just getting proper love and affection. She can walk away from a bowl that still has food in it, and I celebrated a LOT the first time that happened. She’s not as cuddly as she used to be, but again, I think that’s because she feels secure that I’m always going to be around for cuddles whenever she wants them, and so now while she’s busy exploring she’ll duck my hand. Cuddles LATER, mummy! Right now, ADVENTURES!! She also isn’t solely reliant on humans for affection anymore, being bonded to Lahi, and I have heard a number of people comment that buns seem to be less cuddly when they have options other than humans. 

She’ll still rattle cage bars (of a cage she’s not even INSIDE!!) but not as often and not for as long. When she gets stressed out she’ll sometimes lapse into the rhythmic foot thumping. She still makes a total mess of litter boxes and it’s a never ending battle to keep her messmaking contained. 

What she does not do: spray pee in an airborne acrobatic display of flexibility!

While I don’t know how much of the reduction of many of her habits is decreased hormones and how much is just recovering from neglect, I will say that overall she’s massively improved, and I can’t say that she’s had any behaviours develop after being spayed that are bad. 

And the fact that she won’t be getting reproductive cancer? I’m now of the firm opinion that ALL female pet rabbits should be spayed, and it’s almost unethical not to. Just like we have our impacted wisdom teeth removed before they can cause problems, when a rabbit has an 80% chance of reproductive cancer...

Lahi is 12 years old this year, and quickly coming up on having lived longer without his sister than with her. Picca had her lifespan cut in HALF because I didn’t do my research and get her spayed. She died in pain, leaving Lahi desperately grieving his sister and bondmate, and it’s 100% and entirely my fault. The regret I hold for that is intense. 

There are just so many reasons why neutering and spaying a rabbit is a good thing, and so few reasons why it could possibly be a bad thing. Removing hormones doesn’t change their personality, it just takes away a huge influence on their behaviour. 

I’ve met people with male rabbits who are sweet and gentle and they don’t see a reason to get them neutered. But they’re also alone, and I’m in the “rabbits need to be with other rabbits” camp, and that is almost impossible without neutering first. As much as we love our bunnies, we have lives that don’t revolve around them, the way bunnies revolve around each other. 

But female rabbits? Oh lord. 80% chance of reproductive cancer after age 4. Save yourself the grief of losing your furry child to a completely preventable death. Speaking from experience: if I could go back in time Picca would have been spayed at the same time Lahi was neutered. No hesitation.


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## Preitler

Hi,

my free range house bunnys are my intact, 4yo 10lbs herd buck Herr Hase and his spayed cuddlebun Dotty. I didn't plan to make him a house bunny, but at the age of 2 he ventured into the house now and then, and behaved perfectly. When I ran out of hutch space he moved in with me. Wouldn't have worked a year earlier, I guess, he did a lot of spraying then, does that I put with him changed colour and pee was dripping from the ceiling of his hutch, and I had to move quickly when I let him out for garden time.

After some time I got the impression that he was lonely and last year I got one of his daughters spayed, at least I'm much happier now, just watching them cuddle up makes my day. All my 6 rabbits live in pairs now.

About this cancer scare: Although it seems true that rabbits are more prone to that as humans, that 80% at 4 years numbers are blown out of proportions by people with an agenda, don't see that happen anywhere, and there is no data on that (apart from a side note in another study mentioning one breeding line with rates like that, but well, there are lines of laboratory mice that get cancer very frequently too).
So, although this numbers are used as a deadbeat argument, it is still a valid argument, and there are a lot more good ones to get girls spayed, mood swings and false pregnancies come to mind. I had one intact doe indoors for 8 months (Myxo quarentine, sole survivor of 15), and she thoroughly destroyed my apartment. At 7 years now still my best breeding doe, but much happier outside.


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## Augustus&HazelGrace

Preitler said:


> At 7 years now still my best breeding doe, but much happier outside.


 You're still breeding her when she is 7 years old??? and she is still producing well. I would have stopped breeding her after she turned 3. I'm surprised she wouldn't be tired of breeding by now.


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## Preitler

Augustus&HazelGrace said:


> You're still breeding her when she is 7 years old??? and she is still producing well. I would have stopped breeding her after she turned 3. I'm surprised she wouldn't be tired of breeding by now.



No, there is no reason not to breed her, actually, almost half her litters are because she is very creative getting to the buck and doing the deed in mere seconds without my approval. In commercial meat production a doe is replaced at about 3 years, but max efficiency isn't my concern. Her litters are smaller now, about 6 now, but that's fine with me. She's quite a special rabbit, very headstrong and determined, and best mother I've ever seen - and she's craving for that - isn't that what being a rabbit is all about?


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## LionheadRabbitLover

Yep! None of mine or neutered or spayed. Don’t plan to either unless for I have to for medical reasons.


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## somebunnylovesme

I have a buck that isn't neutered . He is an angel!!!!. He isn't aggressive and has never sprayed me.


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## Tinto

I asked my vet about neutering my bunny here in Japan, but he kind of discouraged me. His opinion was that being such a small animal, there are always risks with the anesthesia for them, so unless I really need it he wouldn't advise. Or maybe they just want to take the responsibility in the case...


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## somebunnylovesme

I had a rabbit had to get his back molar filled down multiple times. They had to use anesthesia to that. He also had a tumor in his lungs and with the anesthesia he was fine. The rabbit was born with the tumor. The vet was experience rabbits, you may want to seek out another vet. If they vet isn't confident that is a red flag.


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## Bam Bam

I know it is not necessary to neuter your male unless he sprays or becomes very aggressive but isn’t it dangerous not to spay. My first rabbit died of uterin cancer because I didn’t have her spayed??


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## Sharda Hartley

I tried to keep my male un-altered during our first few months of settling in, but he soon became VERY possessive and territorial. He started peeing and pooping where I or my cat slept, humped my cat, and regularly sprayed us both. I was worried his personality would change too, but he just got less humpy and learned to use the litterbox regularly. Bye bye balls! I do not miss you or the bad behaviour you caused!


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## Cassy315

I suppose it's okay if you have only one. My intact buns are perfectly fine but do get into little arguments with one another. I will say my guys did a complete 180 when they were desexed. From being all over the show, digging and spraying and being territorial to being placid, calm and super affectionate(not that they weren't affectionate before)


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## Anna R.

I have never had my females (never had males) my spayed. They are all so sweet. They did go through their "teenage" phase; but, never had any major issues that made me run out and get them spayed. I have heard of too many people loosing their babies while getting spayed. Unless there was a major health issue that needed it, I would never do it. I do have one female that is spayed as she was a rescue and she is the most aggressive of all. Unless it is really needed for health reasons I don't see the need for it.


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## Zuzanna

I have a female bunny and she is completely fine unspayed


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## Sophie.k2002

Yeah, i have an unspayed doe. She doesn't have much bad habits. 
She just sometimes poops around the house. A few poops won't kill anybody.
And it's cute sometimes.
I'm soooo happy with her.


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## michael1

We have 2 doe's not sprayed no issues with them. We just couldn't do it because of the risks after surgery. Some will argue about this , we have friends that has a doe 8 yrs old never fixed all is good.


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## Cayla

I have an unspayed female rabbit. I didn't get her spayed cause I was worried about the anesthesia possibly killing her, though now I'm worried she may get uterine cancer. In terms of behavior she's a little moody. If she doesn't know you and you get too close suddenly, she'll attack you. If she does know you then she might run around your legs and try to hump you when you stand up. I do wish I would've gotten her fixed because of health concerns but I love her to death and she's really funny and sweet


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## Anna R.

I have 4 females. Once is spayed as she was a rescue, she is almost 2 years old. The other 3 are ages 7 years, 11 mos. and 8 mos. They all have their moments. The oldest was never aggressive ever. She has always been the sweetest girl, she was a little stinker and didn't like to be held when she was younger; but, was still sweet. She is now a little cuddle bunny, and loves to be held and cuddle with me. She is still moody though; but, she gets over very fast with a treat. The other two are going through their hormonal changes, and they change daily. They are both super sweet. I did think about getting them spayed at one time because of the ovarian cancer issue; but, decided against it. I was too worried about the anesthesia issues, and didn't want to risk losing them. They go through periods of aggression, but, nothing I can't handle. They have to have "time outs" once in a while. But, nothing i would trade for anything. The one that is spayed is actually the most aggressive of all of them, and is in constant need of attention or she will sulk. I still love her with all my heart though. But, seeing how aggressive she is compared to my other older one I don't see any difference and not enough to put the others under the knife. So, I deal with them as they are, natural and free to be who they want when they want. Bunnies are a lot like us, they are all different with different moods and personalities. So, it is really up to you and the bunny. I have heard of buns getting out of control. Maybe I've been lucky enough to not have had that issue. I just give them lots of love and understanding and we all do fine as is.


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## TreasuredFriend

One of our rescues had uterine cancer beginnings. Fortunately the 4 y.o. bun had surgery to prevent further spread. One can hop over to rescue organizations that are continually trying to peddle ahead of the overpopulation of "oops" matings or intentional breeding. AND the rescue groups will tell you of females who were not spayed at the appropriate age and succumbed to uterine cancer. Or come in to rescue delivering kits! Think of the hoarder/collectors choosing not to get vet care or sp/euter their commodity animals, and the 452 rabbits from Texas, found in filth & wire cages, now have 100 pregnant females. Locally 57 rabbits were taken into shelter care and many females arrived pregnant. 

People will choose not to spend the OVH/neuter funds at a rabbit-savvy DVM b/c they do not feel it is important to prevent cancer or prevent additional pregnancies, or they can contend with spraying, obnoxious behavior, et al. 

Certain people don't care that rabbits are euthanized due to not enough homes. 

With rescue efforts, we ensure that all family members are safely sp/eutered. Find an excellent DVM and because pets costs money, be prepared to spend money on your companions. || Rabbits are self-induced ovulators. After volunteering at the shelter for numerous years, we witnessed lots of females coming in pregnant. Oh boy, our males born in our home after their abandoned moms were captured were very challenging with the stinky urine and their frequent spray hoses. We don't have to worry about oops pregnancies as heard about on other forum boards or this one.


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## TreasuredFriend

The obnoxious urine smell decreased immediately after our rescue Flemmie was neutered. Before his neuter, he and bro were continual spray hose males. If you ever get sprayed on your clothes or in your face by male urine, you know what I mean. Then our rescue pulls from a shelter at 5 month old (horse farm kept the rabbits living together) were a fighting batch of sisters due to hormonal engagement.


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## ChloeBunny

Cayla said:


> I have an unspayed female rabbit. I didn't get her spayed cause I was worried about the anesthesia possibly killing her, though now I'm worried she may get uterine cancer. In terms of behavior she's a little moody. If she doesn't know you and you get too close suddenly, she'll attack you. If she does know you then she might run around your legs and try to hump you when you stand up. I do wish I would've gotten her fixed because of health concerns but I love her to death and she's really funny and sweet



If it helps, an experienced vet/exotic pet vet familiar with spaying/neutering bunnies can often be found through rescue organizations. I found my current bunny vet through the House Rabbit Society (invaluable source of bunny related info/education), that has an excellent list by state: https://rabbit.org/rabbit-veterinarians-state-listings, and in Kentucky Harvey's House is a licensed chapter of HRS http://www.harveyshouse.org/contactus/ if you want to connect to someone local who could answer questions or provide a referral. My rescue bun has had two surgeries, spaying and removal of a growth, both went very well in the experienced hands of two different vets - but yes, it can be risky.

I had no idea the high risk of uterine cancer associated w/female buns (like mine), but the choice is personal and I respect the decision either way. Best wishes!


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## michael1

Boy oh boy do u all ever put a scare into people that don't get there doe fixed. See I'm not from USA & most of u over due in ur words with this matter. Do most of you consider it a crime not fixing a doe ? Going to say most of you do. I went to an experienced veterinarian over 30 yrs under her belt. We had a very long talk about this matter. No we didn't do it our choice. We didn't want to put them through that & the chance of having serious consequences with the chance of losing them. Some people smoke or drink all there lives never die because of either. Some people drive for 60 yrs never die or get into an accident. Scare tactics like this just because what u have witnessed in your life is one thing. We have a 50 50 chance she could get sick, that doesn't mean we don't love them. We all have a 50 50 chance to die tonight in our sleep. Doesn't matter how well we look after our bodies or don't. I've lived on a farm for many yrs , cattle farm with lots of other animals. As I've said before we have a friend that never fixed there doe. In fact we just talked the other night he also has friends that never fixed there doe. Anyways I'm sure a few of u think I'm a cruel person , not even educated on rabbits. We believe we have made the right choice & our vet didn't disagree with us. It's all up the the family to make the final decision. There are a lot of parents out there that should of never had kids yet we all ignore what's going on in every day life. Have a great night all God Bless


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## Scarly

We have a neutered male (came to us neutered) and an unspayed female. 
Our female is the most loving and affectionate bunny I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. She's 1 1/2 years old and has excellent litter habits and zero aggression or destructive behaviors. The only time she does anything is if I have had the male on my lap and then have her on my lap she'll start sniffing me and then pee on me. But simple enough to just throw a towel over my lap or have her up on my lap first. 

I previously lost a female bunny during a spay procedure so I am very hesitant to do it again as I love this girl so much. I do understand the risks of cancer in female rabbits and it's something the vet is actively monitoring with her. But our vet agrees that a spay is not needed for female rabbits and can always be done if cancer is detected early enough. Of course, monitoring this, in the long run, will cost you more than a spay and you may at some point still need to get your bunny spayed if she does develop cancer.


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## apryl

I’ve had my rabbit for about three years now and they haven’t been fixed. Still the cutest, silliest bunny! Since you have the male neutered you don’t have to worry about babies. I say you’re fine!


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## Mariam+Theo

My rabbit is almost 2 and he is very sweet for the most part. He will occasionally threaten to bite me, but has never actually bit me. He doesn't like being held, but I have read that male rex rabbits are not a huge fan of being held and he is a mini rex. 

I feel like he gets really bad when I have been gone for vacation. The other day, I left for vacation and when I got back he threatened to bite me three times. Though he never did bite me it got me thinking that I should probably get him neutered. I am really wanting a friend for him (i'm wanting a girl), and if I ended up getting one for him, I would get both of them neutered/spayed to reduce fighting and babies. 

I don't feel completely safe getting him neutered. I love him to much to lose him!


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## Bellamy+Lilah

I have a neutered male and an unspayed femlae who have been living together very happily and peacefully since I put them together over 9 months ago.

No problems whatsoever. No aggression toward me or her mate.

She is 1 and a half years old.

She will pull her fur out and make a nest sometimes when she thinks she is pregnant but doesn't fuss about me cleaning it out afterward when she realizes she's not pregnant.


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## TreasuredFriend

ChloeBunny, rescues see the "too late" progression of cancer frequently. Rescues also know about the hundreds of rabbits abandoned outside on a continual basis. Totally understand the differences with veterinarians in certain rural/or less-knowledgeable areas. i.e. DVMs who are not rabbit-savvy, and anesthesia always carries risks even if the pre-op CBC/BMP panels are done. Our sanctuary home of multiple genders and ages truly benefits by having our girls spayed and boys neutered. Rescues frequently are intuned to the amount of confiscations and excess breeding.


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## TreasuredFriend

Our most recent rescue came from an individual who no longer wanted the male buns. She got too busy to take care of them and family matters involving a relationship break-up required her to seek a different home for the 7 m.o. Flemish Giant brothers. The urine spraying was ! horrendous ! when they entered our indoor environment living in proximity of our 13 y.o. boy, 5 year old female, 5-6 y.o. male. The two brothers began dominance fighting. - I've seen that occur with a litter of siblings withdrawn from the shelter that came from a horse farm... The females started fighting as they matured, and also aggravated or dominance mounted their mom. The boy in the batch of four littermates was separated to prevent pregnancies. Medical treatment and attentive care does cost money: we know from having pets who live in our homes. -- I was hesitant about having enucleation done on our boy whose eye had turned cancerous. I sought out the best DVM with expertise! Surgery carries risks, and we do our best to live as many years as possible - in good health without cardiovascular disease, lung disease, breast cancer, stroke, et al.


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## Mackenzie Salm

I have 2 unfixed rabbits they are perfectly fine. My buck is very mellow loves to cuddle and is just amazing with kids. My doe on the other hand is super run run run, maybe because she is only 4 months old but she is still a big cuddle bug. She loves attention as well I haven't had her around kids to much but we have a 4h meeting at our house soon so I guess we will see how she is with kids when the time comes. But they both love attention and are just the cuddliest things ever. I could cuddle them all day if I had the time. I can't wit until I can breed them that would make the cutest babies. My doe is a Sable Holland Lop, and my buck is a broken tort Holland. And the babies personalities I hope are just like their parents (mainly their dad). I would barely have to try to sell them. (Who said I'm gonna sell them I probably won't have the heart to sell them unless it's to people I know) The buck is my profile picture I don't have a picture of my doe right now.


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## Lola's Mommy

My rabbit Lola is not spayed and she is so sweet! She only marked her territory once on my bed (that was by it smelled like my friend and not me). But I'm looking into getting her spayed for her own health.


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## ILikeBigBuns

For those of you with unspayed females, how old are your bunnies?


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## somebunnylovesme

Theo said:


> My rabbit is almost 2 and he is very sweet for the most part. He will occasionally threaten to bite me, but has never actually bit me. He doesn't like being held, but I have read that male rex rabbits are not a huge fan of being held and he is a mini rex.
> 
> I feel like he gets really bad when I have been gone for vacation. The other day, I left for vacation and when I got back he threatened to bite me three times. Though he never did bite me it got me thinking that I should probably get him neutered. I am really wanting a friend for him (i'm wanting a girl), and if I ended up getting one for him, I would get both of them neutered/spayed to reduce fighting and babies.
> 
> I don't feel completely safe getting him neutered. I love him to much to lose him!



I have a Standard Rex male. He isn't neutered. I haven't had any problems with spraying , humping or pooping all over the place and he free roams. He use to growl and air box at me when I would add more hay in his cage. Now he understand I'm adding more and he doesn't behavior anymore.

I went away for 5 weeks, I came back he turned his back totally ignored me. He bottled it up for about 1 1/2 to 2 months and wouldn't listen to me at all. Finally he let it all out by having a bunny temper-tantrum. He was throwing things around and stomping his back foot. Right after his tantrum, he started to listen to me and paid attention to me. Rabbits do get attached to their owners and he was showing his disapproval.


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## Jasminebunny

My rabbit , is angry . .. attacks everyone


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## zuppa

Jasminebunny said:


> My rabbit , is angry . .. attacks everyone


I guess she's still nursing so no wonder she's a bit protective! How are the babies they are about 2-3 weeks now?


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## Jasminebunny

Poopy Poo said:


> I guess she's still nursing so no wonder she's a bit protective! How are the babies they are about 2-3 weeks now?


Yeah , they are doing good , they're about 3 weeks old now 
And i mean my male rabbit , cookie not the babies mother jasmine 
So cute! 

Picture of them !


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## zuppa

ILikeBigBuns said:


> For those of you with unspayed females, how old are your bunnies?


Bernie is 13 months Smokey 8 months Leo 8 months and Fred's age is unknown.
I am planning on neutering my males Leo first probably this month and for females Bernie is fine I don't want to spay her and Smokey is so much better now she was very defensive and I've lost lots of my blood with her since she was about 4 months but now she's still territorial but we keep working on it, she stopped biting but panicking when I put my hand into her cage we'll see if it will improve with time and effort. Fred is fine as well he's a very good rabbit just I want to have them all bonded and he must be neutered. Smokey is 50/50 at the moment but will see maybe it is better to get her spayed.


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## zuppa

Jasminebunny said:


> Yeah , they are doing good , they're about 3 weeks old now
> And i mean my male rabbit , cookie not the babies mother jasmine
> So cute!
> View attachment 41836
> Picture of them !


At least five harleys I see so very pretty! I didn't know you had another rabbit are you going to neuter him?


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## Arose12344

OakRidgeRabbits said:


> Our pet rabbits have not been spayed or neutered. With the price being so high, few area vets being savvy and no concrete evidence of health benefit (other than behavioral), it was just never a big concern.
> 
> Two of ours are does. One just passed this summer at the age of 10 1/2 from unrelated health problems. She was a pet store bunny, so it was great that she was with us for so long. She was a little territorial when she was young but by 2 years old, she settled down and was very friendly. At one time, she was litter trained, but due to progressive arthritis in her later years, she had been in a regular, bedded, solid floor cage for awhile.
> 
> Another is 9 and still going strong! She is the sweetest thing ever, actively seeks out attention, follows us around. No territorial or aggressive behavior, and she is littertrained.
> 
> Our other one is an 8 1/2 year old buck. Again, very sweet and friendly. He does have a toy girlfriend, but is littertrained and never sprays or anything.


Hi! Aren’t you worried about like ovarian cancer? I’m only asking because I’m really nervous about putting my bunny in such an invasive procedure.


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## Pintobean

gmas rabbit said:


> My daughter has an intact female mini lop. She is incredibly good natured and gentle. My concern is that she is 3, no longer going to have any litters, and the fear of her getting uterine cancer as she gets older is now a major health issue. I would like to she her neutered for her own protection, not because of behavior problems.


I ditto all of that for my 2 year old lop. Just considering spay for cancer prevention, everything is perfect otherwise.


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