Should I Have my Pet Rabbit Spayed or Neutered?

Question: Should I Have my Pet Rabbit Spayed or Neutered?

Answer: In a word, yes.

There are many advantages in terms of behavior and health to spaying and neutering your pet rabbit. In addition to these benefits, which are outlined below, you will help prevent the problem of pet rabbit overpopulation. People like to joke about how readily rabbits reproduce, but the sad truth is that far too many bunnies end up at shelters and rescues facing an uncertain future already.

Advantages to Spaying and Neutering Pet Rabbits
The obvious reason for spaying and neutering rabbits is to prevent them from reproducing, but their are many other advantages including:

• Spaying prevents a condition called "psuedopregnancy" or false pregnancy where hormonal changes make the rabbit act as if she is pregnant. Rabbits in this condition go through the motions of pregnancy including nest building and milk production and can become quite stressed and aggressive to other rabbits or people.
• Reduced aggression; as rabbits reach sexual maturity, hormones tend to bring out aggressive and or destructive tendencies. Rabbit that are spayed and neutered tend to be calmer, easier to handle, and more affectionate with their owners.
• Spaying and neutering greatly reduces territorial marking behavior such (e.g. urine marking and spraying), and makes litter training easier.
• In females, spaying eliminates the risk of uterine cancer, which is quite common in rabbits. The risk of ovarian cancer is also eliminated, and the risk of mammary cancers (the animal equivalent of breast cancer) is greatly reduced.
• Spaying also prevents other diseases of the reproductive tract such as infection of the uterus (pyometra).
• In males, neutering eliminates the risk of testicular cancer.