Senior Rabbit... could I neuter??? **GOOD NEWS!!!**

[gwyn]

Okay, here's my situation:

I have two rabbits that I am thinking about bonding.  One is an 8yr old neutered Dutch male, Thumper... he is pretty laid back, if a bit stubborn...  the other is a very energetic lil 10yr old... Opie... and he is intact.  I'd like to maybe bond them... but, I'm worried about Opie.  I know neutering is the best thing you can do for your bun, but do you think it would be dangerous to put him through surgery with his age being what it is?  He seems to be a healthy, spry little guy.  Or, if it would be to risky to neuter him with his age, would it still be possible for me to bond the two of them?

I'm no expert with rabbits, so any advice is more than welcome!!!

[ScoutGotBig]

We spayed a 9 y/o girl with cancer, and she made it thru and lived another 7 months very happily.

If you are careful, with an experienced rabbit vet, I think it might be worth a try.  Two old guys would enjoy life together I bet.

[undergunfire]

I would definitely take your bunny into a VERY experienced rabbit vet and have an exam done thoroughly, then see what the vet has to say about a neuter.

10 years is pretty amazing for a bunny  . My longest lived bunny was 9. My oldest now is almost 2.

[gwyn]

Okay, thanks guys!  I'm going to to talk to my exotics vet and see if she has experience with rabbits.  I have one other question, too: Thumper, my neutered guy, is very tidy.  Like, cleaner than I am.     Opie, on the other hand, is kind of a slob.  Will that change when he's neutered, or is that just the way he is?  Thanks again for the advice!

[undergunfire]

Litter habits should improve greatly, once he is neutered  . That's how it is with most bunnies. I am not sure how that would effect an older rabbit though.

You should join www.rabbitsonline.net .....super experienced bunny people there. I am very experienced, but some things I leave it up to them to answer  .

[gwyn]

Whew!  I am glad to hear that!  Hopefully it'll help him too, even though he's older.  I should really post pics of the munchkins...   And I'll keep y'all updated on how he does, with the neuter and Thumper.

Ooo, looks cool.  Thanks!

[gwyn]

Hey, I have another question...
When he's out of his cage, Opie (who I haven't gotten neutered yet... Logan has to go to the vet first for a lump... ) leaves poops all over the place.  Normally it wouldn't bother me, but these are big squishy ones that get smooshed all over the carpet if stepped on. (TMI - yuck!)  Thumpy doesn't do that... is it an un-neutered guy thing?  Do you think neutering will curb the icky habit?  Like I said, I don't mind the little hard ones, but the big squishy ones are kinda icky.  Any ideas?

[undergunfire]

Are they stinky poops and in the shape of a "bunch of grapes"? If so, those are called "cecals"...or "night poops". Rabbits have a trigger in their mind to eat the cecals directly from the anus...it gives them more nutrition.

Of course, some bunnies want to be little "poopy heads" and leave the lovely cecal poops squished onto the floor us the humans to clean. I have a Holland Lop who had excess cecals, he had soooo many and it appeared that he wasn't eating them. I had to lower his diet to 1/4th cup of pellets and make sure he always had a large supply of hay to eat.

What type of pellet are you feeding? This could also be the cause for too many cecals.


Did you join rabbitsonline yet  ?

[gwyn]

Well, they certainly are stinky, but they're normal shaped, albeit large.  I've seen the cecals before... but everybody's cleaning those up pretty well... 

Um, right now I'm feeding Purina... I dunno, I should prolly do more food research...  

Sigh - not yet...

[undergunfire]

I use Oxbow and I love it  .

[gwyn]

Good news!

I brought Opie to my vet for an exam and, as long as he was healthy, a neuter.  Everything checked out fine, and he was neutered  this morning.  I haven't gone to pick him up yet, but the vet called and said that he is fully out of anesthesia and hopping around happily!!!

I'm working on a cage for him and Thumper, and I'll try and post pictures soon!

[Marybelle]

Hooray!  Glad he's doing okay.