Spaying: yea or nay?

Question
I've recently (within the past month) acquired 2 littermates - 1 male, 1 female. They were 8 wks when I got them, and the person I got them from only said that I don't need to worry about bunny babies "for awhile". Currently, the bunnies live in the same indoor hutch and get along wonderfully, but I'm moving across the country in 3 months' time & I assume it will not be safe to keep them together, unaltered, while we travel. I've read about how spaying is risky for female bunnies, and also how it helps prevent uterine cancers. I'm unsure if spaying the female or keeping her separated from the male is the better option.

Also, if I do have her spayed, how long will she need to heal before traveling safely? Thanks for your time & information!

Answer
Dear Kathleen,

The best option here is to have the male neutered as soon as his testicles descend.  While it's not likely that a baby female will be impregnable as young as a male is fertile, it's not impossible.  So neutering him as soon as those jewels arrive is the safest way to ensure no unwanted babies.  Please see:

http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/spay.html

Males can have viable sperm in their internal tubing for a few weeks after a neuter, but if he's neutered very early, he might not even have very many to start with.

Once he's neutered you won't have to worry about him constantly mounting her once he reaches sexual maturity, since that can foment fights, not to mention pregnancy!  

If you separate them, you run the risk of their becoming unbonded, and *that* is something that can be a real pain to mend.  

So I'd recommend:

1.  Find a good, experienced rabbit vet:  http://www.rabbit.org/vets
2.  Get the boy fixed as soon as possible.
3.  Get the girl spayed when she's 8 months to a year old, to allow the estrogen to do its job in forming her bones.

Any surgery carries risks, but a good, experienced rabbit vet can neuter or spay a healthy bunny with minimal risk.  Once that's done, you will not have to worry about uterine cancer, which is very common in unspayed females.

Hope this helps.

Dana