Spaying/neutering my mini lop

Question
A few days ago my boyfriend and I bought a baby mini-lop rabbit.  He's settling in well into his new home, but being first time rabbit owners, I'm just anxious that we're do everything we can to help him be a happy bunny.  Even though we've only had him for 2 days he's already a much loved member of our little family.

My question is whether or not we should get him spayed/neutered?  He is male and is the only pet we have.  He is also an indoor rabbit.  He's only 8 or 9 weeks old at the moment, so if we do chose to get him spayed, when should we do this?  

I've read lots of pros/cons on the internet of getting your rabbit spayed, but ultimately I just want to do whatever will make him healthy and happy.  Your advice would be much appreciated.

Answer
Dear Bronagh,

Female rabbits are spayed, which is the removal of the uterus and ovaries (ovariohysterectomy).  Males are neutered/castrated, which is the removal of the testicles.

It's very important for females to be spayed, as they have a very high risk of uterine cancer if they are not bred.  Testicular cancer is far less common in rabbits, though it does sometimes occur, especially in older animals.

The main reasons for neutering a male are (1) control of objectionable, hormone-based behaviors such as mounting, humping, and aggression and (2) to allow him to live peacefully with a spayed female companion (or, less commonly, with another neutered male).  Intact rabbits have such a high sex drive that it's pretty much impossible for them to live peacefully together, even if one is "fixed."

If your bunny is a  baby, he may not show any hormone-based behaviors yet.  But when he hits his "teens," things may change.  He will likely become more aggressive, but also more clingy and affectionate.  He may begin to spray.

You can wait to see if these behaviors develop or not (sometimes they don't), or you can nip it in the bud and have him neutered as soon as his testicles descend.  No surgery is 100% risk free, although neutering is a relatively minor procedure.  So if he doesn't have behavior problems, and you have no intention of ever letting him near any intact females, then you might not want to go through with the surgery unless he develops testicular cancer in his old age.  In the end, once you know the main pros and cons, the only one who can make this decision is you.  

You can also find a rabbit-experienced vet here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

with whom you can discuss your options.

I hope that helps.