To Neuter or Not to Neuter

Question
QUESTION: We have a 8 month old male Holland-dwarf lop, Rusty.  He is very well mannered, and since he is sexually mature do we need to have him neutered?  He doesn't spray, although he does rub his chin on anything new in the house which appears to be his way of marking his territory.  He is very very spoiled, he stays in the house 95% of the time.
He has an outside duplex with an upstairs and downstairs "suite" with a grass patch in the bottom.   We also let him hop around our back yard a bit--while supervised.  He has been interacting with the cottontails in our yard--is there any risk with this?

What are the benefits of having him neutered? Are there risks?  

And one last question--Rusty gets snacks--he eats a variety of fruits and vegetables and even has a "snack area" and tries to climb into the refrigerator when he hears the vegetable drawer.  He has never had any type of stool problems, is it ok for us to give him snacks?  He has a sweet tooth but we mix it up.


ANSWER: Dear Janita,

Testicular cancer is not all that common in rabbits, but it does occur.  That's the primary risk of not neutering your bunny.  If he's well mannered and not aggressive, and has good litterbox habits, then that argument for neutering won't fly for your bunny.

But perhaps the most important reason to neuter a male bunny is because that is the ONLY way he can ever be paired with another rabbit without the constant risk and stress of unwanted pregnancy and sex-crazed behavior.  There's nothing as cute as a pair of bonded, neutered/spayed bunnies snuggling.  They thrive in the company of their own kind, even though they continue to love their human families.

No surgery is 100% risk free.  Anesthesia carries risks, and each individual may have hidden problems that can increase risk in surgery.  But an experienced rabbit vet should be able to do a minor surgery such as a neuter without incident, and with minimal risk.  

It's up to you to decide, in consultation with a good rabbit vet:

www.rabbit.org/vets

Hope that helps.

Dana

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Dana,

One more question.  Our son Matthew is a true rabbit lover, and would like to get involved in helping rabbits (although) I don't want any on a permanent basis.  Is there a place a 12 year old can volunteer to help bunnies in need?

Answer
Dear Janita,

The world needs more bunny famlies like yours!  :)

I'd suggest you check the list of rabbit rescue chapters from the House Rabbit Society here:

www.rabbit.org/chapters

Contact your closest chapter and see what kinds of activities they might have that your son can join.  If you don't have a chapter nearby, you might think about starting a group yourself.  :)

The local animal shelter or Humane Society might also have rabbit connections they would share with you.  Good luck!

Take care,

Dana