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what is my vet talking about

22 10:45:34

Question
hi

i took my 7 month old male rabbit in to have a pre exam before he gets neutered.  the vet says he has a testicle that is atrophied? i don't know how to spell it and that it most likely didn't drop all the way.  he said that he also has a split penis and that most male rabbits that have these split penis problems also have testicle problems.  he then told me that since the testicle is atrophied and not dropped that the surgery is more invasive and they have to cut him open.  he said it is more invasive and therefore it is much more expensive than the surgery i had for my other male rabbit.  i tried to understand most of what he was saying but he pretty much lost me in the first sentence.  Can you please explain?  will this illness cause him problems when he gets older?  will he always be sick?  i once had a rabbit with bad teeth and had to take him in to get them trimmed once a month.  by the time he was 2 years old it had affected his back molars and they were so bad i had to put him to sleep.  i don't want to spend several hundred dollars on a rabbit if it is just going to die from this illness.  thanks.

Answer
Hi There

A split penis is a genetic defect.  Here is a web-site that shows a picture of what it looks like:

http://www.barbibrownsbunnies.com/gender.htm

Often times what happens is that since it is a genetic defect the bunny will have other defects with its sex organs.  More often than not it will have testicles that don't develop or don't drop below the surface and that is what your vet is talking about.  The testicles can basically look like shriveled up popped balloons or they can be completely absent.  Your vet will have to cut the rabbit open in that area to dig out the retained testicle and this is why he is telling you that it is retained.

This genetic defect is not dangerous.  These are the bunnies that are definitely worth saving.  Unless it has malocclusion (bad teeth) as well then it will be just fine.  Sometimes if the split is bad enough they have a hard time spraying and often pee like a girl.  This makes them much easier to potty train.

In the best interest of your bunny please get him fixed.  It is worth the extra cost.  A rabbit that is 7 months old is young and as long as he is well cared for he should have a good long life.  I am not promising that your rabbit will live to be 10 years since there are so many other illnesses and bunnies are so fragile but as long as you love your bunny as much as you can it will be worth it I promise.

Good luck and if you have anymore questions please feel free to ask.

Pam