Fixing a rabbit

Question
How soon can a bunny be fixed after having a litter? Can I fix a bunny is she's lactating? The 4 babies are 10 days old, will a vet be able to tell the sex? I rescued a rabbit from running across a major intersection and in the course of finding a home for it, she had babies. Thanks for your help.  

Answer
Hi Vanessa,

first, thanks for caring enough to rescue that poor bun from the intersection.  That probably would have killed her  if you didn't get her first.

I wouldn't try to put her through major surgery now.  I wouldn't want to because it would disrupt her nursing ability.  Spaying a female is a major operation on a female rabbit, and she'd need 3-4 days to recover and she wouldn't want to nurse.  Such a shock to her body may reduce or stop her giving milk and that would be bad as well.

I would wait for a couple months, 8-9 weeks before putting her through a spay.

The babies will need to be 8-10 weeks, maybe longer, before you can tell their sex.  At about 8-10 weeks, you will need to gently trance them (resting on their backs) and you can apply a little pressure above their vent area, and if a circle with a dot (or tube with a dot) appears, it's a boy.  If a little inverted "v" appears, it's a girl.  You can have your vet show you how to trance your rabbit safely, or you can visit the House Rabbit Society web site (www.rabbit.org) and search their extensive article archive on how to do this safely.

I would separate them as you know their sexes, only boys in boy cages, and only girls in the girls' cages.  Boys become sexually mature around 3 1/2 months or later, girls usually 4-4 1/2 months or later.

Again, thanks for caring to rescue this little bun from a lethal fate.  I am sure she will always remember and love you for it.

Lee