Breathing heavily

Question
I have a male lop eared rabbit that is about 7 months old. I have not had him neutered yet. I have two questions. In the last couple of weeks he has been humping things and making a strange noise. I know this is a sign of his hormones kicking in. I am afraid to get him neutered becuase our last bunny died after getting spayed. Should I get him neutered?

I was also wondering what it means when he breathes heavily. After running around for about 10 min. he lies down and breathes heavily. I was wondering if there is something wrong with him or he is just tired.

Answer
Dear Daniel,

A bunny will pant after physical exertion, just as any mammal will.  It's normal unless he's showing signs of labored breathing, or being unable to get enough oxygen.

Neutering is recommended for health and longevity, and for controlling undesirable behaviors.  Please see:

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

and

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/opcare.html

But be sure you have a vet who is familiar and very experienced with rabbits, lest a tragedy occur.  You can find a good rabbit vet here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

I hope that helps.

Dana