27 Feb World Spay Day

The benefits of spaying your pet rabbits.

World Spay Day is a day dedicated to educating and spreading the awareness of the benefits of neutering (or spaying) pets.

Rabbits in particular have evolved to reproduce quickly.  The phrase “breed like rabbits” didn’t come from nowhere!

Their pregnancies are short and their litters can be large.  The average pregnancy of a rabbit is just one month and litters are usually around 5 – 8 kittens.  (Fun fact:  baby rabbits are called kittens!).  Once a rabbit has given birth they can become pregnant again very soon which means that female rabbits can end up producing around 30 young in a single season!

The most obvious way to prevent unnecessary and overbreeding is by spaying pet rabbits to prevent their breeding getting out of hand, however there are other benefits to spaying.

• Once male rabbits reach puberty, the change in hormones can cause aggression and they will act territorially, often injuring other male rabbits they may share a home with. Spaying then will calm them down and allow the males to live harmonious amongst each other.  This is a big benefit for many rabbit owners as they love to live in groups.
• Female rabbits, if un-spayed are prone to developing cancer of the uterus. These cancers can spread around the body and can lead to death if left untreated.

The minimum age when spaying can take place is around 10-12 weeks for males and 16 weeks for females.

It’s a fairly simple procedure that is carried out at a vet’s practice and rabbits are usually back home on the same day.  Owners will need to keep an eye on their pet rabbit following the procedure to ensure that there are no complications and the wound is healing properly.

Overbreeding and an influx in unwanted rabbits put a huge strain on rescue centres too and spaying is a cost effective and usually straightforward solution.

Find out more about World Spay Day Rabbit Awareness Action Group

The 4Paws Team

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