Yes! Your rabbit does need to be spayed or neutered.
There are several reasons why you should get your rabbit altered.
1) Curb rabbit overpopulation: Rabbits are the third most relinquished animal to shelters and humane societies. Every day, rabbits are found dumped along roads, in parks, condo communities, or out in the wild. Backyards abound with pet rabbits continually reproducing because they were bought from a pet store or breeder and never altered. Hundreds of rabbits die in shelters, each day, because there are not enough homes for them all.
Breeding your rabbit - even once - takes away homes from wonderful bunnies waiting in shelters for their "forever" home. For every baby bunny born, a shelter rabbit loses its chance at life.
2) Improve behavior: Rabbits are prey animals meant to reproduce quickly and often. Therefore, they are extremely hormone-driven. They also are territorial animals that mark their territory with urine and feces. Out in the wild this is necessary behavior. Inside your home, this is no fun at all. Spaying or neutering your rabbit will curb these behaviors, along with hormonal aggression, false pregnancies and nesting, and "humping" everything in sight. A rabbit who has been spayed or neutered becomes calmer, cleaner, and more easy to handle.
3) Prevent reproductive cancers: Female rabbits are highly prone to reproductive cancers, with nearly 70% over the age of three years suffering from mammary gland or uterine tumors that spread to other organs of the body and end in a very sad and painful death. Vets can surgically remove tumors but if not caught VERY early, the cancer can continue to spread causing more tumors and leading to an early death. There is no cure for cancer in rabbits; the best you can do is buy them time with expensive surgeries or radiation therapies. Best to get your bunny altered when they are young and prevent this horrible end. By the way, male rabbits also can get testicular cancer and many an older male rabbit is found with enlarged, tumor encrusted testicles.
4) Facilitates litter box training: A rabbit who is not continually marking territory is easier to litter box train. You'll be surprised at how quickly your rabbit will pick up on using her litter box once she gets spayed.
SPAY-NEUTER REBATE PROGRAM
San Diego House Rabbit Society has set up a rebate program for those individuals who get their rabbit altered. We will send you a check of $25 for a neuter, or $40 for a spay. This is for residents of San Diego and southwest Riverside counties, served by those shelters we support.
To get your rebate, send a copy of your receipt (from the veterinarian performing the procedure) and include the following information:
Mail this information to:
SDHRS SPAY/NEUTER REBATE FUND, P.O. Box 261553, San Diego, CA 92196-1553
Checks are mailed out twice a month. You may submit a maximum of four (4) receipts at one time.
