You must neuter your male rabbit if it is starting to act up. But many rabbit owners have several worries about neutering their rabbit. It is because they have concerns about the personality changes in neutered rabbits.
After neutering the rabbit, your pet tends to show calm behavior over time. But, it might take some weeks after the surgery. Before neutering, a few rabbits might show some troublesome attitudes. After neutering them, all these hostile behaviors will either reduce or disappear.
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Common Changes in Rabbits Behavior After Neutering
We will talk about the common changes in rabbit’s behavior after neutering. To make it easy for you, we detailed them below.
Decreased Courtship Behavior
The male rabbit (buck) will become mature when they are between ten to twelve weeks. If you did not neuter them at that time, they would show some typical traits. Here are a few behaviors your bucks will exhibit when they are willing to breed:
- Spraying urine
- Biting or nipping
- Mounting owners, other rabbits (if any)
The above habits can cause several cleaning troubles in their pen and around your home. They can lead to unwanted pregnancies if there are female rabbits near them.
If you neuter your male rabbit, his hormones can die down. Plus, their passion for breeding and retaining dominance will disappear. But, the time your rabbit will take to change its behavior will differ. Characters such as mounting and spraying can go away in weeks or a few months. Due to that, you do not need to worry if there are no immediate changes in your bucks.
Rabbits that do not show courtship behavior can get along with other rabbits. Plus, they can have an easier time merging with their environment and owners.
You can also neuter senior rabbits, which will also show similar positive effects. But, it is crucial to separate the male rabbits from females after this procedure. With this method, other residual courtship behaviors can disappear. Besides that, the remaining sperm present in the rabbit’s body will go away.
Better Litter Box Etiquette
The courtship behaviors can result in spraying. Because of that, your rabbit would go to the bathroom almost anywhere.
Neutering the male rabbits makes it easy for you to train them on how to use the litter. Plus, they will remain litter trained as well. When there is no desire to breed, your rabbits have little chance of marking their territory. Also, they would not urinate on other rabbits, surroundings, or on owners. Because of this change, you no longer have to worry about cleaning issues.
Remember that young rabbits are more difficult to train than senior rabbits. Rabbit’s age can determine the usage of litter boxes before and after neutering. Make sure that your buck enjoys using their litter box. If possible, you can fill their litter box with safe litter such as newspaper or wood pellets.
Many owners use clay litter or clumping for cats. But do not use these things for rabbits because they can be harmful to your rabbit’s health. Keeping fresh hay in their litter box will encourage your rabbits to use it. You can also keep toys or treats.
You do not have to worry if you find any stray poop of your rabbits outside their litter box. It is because “Hop and drop” tends to occur from time to time. It is good if your rabbit is not making constant messes after neutering.
Less Aggression
If your male rabbit does not have a mate during the breeding period, they often show frustration. They have excess testosterone levels, which also lead to this problematic behavior. Due to this, male rabbits are often aggressive with their owners and other rabbits.
Some traits in rabbits can result in safety concerns towards themselves. A few behaviors might affect the safety of owners, other pets, and rabbits. These kinds of characteristics include:
- Groaning
- Frequent jumping
- Growling
After neutering the rabbit, you can see a decline in their aggression levels. Over time, the rabbit’s testosterone levels will also decrease. With that, you can expect a decent relationship with your rabbit. Making a bond with a female mate can keep it more active and happier.
Due to the low testosterone levels, the eating patterns of your rabbits might change. Besides that, there will be a few differences in their personality and body weight. Though your rabbit tends to eat less, it will gain weight. Due to that, it is crucial to change its food routine. Make sure to avoid feeding foods that may cause dietary problems.
A few rabbits are still aggressive even after months of neutering procedures. Hence, you need to consider different characteristics that may result in this behavior. Some factors include the size of their cage, surroundings, and environment. But, do not worry, because this is a rare case.
Likely To Bond Better
It might be hard for uncastrated rabbits to make a bond with another rabbit. It is because of their sexual behavior and aggressive traits. As you know, rabbits are social animals, and bonding is a natural thing for them. Restricting them from bonding can result in different kinds of personality troubles.
After neutering your male rabbit, it can make a secure and safe bond with another companion. Plus, there would not be any more issues such as frequent breeding and constant fighting.
If your male rabbit already has a bonded pair, it is vital to keep the female away. Separating them will provide time for the male to recover from neutering. Besides that, it also reduces the risk of mating behavior.
If you want to introduce a companion to your neutered rabbit, take it slow. It is best to give him some time to relieve himself. They might show courtship behavior even after neutering and spaying. This behavior tends to continue till they feel familiar with each other. But this kind of attitude may not last after that.
Unusual Change In Character
Many owners want to see what kind of changes their rabbit will show after neutering. But it is not possible until the surgery is over. After neutering, almost all rabbits have a high chance of showing decent behaviors. But, in rare cases, your rabbit will have a drastic change in its personality.
A castrated buck can become:
- Lethargic
- Being cautious with human contact
- Acting timid and becoming weak
- Nervous (afraid, anxious, uncomfortable)
Neutering your rabbit at a young age can keep away these unwanted characteristics. Plus, they can adapt to several hormone levels than senior rabbits.
Keeping aside these possible effects, neutering your buck comes with high success rates. Besides that, many rabbit owners have high satisfaction rates. It is because they no longer need to face the difficulties of an unneutered rabbit. If you have more questions about the neutering procedure, contact your local veterinarian.