Is it possible to "band" a buck to neuter ? : Random Rabbit Ramblings

I grew up with cattle, so we used bands to castrate the young males.
Is this possible for rabbits ?
Their 'bits' don't dangle like a bull so I'm not sure.

I have googled it, and I've gotten very mixed information - everything from "never ever do this" to "this is how it's done, and it's easy".

We have 2 bucks that are strictly pets, one who is fairly aggressive and has taken to spraying (he'll be a year old in a couple weeks, and this is a new thing). There are precious few vets around with ANY experience with rabbits.

HOWsMom wrote:I grew up with cattle, so we used bands to castrate the young males.
Is this possible for rabbits ?
Their 'bits' don't dangle like a bull so I'm not sure.

I have googled it, and I've gotten very mixed information - everything from "never ever do this" to "this is how it's done, and it's easy".

We have 2 bucks that are strictly pets, one who is fairly aggressive and has taken to spraying (he'll be a year old in a couple weeks, and this is a new thing). There are precious few vets around with ANY experience with rabbits.

Here is an earlier thread about the subject of castration:

castrating-rabbits-t4057-30.html?hilit=band castrate#p171995

I've heard mixed info as well. If you're looking for a non-surgical method you might be out of luck. I may be wrong but I get the impression you and your family are attached to your bucks. Based on that assumption, I think you might rather wait for this phase to hopefully pass. You guys seem like you might take it badly if that option messed up your rabbits.

Dealing with young bucks is just one of those prices you have to pay sometimes. Or the price is a few hundred to a vet.

No

Rabbits are unique in that their inguninal canal does not close so the vet must suture it shut to ensure the bladder or intestines don't herniate out as the testicles are no longer there to prevent this

They also have a substantial muscle attached that allows them to pull up the testes, horses and dogs have a similar muscle, and banding is NOT permitted in these species because of the pain associated with constriction of these muscles

Banding is only done on animals with pendulous testes and at a very young age and part of the reason it works is because they are RAPIDLY growing and they quickly out grow the band and the testes drop off

Also from a logical perspective; if it were possible (i.e., successfully castrate a buck via banding; not just the ability to put some rubber bands around his testicles) we as a community would probably heard about it a lot more than just the "word on the street" anecdotal stories.

And not to sound condescending; but house rabbit people would have been all over that method as a cheap, non-surgical, way to neuter bucks if it existed.

Thank you.

That was my thought, but as I said, I'd found mixed information when I looked it up.

I've talked to people who have done it. It can be done. Whether it's safe is questionable and whether it's ethical is just as questionable. Overall I'd only do it in a situation where I am turning this potentially nice personal pet (not to be sold) into dog food for recent behavior changes if he doesn't improve. Maybe. There are things I'd rather put an animal down for than cause the amount of discomfort or physical alteration needed to make them a good house pet.

akane wrote:There are things I'd rather put an animal down for than cause the amount of discomfort or physical alteration needed to make them a good house pet.

You are 100 % correct

Ouch..... Just, OUCH!!!