Castrating rabbits????

[Brody]

castrating rabbits should be left to experienced vets -it is not an easy surgery and there is pain involved - home neutering would be painful and extremely stressful for the rabbits

 

[mommaebear]

Like I said large rabbits are hard to find around here and in large demand because Nobody has them really at all. All the people who do want $50 a bunny and those are mutts as well because meat rabbits are tabboo here, except with people of other ethnicities, and even those rabbits generally top out at 8-9lbs as adults generally. I don't have a single adult rabbit under 7 lbs, so they are not dwarfs, and they have free access to pellets, a corn/oat/barley mix, hay, and lots of veggies and fruit.
I have a giant pen with only 15 bunnies, and 4 5lb females, it doesn't make sense to make a second pen when there is more than enough space for the 6 or so males that would grow out in there if I could castrate them to keep from having bunnies in there and it getting out of control.
If I were to cull the whole herd I would have nothing to replace it with except 2 bunnies, which will cost me about $100, and take 8 months to just get a litter out of. I'm not throwing what I've built up over two years and worked hard everyday to build and pay for.

If you even mention the IDEA of butchering or eating a rabbit around here people think you are nuts and litterally cover their ears and walk away, all they think a rabbit is good for is a pet. I had to fly 4 mutts back from Newbrunswick 4 provinces over for gosh sakes and even those were mutts and topped out at 8-9lbs as well.

 

[JueLee]

Maybe you could section off part(s) of your big pen into several small pens for the bucks you want to grow out. This would keep them in the company of the does, and let them share the visitor attention, but still keep them separated enough to avoid fighting. And they are still all in one place for your convenience in caring for them. You wouldn't have to castrate them. (I'm not clear on why you'd want to castrate bucks that might prove big enough to breed, anyway.)

-- Jue

 

[MaggieJ]

You're not all that far from Winnipeg, are you? Maybe 80-90 km? I'll bet you could find some good meat rabbit stock there if you watched the Kijiji ads. I really like my meat mutts, but they have improved quite a bit since I brought in a purebred NZR buck. Both front and hind quarters are considerably meatier in the fryers I recently butchered.

I don't butcher my rabbits until 14-16 weeks because they do take longer to reach 5 pounds on a pellet-free diet of hay, greens and grain. They seem to mature sexually a bit later than many, so I am able to leave them together. I've never found a young doe that was pregnant when I butchered. You may find that neutering is not necessary.

 

[eco2pia]

If I were to cull the whole herd I would have nothing to replace it with except 2 bunnies, which will cost me about $100, and take 8 months to just get a litter out of. I'm not throwing what I've built up over two years and worked hard everyday to build and pay for.

What if you buy a young NZ buck, and start him growing out in a cage you set in the pen with all the girls. Then, when he is able to breed, you let him cover all the does and cull all the other bucks. With the purchase of a single rabbit, you have improved half your genetic pool. Now you can save all his biggest daughters, let them grow out to maturity and cull all the mammas. Bingo-bango, with the purchase of a single buck you have a herd of 3/4 NZ. You are now set to continue as you choose, either bringing in fresh NZ bucks, or bringing up your own breeders. With the wild diversity you have in your original herd, there should be no trouble with inbreeding for many generations.

I am not trying to be critical of what you are doing, I am hoping you can see that a small change (one new buck) may make a big change for your herd. I completely understand wanting to do things yourself--I want to develop a line of broken red NZ and I could just ship in rabbits from proven lines, but instead I have just worked really hard to breed up from what I have available. It is certainly more difficult, but also more gratifying to sit back and enjoy the fruits of my labor.

 

[MaggieJ]

Eco2pia has given you good advice about buying one good NZ buck. I lost my mutt buck summer before last and replaced him with a New Zealand Red. He really has improved the quality of the fryers... They are much meatier all over and I was amazed at now much more meat there was on the rib cages and upper spine. They are reaching butchering size a bit faster too, even on the natural diet. Thanks, Moonkitten, for providing me with such a super buck!

 

[Attal.Rabbits]

I did alot of research on fixing rabbits with rubber bands. I did all five of my male rabbits with the rubber band method. non of them screamed or squirmed and they didnt even seemed to be bothred by it when i put htem back in there pen. they kept hoping along doing there business and didnt seem bothred at all. it was very easy and succesful for me. :bunnyhop:

 

[Secuono]

Using a band on a rabbit won't work, everything is far too small and narrow for the band to even work properly. They do have clamps that crush the tubes leading to the testicles, I think you should try that out long before you try cutting open a rabbit.

I don't castrate my pigs, there's no boar taint and there is no way to do it but to cut them open, which, I will not do. A pig screams far too loudly for me to even be able to do it w/o a neighbor stopping by or calling the cops that someone is being murdered.

I have kept does and bucks together in a very large area up to 5 and 6 months old. None were pregnant when I butchered them and there was no fighting. 12-14 rabbits [2 litters] in a roughly 25x40 foot area.


This is similar to caponizing roosters. There's really no point to it and for a rooster, it's even more dangerous, as it's internal surgery under muscle.

 

[Cottie]

Using a band on a rabbit won't work, everything is far too small and narrow for the band to even work properly. They do have clamps that crush the tubes leading to the testicles, I think you should try that out long before you try cutting open a rabbit.

I don't castrate my pigs, there's no boar taint and there is no way to do it but to cut them open, which, I will not do. A pig screams far too loudly for me to even be able to do it w/o a neighbor stopping by or calling the cops that someone is being murdered.

I have kept does and bucks together in a very large area up to 5 and 6 months old. None were pregnant when I butchered them and there was no fighting. 12-14 rabbits [2 litters] in a roughly 25x40 foot area.


This is similar to caponizing roosters. There's really no point to it and for a rooster, it's even more dangerous, as it's internal surgery under muscle.

:yeahthat:

I'm no expert, but I have been researching banding quite a bit. Particularly on dogs.

You can band certain types of pigs if the testicles are fully exposed. You can band cattle. You cannot, however, band a dog, even though the structure of the testicles is almost the same as a bull. Why? Dogs can reach their bits to bite, scratch and lick. A bull cannot. A bull's testicles tend to fully descend earlier than a dog's, when they have fewer nerve endings in the area and don't care quite so much.

You can technically band ANY mammal with exposed testes. I have read that larger farms band their LGD pups to prevent unexpected/uncontrolled breeding - at $300 per male, it would be insanely expensive to have them all properly neutered. Typically, though, these are animals that are tools rather than pets. If two males from a litter of 10 are lost because the banding was improper, you're not losing a family friend. The bands need to be placed just so as to not catch fur or pull skin, and be thin and tight enough that the dog can't nip at it. Even under perfect conditions, you'll have dogs chewing at their bits then either bleeding out or dying from an infection.

I would imagine rabbits would be extremely similar. And the downsides would be even greater for rabbits, considering they are less capable of fighting off infections.

 

[Kyle@theWintertime]

Using a band on a rabbit won't work, everything is far too small and narrow for the band to even work properly. They do have clamps that crush the tubes leading to the testicles, I think you should try that out long before you try cutting open a rabbit.

I don't castrate my pigs, there's no boar taint and there is no way to do it but to cut them open, which, I will not do. A pig screams far too loudly for me to even be able to do it w/o a neighbor stopping by or calling the cops that someone is being murdered.

I have kept does and bucks together in a very large area up to 5 and 6 months old. None were pregnant when I butchered them and there was no fighting. 12-14 rabbits [2 litters] in a roughly 25x40 foot area.


This is similar to caponizing roosters. There's really no point to it and for a rooster, it's even more dangerous, as it's internal surgery under muscle.

:yeahthat:

I'm no expert, but I have been researching banding quite a bit. Particularly on dogs.

You can band certain types of pigs if the testicles are fully exposed. You can band cattle. You cannot, however, band a dog, even though the structure of the testicles is almost the same as a bull. Why? Dogs can reach their bits to bite, scratch and lick. A bull cannot. A bull's testicles tend to fully descend earlier than a dog's, when they have fewer nerve endings in the area and don't care quite so much.

You can technically band ANY mammal with exposed testes. I have read that larger farms band their LGD pups to prevent unexpected/uncontrolled breeding - at $300 per male, it would be insanely expensive to have them all properly neutered. Typically, though, these are animals that are tools rather than pets. If two males from a litter of 10 are lost because the banding was improper, you're not losing a family friend. The bands need to be placed just so as to not catch fur or pull skin, and be thin and tight enough that the dog can't nip at it. Even under perfect conditions, you'll have dogs chewing at their bits then either bleeding out or dying from an infection.

I would imagine rabbits would be extremely similar. And the downsides would be even greater for rabbits, considering they are less capable of fighting off infections.

Would an elizabethan collar work for a rabbit? To keep them from chewing at their testicles while the band is on? I can knock up a simple e-collar in a hurry, my dog has allergies and she chews her feet when they flare up, and the e-collar stops her...she's three pounds and has a skinnier neck than a rabbit. Would it work?

Does anyone have photos or videos of banding bucks, or the results of banding bucks?

 

[Cottie]

Would an elizabethan collar work for a rabbit? To keep them from chewing at their testicles while the band is on? I can knock up a simple e-collar in a hurry, my dog has allergies and she chews her feet when they flare up, and the e-collar stops her...she's three pounds and has a skinnier neck than a rabbit. Would it work?

Does anyone have photos or videos of banding bucks, or the results of banding bucks?

Oh boy...I don't know that I'd try it. I'd worry the rabbit would severely injure itself while trying to escape. Dogs tend to be more amicable to things because they are truly domesticated, whereas rabbits are just tamed. But I could be wrong.

 

[Secuono]

Putting anything around a rabbit's neck, I would assume, would end in disaster. They can be crazy when fighting something and end up seriously injuring themselves.

I also haven't been able to find/see rabbit testicles until much later, closer to 5mo or so. I wouldn't want to be digging around to find them either...

 

[Disney]

I have a castrated buck with several doe's.
They are very happy as a harem so i am too.

 

[OneAcreFarm]

There is some promising documentation about chemical castration using hypertonic saline (concentrated salt) solution injected directly into the testicles. If anything, I would try that before home banding or home surgery. As many have said, their physiology is not right for banding and if you don't close the inguinal ring after removing a testicle, they can herniate their intestines thru the opening. I know that it HAS been done, but that doesn't mean that it SHOULD be done. Personally, I would not take the chance on either of those two methods, but that is me.

 

[Kyle@theWintertime]

There is some promising documentation about chemical castration using hypertonic saline (concentrated salt) solution injected directly into the testicles. If anything, I would try that before home banding or home surgery. As many have said, their physiology is not right for banding and if you don't close the inguinal ring after removing a testicle, they can herniate their intestines thru the opening. I know that it HAS been done, but that doesn't mean that it SHOULD be done. Personally, I would not take the chance on either of those two methods, but that is me.

Is that information somewhere readily available? I'm curious...I'd like to sell pet-quality bucks already-sterilized.

 

[AnnClaire]

I know that I will let some go to roaster size so I can harvest the pelt ... especially in the winter/early spring. I regularly deal with bucklings that have to be seperated from the doelings ... no accidental pregnancies yet! But, with bucklings and senior bucks, same-sex seperation is necessary and at a certain point, individual seperation is required. Senior bucks always, always, always kept seperate!

However, I do sell some non-pedigreed, shouldn't never ever breed angoras, so offering budget-wise castration is something I definitely would be interested in knowing how to do.

 

[Kyle@theWintertime]

I've been reading as much as I can lay hands on (online and offline) about band castration...so far this is what I've come up with.

You CAN band a rabbit, though some folk claim they just use regular hair bands, I think it would be more responsible to use bands made specifically for livestock castration and a pair of band pliers.

There IS a "space" in the abdominal wall where the testicles can be drawn from the scrotum into the abdomen. In theory, yes a hernia IS a future possibility...but the genuine risk of it is debatable. Some have said it is for sure GOING TO HAPPEN, others say they've never had a band-castrated buck hernia. Others admit that a hernia is honestly just a risk of being a buck; enough physical stress or straining wrong can cause a herniation whether or not there are testicles in place. I think the truth lies somewhere in the middle...I think a hernia might be at a slightly increased risk but I am weighing that against the costs and risks of anesthesia, which is frankly very risky. Also the decreased cost of banding is weighing on my mind...the local vets who handle rabbits charge between $250 and $400 to castrate a buck under anesthesia.

Unlike a dog or cat or horse or goat, buck rabbits have two scrotal sacs (how have I never actually noticed this before?!), and I HAVE read about some badly botched bandings where one band was used for both testicles. From what I've read, a separate band is needed for each testicle.

I've yet to read anywhere where someone has banded bucks where the buck has chewed off a band. According to the (admittedly limited in number) articles online, after a few minutes (average of ten) of mild discomfort, the buck resumes fairly normal behavior.

As far as I can tell, the greatest risk is that a band snaps or a buck theoretically chews through it, which would allow necrotic substances into the bloodstream, which CAN cause a lot of nasty complications. Another concern is tetanus, apparently. A subcutaneous injection (supposedly available at TSC or other such places) to prevent tetanus is a good plan.

If there ARE complications in the banding process, immediately dispatching the buck is probably the most humane thing to do.

I am considering this as a possibility. I'll look into the cost of the smallest bands available and pliers for it next time I'm out and about. And if it isn't too expensive for an experiment, I'll look at maybe banding my next batch of meat rabbit bucks. I'll keep them long enough to know how well it worked, and if they show pain or undue stress or complications, immediate dispatch will happen. I will also take a few minutes to look at their parts, inside and out, upon eventual dispatch and processing for meat. Obviously any bucks showing signs of herniation will be dispatched immediately.

The last thing I'm looking into is if it is legal to band a buck rabbit here. I know it is legal for livestock like sheep and goats and cattle...but you know how some places consider rabbits pets and not livestock. :roll: I want to make sure I'm complying with all laws first...though I can't seem to find anything online about it being illegal beyond laypersons claiming it's illegal on forums...and I do not trust random folk on AR forums to know the law, LOL.

 

[HegenerHomestead]

I'm interested in this more for angoras than meat rabbits, though, I can see the benefits of selling rabbits as pets. I have a couple angora rabbits bucks who are friendly and have good fiber, but they are really energetic and don't sit well for grooming. These are not traits I am going to propagate but I feel bad for them since they have a strong sex drive, but I won't let them act on it(I have had my arm humped by a buck before.,. Thankfully I had sleeves on!). They have nice fiber and different colors so I'd like to keep them, but just feel it's cruel to keep them with all that energy pent up.