Spaying and neutering rabbits

Reasons to Spay and Neuter
Surgery can be as safe on rabbits as any animal, given that you find an experienced veterinarian to perform the procedure. Do not allow any vets that are not experienced with safe rabbit surgery techniques to work on your rabbit. Make sure that they use a rabbit-safe anesthetic such as isofluorene.

Overall Benefits

 * Healthier and live longer than unaltered rabbits.
 * Calmer, more loving, and dependable once urge to mate is removed.
 * Less prone to destructiveness (chewing, digging) and aggressiveness (biting, lunging, circling, growling) behavior after surgery.
 * Easier and more reliable to litter train.
 * Will not contribute to the overpopulation of pet rabbits.
 * Can safely have a friend to bond with. Hormones will encourage sexual and aggressive behaviors toward other rabbits.

Female Spaying

 * Eliminates all risk of developing reproductive cancers (ovarian, uterine, mammarian).

Male Neutering

 * Reduces sexual aggression.
 * Stops spraying behavior.

Age to Spay and Neuter
Depending on its genetic makeup, a rabbit will reach sexual maturity somewhere between the age of 3 to 8 months.

Females can be spayed as soon as they become sexually mature, usually around 4 months old. However, some veterinarians may want to wait until the rabbit is older at ~6 months.

Males can be neutered as soon as their testicles descend, usually around 3.5 months of age. However, some veterinarians may want to wait until the rabbit is older at ~5 months.

Older rabbits (6+ yrs) may need to have blood work done beforehand to make sure they do not react negatively to anesthesia. Small rabbits may need to grow bigger before they may be dosed with an anesthetic for surgery.

Costs
Costs of a spay or neuter will vary based on your location and availability of the service. On the low end, the procedure can begin at ~$50 at low cost spay/neuter clinics. At certain veterinarians, the cost can be $300+.

You can find more about the cheaper options at Low Cost Spay/Neuter Clinics.

From the Colorado House Rabbit Society, There is a wide variety of charges for a rabbit spay or neuter. Before deciding who to use, find out what the differences are in the care your rabbit will get. Specifically:
 * Is a thorough "exotic exam" done? If not, is any kind of exam done?
 * Is pre-anesthetic blood-work done?
 * Is the anesthetic used injected, or is it a gas (which is much safer)?
 * Is the rabbit intubated (a breathing tube placed)?
 * Is a vet tech monitoring the rabbit's vital signs throughout the surgery?
 * What monitoring equipment is used?
 * Respiratory monitor?
 * Blood pressures?
 * Body temperature?
 * Is an IV catheter and fluids used throughout the surgery?
 * Are pain medications given either before or after the surgery?
 * How is the skin closed?
 * Will there be external sutures or staples which need to be removed?
 * Is the rabbit kept overnight?
 * If so, why? (i.e., will there be someone monitoring the rabbit throughout the night?)
 * Is any pain medication sent home with the rabbit for use later that day or the next day?

The links below include some more information about how much rabbit spays and neuters cost and what they include.
 * howmuchisit.org, How Much Does Rabbit Spaying Cost?
 * howmuchisit.org, How Much Does Rabbit Neutering Cost?

Care
See the links below for more information about pre- and post-op care.
 * Dana Krempels, Ph.D., Pre- and Post-operative care of Rabbits
 * House Rabbit Society, FAQ: Spaying and Neutering > What's the proper pre- and post-operative care?

Techniques
The following links are some detailed descriptions of the procedures used to spay and neuter rabbits.
 * Angela Lennox, DVM, DABVP, Comparing elective neutering techniques (Proceedings)

Warning: The following have graphic pictures of the procedures.
 * Long Beach Animal Hospital, Neuter- Rabbit
 * Long Beach Animal Hospital, Spay- Rabbit