Spaying and neutering rabbits provides significant health and behavioral welfare benefits, yet uptake remains lower than in cats and dogs despite compelling evidence for the procedure.
The welfare case for rabbit neutering is compelling on multiple grounds. Uterine cancer in unspayed does is not a rare possibility but a near certainty in many breeds, representing a preventable welfare catastrophe. Phantom pregnancies cause repeated cycles of nesting, aggression, and distress in unspayed females. Unneutered males face behavioral frustration and are difficult to bond, resulting in social isolation. Routine neutering of pet rabbits as the default choice, as with cats and dogs, would substantially reduce preventable welfare burdens across the rabbit population.