Spaying and neutering domestic rabbits provides significant welfare benefits through disease prevention, behavioral improvements, and population control.
Spaying female rabbits is one of the most clear-cut welfare interventions available to rabbit owners. An 80% lifetime cancer risk is not a theoretical concern but a near-certain outcome for unspayed females. Uterine cancer causes progressive suffering including abdominal discomfort, reduced appetite, weight loss, and ultimately death. The surgery itself carries risks that are higher than in dogs and cats due to rabbit-specific anesthetic sensitivities, but these risks are substantially lower than the near-certain welfare harm of cancer. The welfare case for neutering males is less urgent but still meaningful - behavioral changes including aggression and spraying are relieved, and bonding with companion rabbits becomes substantially easier. Finding an experienced rabbit vet is the critical step.