Neutering is one of the most impactful welfare interventions available for pet rabbits. Unspayed females have a 50-80% lifetime risk of uterine cancer, while unneutered males show aggression and territorial behaviour that compromises both their welfare and that of bonded companions.
Uterine cancer in unspayed rabbits causes progressive weight loss, bloody discharge, and eventually systemic disease with painful secondary spread. The welfare cost of not spaying is profound: it is a predictable, preventable death from cancer in the majority of unspayed females. Aggressive behaviour in unneutered males causes fighting injuries and prevents pair bonding, condemning rabbits to solitary housing. Neutering facilitates stable companion bonding — essential for psychological welfare in a social species. Rabbit-specialist vets who routinely perform rabbit anaesthesia can reduce surgical risk substantially compared to general practices.