How Long Until the Hormones Settle After Neutering or Spaying Rabbits?

Neutering and spaying procedures for pet rabbits can bring upon a lot of beneficial changes, namely a calmer, more serene bunny. However, those changes don't emerge instantly. It might actually take several weeks or more for your dear rabbit's hormones to settle down, so practice patience.

If you just got your male rabbit neutered, his hormonal behavior might start easing up roughly two to four weeks after the surgery, according to the House Rabbit Society. The time frame is similar for recently spayed female rabbits. It might take a female rabbit's body two weeks just to recover from the invasive surgical procedure, notes Caroline Charland of SmallAnimalChannel.com. As for hormonal behaviors dying down, more than two weeks is usually necessary.

The inability to reproduce isn't the sole effect of fixing rabbits. Rabbits are similar to dogs and cats in that they sometimes become a little difficult to manage once they hit sexual maturity -- hello, raging hormones. Spaying and neutering surgeries can do away with or reduce a bevy of troublesome and frustrating behavioral patterns, including physical aggression such as biting, nipping and growling, the humping of people and random items, chewing, urine marking, litter box woes, digging and restless pacing. Fixed rabbits of both genders tend to display more affectionate, friendly and predictable behaviors on the whole. Although these changes almost always occur post-fixing, they are not immediate. If your rabbit seems a little testy a week after surgery, he could still feel as hormonally charged as before.

Neutering and spaying at an early age often will stop a lot of undesirable sexually influenced patterns from ever rearing their ugly heads. Male rabbits are often neutered once they reach approximately 3 months in age, according to the People's Dispensary for Sick Animals organization in the United Kingdom. Females, on the other hand, are often spayed a little later -- maybe 4 months old. Speak to your veterinarian regarding the optimal age, safety-wise, for fixing your your pet. Do not make the surgery appointment until you have the vet's approval.

Although it generally takes a few weeks for the hormones to relax, the long-term behavioral benefits for rabbits -- and their owners -- are easy to spot. Aside from behavioral improvements, spaying and neutering of rabbits can also bring upon important health advantages. In female rabbits, spaying can either get rid of or minimize the possibilities for several serious health issues, such as uterine, mammary and ovarian cancer. In male rabbits, neutering does away with the danger of testicular cancer entirely.