Rabbits are social animals and prefer to sit together. Because rams are difficult to keep together and it is difficult to connect feeders, the best combination is a castrated ram and a (possibly also a castrated) feeder
Rabbits are social animals and prefer to sit together. Because rams are difficult to keep together and it is difficult to connect feeders, the best combination is a castrated ram and a (possibly also a castrated) feeder. But how does a castration or sterilization work and what should you look out for?
Sterilization and castration is a surgical procedure in which the rabbit is made infertile. This is because the hormone-producing organs (ovaries or testicles) are removed. This is done under general anesthesia.
Females / nurses
Nurses can be sterilized from 4 months. Benefits in addition to the infertility of sterilizing are; no more uterine infections or cancer, no chance of milk tumors and reduced aggression. Up to 80% of female rabbits develop cancer of the womb or milk tumors later in life. If you no longer want litters, it is better for your rabbit's health to sterilize.
Males / rams
Advantages of castrating your rabbit are; no more litters, no more spraying and no more aggressive behavior. Castration of rabbits is preferably done around 4 months. Ramies are non-castrated, difficult to assemble with other rabbits, after castration, the ram will be calmer and live together more easily.
Anesthesia with a surgical procedure always involves a small risk for the patient. Rabbits are more sensitive to anesthesia than dogs or cats. This is because rabbits are much more sensitive to stress. Vetocambre has an experienced team of veterinarians who have a lot of experience with rabbits. They make every effort to ensure that surgery and anesthesia are as safe as possible.
To estimate the risks, it is recommended that you consult your rabbit beforehand. During this consultation, your rabbit will be thoroughly examined. The vet will examine the general health of your rabbit and make a risk assessment for the treatment. During this consultation, the diet, lifestyle and history are also discussed as well as the vaccination schedule explained. (see vaccination)
The procedure itself
Vetocambre has two operating rooms and three operating tables.
Both operating rooms have high-quality monitors and materials to ensure that the operations run as smoothly as possible. For maintenance anesthesia, we work with isoflurane, a very safe anesthetic gas that ensures that your rabbit can wake up quickly.
During the anesthesia, specialized devices such as a capnograph and a pulse oximeter ensure close monitoring. All patients also receive an intravenous catheter and they wake up calmly in the recovery, which is specially equipped for this. We attach great importance to the prevention of postoperative pains.
Female rabbits remove the ovaries and uterus via an incision on the abdomen. The belly is then closed. In the male rabbits, the testes are removed via an incision just before the ball bag. This wound is being sutured.
After 10 days there is a control visit. Here the threads are removed and it is checked whether everything is ok with your rabbit.
For an appointment or additional information regarding sterilization or castration you can contact us.
When vaccinating, a bit of a weakened pathogen is injected into your pet. This ensures that your pet can build up immunity to this disease. If your pet later becomes infected with this disease, he will hardly get any symptoms. His immune system will recognize the disease and your pet is protected against this pathogen.
Thanks to the vaccinations, there are diseases that almost no longer occur in Belgium. Nevertheless, they remain extremely important, as stopping vaccination can ensure a very rapid return of these diseases and, in particular in rabbits, some diseases are very fatal.
Spring is the best time to have your rabbit vaccinated, because from then on insects (which can spread the diseases) are more common. Rabbits can be vaccinated when they are 5-10 weeks old, depending on the vaccine being used. A vaccination schedule will then be drawn up with you. For some types of rabbits, different advice sometimes applies. For more information, contact your doctor.
Myxomatosis is caused by a virus (Myxomavirus). Myxomatosis is mainly spread by stinging insects such as fleas, mosquitoes and flies. Contamination through direct contact with infected animals or materials is also possible. The time between infection and the first symptoms is a few days to 2 weeks. The disease is characterized by swelling of the eyelids, mouth and anus. These swellings can become so severe in one day that the animals can no longer see. Eating and drinking becomes progressively more difficult and the animals usually die within 12 days.
Unfortunately, few rabbits survive myxomatosis, which is why it is important to have your rabbit vaccinated annua