🚫 Spaying and Neutering: Not Always Necessary—and Often Harmful The blanket recommendation to spay or neuter every pet rabbit is not based on current science. Unless there is a confirmed medical need—such as cancer or a diseased uterus—routine desexing can cause more harm than good. 🔁 Misinformation Repeated by Rescues and Pet Owners Common claims like: “Spaying prevents 80% of uterine cancer.” “Unspayed females will become aggressive and hormonal.” “You have to desex if you want to bond them.” …are either exaggerated or outright false. These narratives come not from peer-reviewed evidence, but from outdated animal rights talking points and rescue group ideology. 🧠 What the Research Actually Shows A large 2022 histological study found only 9% incidence of uterine adenocarcinoma in pet rabbits—not 80% as often claimed. Cystic endometrial hyperplasia, also commonly reported, is not cancer—it’s a normal result of the rabbit’s reproductive physiology as an induced ovulator. A retrospective necropsy study (1995–2019) confirmed that actual deaths from uterine cancer are far lower than rescue groups suggest. In clinical practice, Martin Whitehead, DVM, found only 3–4 out of 61 does developed a suspected uterine tumor by old age—meaning you'd need to spay 16–20 rabbits to prevent a single tumor. Meanwhile, the post-op death rate within 48 hours for healthy rabbits is 0.73%, with longer-term risk of complications such as adhesions, hormonal imbalance, and even colon strangulation. 🧪 Real Case, Real Consequences A published case report (2014) describes a spayed doe developing a hormone-secreting adrenal tumor. She became increasingly aggressive, showed hormonal behaviors, and had to be euthanized. Mary’s own rabbit, Lily, exhibited nearly identical symptoms—and postmortem confirmed the same type of tumor. These cases are not isolated; they’re just rarely investigated due to the cost and effort of necropsy and histopathology. 🐇 Biology and Logic Rabbits are not social pack animals. They are solitary by nature, and forcing cohabitation causes stress and chronic cortisol elevation. Bonding is not necessary or natural, and using it as justification for risky surgery is flawed. Unlike dogs or cats, the science on rabbits is decades behind, and spay-first ideology has further delayed progress. Veterinary precedent with ferrets—where spaying requires lifelong hormone therapy—should serve as a caution. Rabbits are likely far more hormonally sensitive than rescue guidelines admit. 🎯 Bottom Line Unless there is a clear, individualized medical reason, spaying or neutering pet rabbits “just because” is not ethical, responsible, or science-based. It’s time to stop blindly following rescue rhetoric and start making care decisions based on actual data, lived outcomes, and the best interest of the animal—not activist slogans.