World Spay Day 2025
The potato spud babies came to HRS in early 2024 after being born at a local shelter. While there's no denying baby rabbits are very cute, and we were happy to provide them with the care they needed until they were adopted into loving homes, the world doesn't need more rabbits!
February is Spay/Neuter Awareness Month, and the 25th is also World Spay Day. It’s a great opportunity to talk about the importance of spaying and neutering your rabbit!
Every year in the U.S., an estimated 6-8 million homeless animals enter animal shelters. By spaying or neutering your rabbit, you can help give shelter rabbits a better chance at finding a home as well as help decrease the number of rabbits entering shelters each year, which has exploded in recent years.
There are many other benefits to getting your rabbit spayed/neutered. Unfixed female rabbits have a significant chance of developing uterine cancer. Fixed rabbits are also much easier to litter train and are generally more tidy than unfixed rabbits. Getting your rabbit spayed/neutered will also help with aggression, as they will no longer feel the strong urge to mate with another rabbit. Once your rabbit is fixed, you can also start working on finding them a bunny friend without the risk of unwanted litters. (Keep in mind though it takes about 30 days post-procedure for a rabbit’s hormones to leave the body and they can still get pregnant or impregnate another rabbit during this time.) Learn more on our page about the importance of spaying and neutering.
Spaying and neutering rabbits is a safe procedure when performed by an experienced rabbit-savvy veterinarian. Don’t allow a veterinarian with little to no experience with rabbits to spay or neuter your rabbit. Paying money to have your rabbit see a veterinarian who doesn’t have experience treating rabbits is just throwing your money away and can cost the life of your furry friend. See our list of rabbit vets in the SF Bay Area.
House Rabbit Society also offers low-cost spay/neuter services at our facility in Richmond, California. The cost is $200-300, depending on your county of residence. The minimum age for surgery is 2.5 months for males and 5 months of age for females. Visit our Medical page to learn more and to schedule an appointment. (Please be sure to also fill out the intake form.)
There are plenty of other ways you can help the overpopulation crisis in shelters, even if your rabbit has already been spayed or neutered. Depending on your availability, you can volunteer at your local shelter, or foster an animal with them, too. Not only are you helping provide a home for a homeless animal, but you’re also freeing up a space for another homeless animal to be brought into the shelter! You can help a foster rabbit blossom into the wonderful house rabbit they're truly meant to be. Fostering is also a wonderful opportunity for someone new to rabbits to decide whether a rabbit is really the right pet for them long-term.