Spay/neuter

Hey everyone. I'm preparing myself as much as I can before I bring my rats home. I have two house bunnies, one male and one female. I strongly believe in desexing them as the chances of getting cancer for female bunnies is 95% between the ages of one and five.

What is any of your opinions on this for rats?? Do any of you guys have had this done to your rats and did it go well??

With bunnies it's the fact that their tummies have stopped working during operation time and that is a serious problem so you have to get their tummies going with food ASAP afterwards or they'll die. Anything like this problem in rats??

Thanks  

I don't think that problem occurs in rats - though it may - I know you're not to fast them before surgery.

Certainly though, it's not advisable to spay or neuter as routine. The good doesn't quite outweigh the bad, it's a difficult op for a small animal, and generally, vets in this country are not experienced enough for the ops to be quick and easy, they do have a reasonably high rate of complications and/or failures.

xx

Oh goodness really!!   I thought for sure it would eliminate some cancers they're susceptible to  I'll stay aware from that idea then, thanks Laura xxxxx

It can help in some things, it reduces certain hormones and in females can help reduce risk of mammary tumours, but then, in well bred lines, especially with good food, those are not *that* common anyway. Diet is the main cause of benign mammary lumps. To be honest, most cancers seem mercifully rare in rats anyway.

xx