If you've recently started to keep rabbits and have opted to keep a group rather than an individual, then you need to think about having your pets desexed. Unless you plan on breeding your animals, desexing is a good idea.
Why desex all your rabbits?
Rabbits Breed Fast
If your group of rabbits aren't desexed, they'll breed. They also breed fast. This could leave you with more bunnies than you bargained for.
For example, a single female rabbit can produce up to 14 babies in a litter. She can get pregnant virtually immediately after giving birth. With a gestation time of around a month, this means that just one female rabbit can create a population boom in a flash.
If you keep multiple rabbits of both sexes, it makes sense to have them desexed to keep your numbers manageable.
Desexing Benefits Males and Females
You may think that you'll just have one gender of rabbit desexed rather than both. For example, if you have your females desexed, then they can't get pregnant. You may think that there's no point having your males seen to as they can no longer do any harm.
However, desexing has benefits for both genders over and above birth control. It can help keep your rabbits healthy and happy, both individually and as part of the group.
For example, male rabbits are feistier if they aren't desexed. They're more likely to pick fights with each other because they're full of testosterone.
If two of your male rabbits really go at it, then they could get seriously injured. One could even die. If you have to take an injured rabbit to the vet, you'll have to shell out for treatment. If your rabbits fight a lot, then this gets expensive.
Desexing your female rabbits is also beneficial to them. Female rabbits that aren't desexed are more likely to get uterine cancers. Desexing helps sort out hormonal imbalances that may cause these diseases.
If you have a few rabbits, have a chat with your vet and ask their advice about desexing. They can tell you the best time to have this vet surgery done. Each rabbit will need a general anaesthetic during the surgery, so you may want to stagger operations.
If you aren't having all your rabbits desexed at the same time, your vet can advise you on whether you need to separate the sexes until you get everything sorted.