Male
reproductive tract and orchidectomy
(castration
surgery)
Esther van Praag, Ph.D.
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Warning: this file
contains pictures that may be distressing for people.
The
reproductive organs of the male rabbit are very similar to that of other
mammals, except for the additional ability to retract the testis in the
abdomen. They are formed during the embryonic phase. They derive from
primitive ancestors of the kidney tubules and the ducts, except for the
lobules of the testes and the vasa recta. The blood vessels of the kidney
will furthermore be used and deviated in order to supply the testes and the
scrotal wall with blood.
The reproductive
organ of the male rabbit is composed of different structures. One of them are
the testes, which is composed of various components: • Scrotal
sacs: they are located in the inguinal area, ventrally to the anus and can be
compared to a sac surrounded by skin and composed of muscles or connective
tissue. They contain the testes. • Testes:
they are the reproductive gland, which is composed of tubular loops, lobules
and a central tubular plexus (vasa
recta). The
tubular lobules are lined with cells that develop the sperm, through a
process of cell divisions (meiosis) and maturation. The sperm is brought to
the tubular plexus (vasa recta).
The later structure is furthermore lined with endocrine cells, secreting
testosterone. • epididymis:
this is a coiled tube located at the surface of the testes The
testes descent into the scrotum at the age of 2,5-3 months, and castration
surgery is usually done at the age of 4 or 5 months. Male rabbits possess a
life-long ability to move freely their testis between the scrotum and the
abdomen, via the inguinal ring. The response occurs during handling and
examination, or during a fight between 2 males. Indeed, entire male rabbits
will inevitably fight and attempt to “neuter” the other male by biting in the
scrotal region Castration surgical procedureThe castration of male rabbits is
recommended in order to reduce difficult behavior, like the marking of its
territory with strong smelling urine, aggressive attitude and mounting of
objects or human body parts like feet and arms.
Further
medical reasons to favor the castration surgery include: • chronic difficult to treat orchitis or
epididymitis • neoplasia of the testes, though this is
rare in rabbits. Orchidectomy
is done under general anesthesia. It is a surgical procedure that requires
sterile surgical instruments and a preparation of the skin, in order to
minimize infection. Various
surgical approaches are available for orchidectomy in rabbits, described in
books, videos, or scientific articles. The following pictorial orchidectomy
has been done according to the exterior extraction of the testis technique. Video and pictorial castration procedure
Post-surgical careThe administration of pain medication for at least 24 h. after the
surgery is highly recommended. Pain indeed induces hormonal and physiological
responses, which slow down the activity of the digestive tract, delay food
intake and recovery. The presence of blood in the urine during 24 to 48 h post-surgery is
normal. Sometimes, the scrotum is filled with blood and hemorrhaged. In rare cases,
blood is observed to leak through the sutures. Bleeders, small blood vessels
that cannot be ligated, cause this bleeding. It is a non-dangerous nuisance
that can last a few days. The administration of vitamin K can help accelerate
clotting, if the bleeding is still present after a few days. If the male rabbit was adult and fertile, he should be confined for 7 to 10 days, and kept separated from non-spayed females at least 4 weeks post-surgery. While sperma does not survive long in the male reproductive system after the castration surgery, the level of testosterone hormone take much longer to decrease in the blood. This is why male behavior may continue a few weeks after castration. The neutered rabbit is, however, no more able to fertilize a female rabbit. Younger non mature males can be left with the female partner after a week already. With time, a strong bond develops between rabbits that have been castrated.
Karan Nixon Wendy "squashing" Binky Bear, or ultimate love between two bonded rabbits. AcknowledgementMany thanks to Akira Yamanouchi (Veterinary
Exotic Information Network, Japan) and to Karan Nixon for the permission to use their pictures to
illustrate this page.
Many thanks also to Wendy, BB and Zippy, for his
collaboration to take pictures.
Further InformationGilsanz V, Roe TF, Gibbens DT, Schulz EE, Carlson
ME, Gonzalez O, Boechat MI. Effect of sex steroids on peak bone density of
growing rabbits. Am J Physiol. 1988; 255(4 Pt 1):E416-21. Hussein SA, Azab ME,
Abdel-Maksoud H. Metabolic changes concerning the
effect of castration on some blood constituents in male rabbits. Dtsch
Tierarztl Wochenschr. 1999; 106(3):113-8. Jenkins JR. Surgical sterilization in small mammals.
Spay and
castration. Veterinary Clin North Am Exot Anim Pract.
2000; 3(3):617-27, v. Review. Millis DL, Walshaw R.
Elective castrationsd and ovariohysterectomies in
pet rabbits. J. Am. Anim Hosp. Assoc. 1992: 491-497 Quesenberry KE, Carepenter JW, Quesenberry P.
Ferrets, Rabbits and Rodents: Clinical Medicine and Surgery Includes Sugar
Gliders and Hedgehogs, Elsevier Health, 2004. Smith K. Rabbit Health in the 21st Century. A Guide
for Bunny Parents, Second Edition
http://rabbithealth101.com/ Harcourt-Brown F. Textbook of Rabbit Medicine, UK:
Butterworth-Heinemann, 2001, 192 page Flecknell P ,
editor. BSAVA Manual of Rabbit Medicine and Surgery, Gloucester, UK: British
Small Animal Veterinary Association, 2000. |
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