Who said having your rabbit neutered would improve their behavior?

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BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

This topic has 23sd replies, 11 voices, and was last updated 15 years, 1 month ago by wabble.

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- 02/07/2011 at 1:01 PM
  LBJ10
  Moderator
  17230 posts
  Remember my sweet SWEET little Wooly? The sweet little rabbit that likes to sit on your shoulder? The sweet little rabbit who would play “nicely” with all the toys in his room?
  
  I realize it has only been a week and a half since he was neutered. BUT, he has been nothing but a total terror these last few days! He has been chewing and ripping up the carpet. He NEVER chewed or ripped up the carpet. He’s been running around like a little maniac too. He has been looking around for things to climb up onto. Luckily, he is too short to make it up anywhere in that room. He has also been chewing and pulling at the bars on the baby gate and I have to shoo him away from it practically ever 2 minutes. He doesn’t want to get in his cage when it is time for bed, I used to never have trouble getting him in. What is really bothersome though is that he has been pulling at my shirt (like Leopold does) when I am holding him. He will just be sitting in my lap and all the sudden he’s tugging the heck out of it! Agh! Where did my sweet boy go? This is very troubling to me because he has always been such a sweetie. He’s a special boy and I thought we had a great bond. I’m worried he is holding a grudge. Like he knows what happened to him and he blames me because I was the one who took him to the vet. I told my husband he should have been the one to take him so that way he hates him and not me.
  
  Is this going to stop once his hormones are completely gone? Or is this something that will progress? What’s odd is that Leopold has been kind of mellow lately. Maybe he sees what Wooly is doing and figures he should stay on my good side.
- 02/07/2011 at 1:03 PM
  Monkeybun
  Participant
  10479 posts
  at this point his hormone levels are going bonkers, give it time
- 02/07/2011 at 1:05 PM
  LBJ10
  Moderator
  17230 posts
  You think that is what it is? Like he’s on a temporary roller coaster?
- 02/07/2011 at 1:07 PM
  Monkeybun
  Participant
  10479 posts
  Yep. That’s why it is recommended to not do bonding before the month is up, those hormone levels are all over the place right now
- 02/07/2011 at 6:51 PM
  Beka27
  Participant
  16016 posts
  Is he a baby still? If so, his real personality will start emerging soon. Baby buns will typically tolerate handling better than adults. Destructive behaviors decrease as hormones clear out and the bun gets older.
  
  If he is an adult (over a year), the behaviors may just be due to hormones.
- 02/07/2011 at 7:50 PM
  nugget
  Participant
  161 posts
  Same thing happened to Oliver….went from perfect bunny to demon bunny….back to perfect bunny. Give it time, and he’ll be his old self again (hopefully, lol).
- 02/07/2011 at 7:57 PM
  LBJ10
  Moderator
  17230 posts
  Beka – I think he is around 7 or 8 months old now. I certainly hope he wasn’t being a sweetie just because he was a baby!
- 02/07/2011 at 9:20 PM
  MayaConsuelo
  Participant
  396 posts
  My rabbit is a little Jekyll/Hyde as well. When I first adopted him at 1 year old he wasn’t neutered yet. He was sweet but peed in a spot he wasn’t supposed to at least once a day, in addition to spraying frequently on my couch. I thought that behavior would change in about a month after being fixed as people mentioned, but it took several months for him to stop his pee habit.
  He never chewed cords or anything either so I only partially rabbit-proofed my apartment (stupid I know.) Then the other night he chewed through a speaker cable and the HDMI cable for my blu-ray. What??? Luckily I had a spare HDMI and the speaker didn’t work anyway. But I’ve rabbit-proofed it now.
  Also, he used to fall asleep on my stomach or lap quite often, and never does anymore.
  I think some rabbits have wildly vascillating personalities and habits, and act a little psycho. That’s just part of their charm I guess.
- 02/08/2011 at 3:02 PM
  LoveChaCha
  Participant
  6634 posts
  7 or 8 months is still teenager
  
  My bunny started to calm down more after she hit her 1 year old mark. She likes to loaf and flop tons and take naps
- 02/08/2011 at 3:46 PM
  LBJ10
  Moderator
  17230 posts
  Yeah, he’s still a teenager. It just seems like a strange coincidence.
- 02/08/2011 at 4:42 PM
  jerseygirl
  Moderator
  22356 posts
  Posted By LBJ10 on 02/08/2011 03:46 PM
  Yeah, he’s still a teenager. It just seems like a strange coincidence.
  
  It’s not too uncommon, this behaviour after neuter. I agree, it would be his body adjusting to the new levels. Don’t take it personally.
  
  I’ve even heard there can sometimes be a surge in testosterone due to the handling during the procedure.
  
  Was he able to be successfully neutered? You mentioned he had undescended testicles…
- 02/08/2011 at 6:23 PM
  LBJ10
  Moderator
  17230 posts
  Yes, the vet said that they found the “missing” one.
- 02/09/2011 at 12:29 PM
  Andi
  Participant
  1048 posts
  I’ve had a lot of bunnies in my home, and the ones sputered with me have mostly gotten over that faze. I say mostly b/c Aniseed was the sweetest bunny ever when i found her, (she was about 8 months old) after I had her spayed she turned into Additude bunny and she’s been a bag ever since LOL… she bit me on Saturday!
  Just keep on top of your bunny training and give it some time
- 02/15/2011 at 10:56 AM
  LBJ10
  Moderator
  17230 posts
  I thought I’d give an update on Wooly’s behavior. For a few days there, I was thinking he was back to his old self. He would come and greet me in the morning so he could get his kisses and treat. When it was time for bed, he was being a good boy and allowing me to put him away. He would act submissive, laying down on his stomach when I would come to pet him and then simply allowing me to pick him up as if he was a little rag doll. My sweet little bunny! Well, last night we had a little episode again. He decided it would be a good idea to chew on the carpet again and I had to shoo him away from the spot several times. Then, when it was time to go to bed, I came in to get him. I went to pick him up and he jumped out of the way, thumped, and ran off. To top it all off, it smelled like he sprayed when he was having his little fit. **sigh** He is definitely yo-yo-ing. Hopefully we are almost there now. We are almost to the 3 week mark since his neuter.
- 02/16/2011 at 10:04 PM
  LBJ10
  Moderator
  17230 posts
  Well, someone was a good bunny tonight. Granted I did cover up the chewing spots on the carpet with something heavy.
- 02/17/2011 at 2:19 PM
  RabbitPam
  Moderator
  11002 posts
  Yes, his hormones are making one last surging stand before dying down for good.
  
  Yes, he was holding a grudge. They do that. They can decide to hold a grudge if you look at them funny and wear polka dots. It’s totally fickle. It happens.
  
  He will be his sweet self soon.
  
  However, as they grow up, and become more at ease in the comfort and safety of their home (yours) they get more daring and adventurous. Once they discover a new plaything, like your carpet, you can’t really put the genie back in the bottle. You just have to do what you did, which was cover up the temptation, and give them a new distracting toy, like a willow matte to chew on instead.
  
  Give him 2 more weeks. Then ground him, take away his drivers license and send him to his room with no laptop.
- 02/17/2011 at 5:14 PM
  LBJ10
  Moderator
  17230 posts
  He was definitely holding a grudge! No doubt he was angry with me! The whole carpet situation has gotten out of control. Both rabbits have been chewing on it. This is no surprise coming from Leopold and he actually got put away early the other night because I couldn’t keep fending him off (I was trying to study). For Wooly though, this isn’t like him. Perhaps he saw Leopold doing it though and thought maybe it was a good idea. Then, of course, he was mad at me when I spoiled his fun.
- 02/17/2011 at 6:35 PM
  wabble
  Participant
  49 posts
  my waffle’s been neutered 2 months now, but still humps his sister. is that normal? and he also has been a lot more lethargic since his neuter. ie. he’d spend the hours he’s out of his cage under the sofa in a ball, sitting there.
- 02/17/2011 at 11:47 PM
  LoveChaCha
  Participant
  6634 posts
  Hi Wabble, yes it is normal for your rabbit to hump his/her friend especially after they have been fixed. Your rabbit is showing that he is the dominate one, and it doesn’t matter if the two rabbits are siblings.
  
  What time during the day does Waffle lounge? If during the day, rabbits tend to be more relaxed/sleeping mode. My rabbit became more calm and more relaxed (flopping, random loafing and naps) after she was spayed. Is Waffle eating okay?
- 02/18/2011 at 9:53 PM
  LBJ10
  Moderator
  17230 posts
  Sounds completely normal to me!
  
  And as for Wooly, he was a good boy today. He was playing nicely and when it was time to go back to his cage, he went back with no arguments. I guess he remembered who the boss was. =p
- 02/20/2011 at 3:29 PM
  RabbitPam
  Moderator
  11002 posts
  Wooly may be starting to calm down.
  They also can learn naughty behaviors from each other (that bunny is a bad influence…..) so it might not be helping. Sounds promising, now that Wooly may be catching on to who is really the Alpha bunny in the house – you.
- 02/20/2011 at 6:59 PM
  LBJ10
  Moderator
  17230 posts
  Yes, he has been pretty submissive lately. I will call him over and then start petting him. He will lay down on his tummy and then wait for me to pick him up. No fussing at all. I think it does help though if he has worked up an appetite by that point. As for Leopold, he is just a naughty bunny. He is always getting into stuff, he’s always been that way. So yes, I believe he is a bad influence!
- 02/21/2011 at 11:37 AM
  Roxygirl
  Participant
  69 posts
  I’m so glad to have found this thread! I had Heffie neutered 4 days ago and yesterday he started going crazy gnawing on my walls and chewing on the carpet and any fabric he can get his little paws on! He’s gnawed the walls before but has generally been a good boy about quitting when we tell him no,or can be distracted relatively easily. Not this time with Bunny on A Chewing Mission! He is about 7 months old so I know he still has some growing up to do, but hopefully this new behavior will work itself out soon!
- 02/26/2011 at 8:44 AM
  wabble
  Participant
  49 posts
  Posted By LoveChaCha on 02/17/2011 11:47 PM
  Hi Wabble, yes it is normal for your rabbit to hump his/her friend especially after they have been fixed. Your rabbit is showing that he is the dominate one, and it doesn’t matter if the two rabbits are siblings.
  
  What time during the day does Waffle lounge? If during the day, rabbits tend to be more relaxed/sleeping mode. My rabbit became more calm and more relaxed (flopping, random loafing and naps) after she was spayed. Is Waffle eating okay?
  
  Waffle lounges all hours of the day. He’ll have short binky moment when i let him out (5-10 min) and then lounge the rest of the time (2hrs +). Doesn’t really matter what time it is. I’m not worried he’s sick cuz he’s eating and pooing fine, but just wondering why my little tornado’s turned all calm and tired!
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