Gabby lunged and scratched me

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This topic has 9sd replies, 8 voices, and was last updated 14 years, 11 months ago by Michelle&Lolli.

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- 04/12/2011 at 10:37 PM
  brittbritt
  Participant
  542 posts
  Gabby has been the sweetest little bun since coming to live with us. She gets to come out of the laundry room during the day some to play while I can supervise her. In the evenings she comes out and plays for quite a few hours. I’m a night owl and she enjoys staying up while I’m up.
  
  I had a migraine this afternoon and evening and laid in bed so I could have quiet and darkness to ease it. I was unable to let Gabby come out to play this evening but got up a little bit ago to make sure she gets her nightly salad and freshened up her hay. I had fed her the salad and I brought a baby carrot and a few raisins to feed her while I sat with her. I didn’t want her to think mama forgot about her.
  
  I put the carrot down and after eating more parsley she realized it was there. She started chowing down on it and I started moving her lettuce and parsley to one spot together. She honked at me and I stopped so I wouldn’t upset her anymore. After she finished the carrot I handed her a raisin and she took it gently from my fingers. She took the next piece gently too. I had a few more in my hand and she lunged and scratched my hand. Of course I dropped the others and pulled my hand away where she couldn’t scratch me again.
  
  Was she mad because she didn’t get to come out and play this evening or being food aggressive? This is the first time this has happened and it scared me more than anything. I can hear her in the laundry room trying to move the gate to come in here with me. She’s getting spayed in the morning so if it’s hormonal maybe that will help too.
- 04/12/2011 at 10:43 PM
  Monkeybun
  Participant
  10479 posts
  Oh yes, spaying will help with the territorial “stop messing with my noms, woman!” that you get from them Sometimes the territorial nature will stay though, so if it does, you’ll have to learn not to mess with Her Highness
- 04/12/2011 at 10:55 PM
  brittbritt
  Participant
  542 posts
  I was worried it was because she just fussed at me for moving her parsley. I’m sitting in the dark in my living room so she won’t see the light on in here and try to get in here even more. Right after posting I saw her silouette(sp) and she had managed to get in here. I acted like I didn’t notice her and when I got through putting hay in my guinea pig’s cage I saw her hop towards the laundry room again. Little turd hopped right back like she had never been out in the first place. I think I have it where she can’t get out again tonight. Maybe.
- 04/12/2011 at 11:22 PM
  KatnipCrzy
  Participant
  2981 posts
  Cotton was territorial before she was spayed and is much better now- but still growls over food. If I am dumping her greens into her pen and she runs over to eat them and a piece of lettuce falls on her- she growls and stomps while chowing away. I don’t think she will ever get over expressing her displeasure- but if that is as far as it goes is vocalizing her anger- that is OK. Before she was spayed, she used to scare me at times even when I thought I was ready for her to growl and lunge.
- 04/12/2011 at 11:28 PM
  LoveChaCha
  Participant
  6634 posts
  How old is she?
  
  She is being hormonal.. and it is near the time for spaying
- 04/12/2011 at 11:48 PM
  Sarita
  Participant
  18851 posts
  It really just sounds like she was just being a little irritated especially if it just happened that one time but really it’s impossible to know why she reacted that way and if it was just one of those one time incidents it’s not worth worrying about. My rabbit Bobby who is neutered sometimes gets irritated with me when I put treats down or just try to pet him – it’s just one of those things I do that irritates him when I’m being a little too needy with him – like I need to pet him or something.
- 04/13/2011 at 5:09 AM
  brittbritt
  Participant
  542 posts
  She is probably a little over a year old. The people that I adopted her from bought her last spring/summer. I’m so worried as she’s going in for her spay this morning. I know it’s got to be done and she will be fine but I still worry about her. I’m completely in love with her. My daughter is too.
- 04/13/2011 at 5:29 AM
  Beka27
  Participant
  16016 posts
  She will do fine. :o)
  
  If it was dark in the room, you might have spooked her too. Rabbits don’t have very good vision.
- 04/13/2011 at 12:43 PM
  Lani
  Participant
  305 posts
  My bun also would scratch me when she could smell that I had treats that I hadn’t given her yet. She would eat a few pieces calmly and then, suddenly get aggressive as if I wasn’t handing out treats fast enough. When she started doing it, I would just put away all of the treats so she would learn that scratching doesn’t get you treats. It only took her a few days of no treats for her to figure it out. Although she still occaisionally has a little aggressive episode, mostly she paws at me or nibbles gently as if to say “pleeeease can I have some”
  
  You might try not reinforcing the behavior by withholding treats when she gets aggressive. But as others have said, getting her spayed will help her calm down too
- 04/13/2011 at 8:49 PM
  Michelle&Lolli
  Participant
  2347 posts
  Just wanted to add that Lolli has gone back to growling when I give her her lettuce. I have no clue why. Must be the recent move cause she’s been doing it since we moved in with my dad. She used to growl all the time when Eddie was alive. Her way of saying “don’t mess with me or my food”. But she stopped after he passed away. Now she’s started up again. I just laugh at her cause she’s just gotten it in her head she needs to let everyone know not to mess with her again. So sometimes there’s not really any reason for the behavior. At least a reason us mere Humans can understand. LOL
  
  And obviously she wanted her raisins, darn it! I think Eddie had batted at my hands before to try to get to the treats. But like the others have said, if it’s just an occasional thing, then it’s not something to really worry about. If she suddenly becomes aggressive all the time, then you’d need to start ruling out things. But it sounds like she’s just a bit touchy about her food and wanted those treats!!!!
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