age-related behavior? long post, sorry

[Ali925]

Just a quick background…

I have had my holland lop (Oreo) for over a month now, and she was 9 weeks when we got her.  It took a little while for her to warm up to us, but lately she’s been getting more and more trusting of us.  She will lick our hands (and my husband has had his forehead licked as well haha) and seems to like us but doesn’t let us pick her up.  She also won’t let us pet her much, she’s too frisky, but will lay out near us and then we can pet her.  She got to be pretty playful and would run over our legs when we sit on the floor with her, etc.  She tends to dig at all our clothes though..so I’m hoping that will improve with age as well.  

I know it will take time for her to completely trust us and hopefully get more at ease with us.  My main question has to do with her current behavior, which I think is attributable to her age (from what I’ve read).  At almost 3 months exactly, she started exhibited dominating behaviors (I believe) and she’ll get so excited and run around her play area and drop a few single pellets to mark her territory…if I’m near her she’ll circle me while doing this and then eventually she’ll start humping my leg.  I know this is just in her nature so I don’t want to be upset with her but I also don’t like this behavior.  Funny thing is, she does it to me and not my husband.

She sort of stopped this for a while and we were able to play with her normally and she seemed to be opening up to us.  But now at exactly 4 months she started doing this behavior again and now I feel like I can’t get near her because she’ll just keep humping me (which she has every day I’ve tried.)  I’m very frustrated because I feel like if I don’t keep spending time with her she’ll reject me more and we won’t make any progress, but I can’t deal with her doing this every time either.  She isn’t a nasty bunny by any means but just a bit distant.  She seems to look for our attention, so I don’t want to deny that either.  

So to sum up this novel (I apologize it’s so lengthy)

1) I can’t have her spayed for a few more months, so will this behavior just keep up until then?  or will it come and go ?

2) Do I discourage this behavior? or just let her be since it’s in her nature?

3) Will this affect our bonding if I leave her on her own in her play area?

 

Thanks everyone in advance…I appreciate any input as this is all very new to me.

 

 

[Elrohwen]

Definitely hormonal! Also, are you sure she’s a “she”? The circling and humping seem to be typically male behavior while hormonal females tend to be aggressive, but that’s not a rule – girls can still hump and circle if they want 😛

Unfortunately, her behavior probably won’t lessen until she’s fixed. In the mean time, I would recommend standing up and walking away as soon as she starts the undesireable behavior. If she’s doing it while you’re trying to play, you getting up and ignoring her will indicate that you’re not pleased with the behavior. Come back to her after a few seconds and see if she does it again. I found this very effective when my young bun was nipping in play – saying no, clapping, and pushing his head away didn’t seem to help (though you can certainly try those first and see if they have any effect). I would do something to discourage it though. If she continues to do it, it will become a habit and then she may continue after being fixed. You might not be able to eradicate it, but you should be able to control it a little better and get her to do it less frequently.

I guess I already answered #3 when I advocated getting up and ignoring her. Haha. I wouldn’t leave her alone all the time – she needs human interaction – but if she’s being a huge pain, you might want to just sit next to her pen talking to her or reading a book. Then she’ll still be learning to trust you, but she won’t be able to get at you and hump.

Good luck! Teenage bunnies can be a big pain. Just think about how sweet she’ll be once she’s spayed.

[jerseygirl]

Maybe get her a soft toy as a substitute for your leg? Unfortunately, this will probably continue but it’s only temporary. I think after the hormones are taken care of you’ll find the bonding is not too effected. It sounds like she already trusts you both which is key.
Do you have to wait for a few more month because of the vet or your own timetable? Maybe take her in and see if they’re ok about scheduling her appt sooner. And ditto Elrohwen – check she really is a she. lol – it happens! Some female do this hormonal behaviour too…it’s just that it started at 3 months which is really typical of a male.

[Balefulregards]

I was the object of my female rabbits love until she was spayed. I got mounted ( legs, arms, whatever bit she could get to). When I tried to ignore the mounting, she decided to bite me WHILE mounting..then throwing a spray of urine on me as a thank you gift for the good time.

Mounting does have some sexual connotations, but there is also an issue of dominance here too. Oreo is saying to the world at large “This is MY woman and I am the dominant Bunny” – she doesn’t really relate you to being sexual, but rather her Mate.

Coco would have distinctive signs – the love honking, the circling. I could cage her when she would get too worked up and wait for her to tone it down – but really there is nothing to be done to truly STOP it until the spay.

And remember, it has nothing to do with sexuality as we humans see it – this is All Hormonally driven response.

[Ali925]

Thanks everyone for your feedback.

I had a feeling it was just her age, but I was hoping to hear that it might improve or something.  As far as being a female, we bought her from a breeder, so I trust he knew what she was… However I guess there is always that chance.

As far as when to spay her, I was saying a few months because she is only 4 months and I’ve read for females that you should wait until they’re a little older/bigger, around 5-6 months.  I guess I could always take her to the vet and see what he/she thinks.  I was hoping not to have her spayed at all…my husband and I were very afraid of doing so because it’s so invasive/risky.  Our breeder also discouraged us because he said it might be hard to find a vet qualified for rabbits and the rabbit might not survive. 

I have since changed my mind based on the statistics (high cancer rate if not spayed, etc.) and the fact that her behavior is very difficult right now.  This week has been horrible, she won’t let me pet her at all, she just flicks her head and runs off.  If I’m close enough she’ll do her usual humping.  I also feel sorry for her because it seems frustrating for her as well.  I have done some research and found 2 rabbit vets nearby that are recommended by the hrs in my state (NJ).  With that in mind, I’ll feel more comfortable with this whole process I guess. 

Thanks again.

~Ali

[Monkeybun]

Its good that you found some good rabbit vets, that makes all the difference! If they are recommended by the HRS, you can be sure your bun will be taken care of. I’m glad you opted to get her spayed

[Beka27]

It’s wonderful you have decided to go ahead with spaying. It really is important for their health and happiness (and yours, too!) And I believe NJ has a spay/neuter program for rabbits. I don’t have details about it, but I’m pretty sure I heard that awhile back.

[BinkyBunny]

You’ve gotten some good advice. I just wanted to add a little trick to deal with mounting. Get an old shirt you never wear anymore – wear it to bed or just wear it  around doing chores. Then when you are done, stuff it with a small pillow or towel, or whatever – then tie up the sleeves and the bottom. Then when she comes around you redirect her to the shirt – if you do circles right around her, that will get her interested in THAT instead of you, and then let her wear herself out!

You can also put it in her cage if she will mount it there. She needs to get this out otherwise she could just get even more feisty. You might even find that if she gets worn out with this she may be a little more relaxed — though she still may get very territorial regardless until she his spayed.

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