Bonbons behavior

[Naddy the sushi roll]

bonbon is 2 months old, shes been good so far, ive had her for one month, but she doesnt seem to be geting used to me at all, she was breeded, and born in a shelter therefore she was not tormented, i feel as though she doesnt love me because, she constantly scratches the heck out of me, and rarely shows affection. she only shows affection at night, is that normal? shes also becoming slowly more aggressive, she kicks at me, and is very scratchy when i hold her. she wasnt like this before, but now she is, is it my faukt? am i a bad mother? i am really worried im not being a good mom, shes my first pet ever. 

[Wick & Fable]

Being concerned about how you’re doing is natural, especially when you’re getting cues like scratching. It’s good to rule out potential downfalls in rabbit care, and then health.

If she’s two months old and you’ve had her for one month, my initial concern is her health. You should have received her at two months old, because one month old is much too young to be separated from her mother. This may impact her health, and may also be a sign that the breeder was not the best, potentially breeding rabbits that are not healthy. Have you taken her to a rabbit/exotic vet yet? This is a good step to staying on top of rabbit Parenthood. Getting an idea of your rabbit’s health from a rabbit experienced vet, who can find conditions that may be invisible to us. Rabbits are notorious for hiding sicknesses, but when something’s bugging them, they may lash out, become aggressive, etc.., similar to humans being grumpy when we’re sick. Except for rabbits, sickness can be quite severe very quickly.

If it’s not health related, next you should look at her rabbit care. No one is 100% prepared for being a rabbit owner. There’s a lot to learn along the way, but what differentiates a bad and good owner, is a good owner finds a mistake and tries to fix it right away. A bad owner doesn’t look for ways to improve. There’s a BUNNY INFO section of this website that can tell you about habitat and diet. Since your rabbit is young, she/he should have unlimited alfalfa hay and a good amount of alfalfa pellets every day. No veggies or treats yet! The environment should be large so there’s plenty of run space on solid floor.

I also say he/she because sexing a rabbit is very difficult, so don’t be surprised or feel bad if she’s actually a he. It happens to a lot of people! A rabbit vet will be able to give you a better idea now that she’s/he’s older and is more developed down there.

Health and care conditions aside, rabbit trust is tricky. For some rabbits, it takes years to earn that trust. Some things you can do to help is establish yourself as being a source of security. This means not forcing too much interaction and definitely not forcing being picked up unless necessary.

A baby rabbit will like anything and anyone, but as a rabbit grows up, it gets more cautious and mellows into the “prey” mentality; everything is out to eat the rabbit!

Hand feeding pellets and not intruding your hands around him/her is a good step. Also, just being around but not interacting also helps your rabbit get used to you not being an invading presence.

Again, it’s great that you’re expressing concern and searching for some answers! Hopefully the BB community will be able to help you out.

Keep us updated and informed!

The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.

[Wick & Fable]

(also, rabbits sleep typically from the late morning to afternoon, so the lack of cuddles could be because she/he wants to sleep!)

The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.

[Sirius&Luna]

Lots of rabbits don’t like being held, so she’s probably scratching because she’s scared and wants to get down. She won’t be deliberately scratching you because she doesn’t like you, it’s just an instinctive reaction to being picked up.

Like Wick said, she was separated from her mother very very young, so her diet is very important – what do you feed her?

Bunnies are often affectionate on their own terms, so if she’s just affectionate at night, then be happy that that’s when she feels affectionate Try sitting on the floor and letting her come to you, rather than picking her up.

[Bam]

Don’t hold her, buns rarely like that. It makes them think they’re about to become a predator’s dinner.

It’s very normal for a bun to be affectionate during a particular time in the day, and absolutely not be interested in pets on other occasions. My Bam likes to be pet, but only when he wants to. When getting pet doesn’t suit him, you try to pet him, he hops away. And I accept that, I know he’ll come asking for pets later.

[joea64]

As far as being affectionate goes, Panda is at her most outgoing in the early morning – this morning, for example, she put her head down to ask for petting, which she pretty much only ever does in the early mornings around breakfast time – and Fernando in the early evening; he’s developed a regular play ritual lately where he’ll scamper around the X-pen enclosure while I’m lying on the floor, come up to me, and nip me playfully, let me pet him for a moment, then scamper away again while looking at me in a distinctly expectant manner.

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