bunny lunging/digging on me

[boothebun]

so… recently my bun has started sort of lunging/digging at me, and I have no idea why. The first time she did it, I was reaching in her little cardboard castle to take out some of the little bits of cardboard she ripped off the wall, since I didn’t want her to eat it. She was in there at the time, and when I grabbed the bits of cardboard, she jumped on my hand and dug at it for a second… I figured this was cause she didn’t want me reaching in there… However, since then she’s done it again and again, many times outside of her pen/castle. Just today I was laying on the floor, petting her under my desk. She sat up, so I stopped petting her, as I usually do when she sits up (since she usually doesn’t want me to pet her anymore after she sits up.) then out of nowhere, she jumped on my face and started digging! It really hurt and I was NOT impressed. I yelped to tell her it hurt, and she didn’t seem to care… she doesn’t grunt or anything when she does this either, and she doesn’t seem angry or anything. Since if she’s mad she will almost always hop away flicking her legs at me. And if she’s really mad, she lunges with a loud grunt and bite… So it almost seems as though she’s being playful? Or does it seem like she’s starting to show signs of aggression? Honestly I have no idea at this point, and I’m really frustrated with her!! I’ve been considering keeping her in her pen more, or finding a new bunny cause she’s been so much trouble, I just don’t know what to do 

[dnelle]

Is she spayed? Hormones can cause aggression and behavioral changes in unaltered buns. Additionally, if she likes to dig, you could try making her a ‘dig box’ to play in. Just fill a large plastic box with hay, shredded paper, towels, or something else bun safe for digging.

[Asriel and Bombur]

I agree with dnelle. It sounds like her hormones are kicking in. How old is she and is she spayed? Hormonal females are notoriously territorial and aggressive, especially of their space. If she’s not spayed, spay her, especially because she has a high risk of reproductive cancers if not spayed by 3 years old. Until then, you can make it a little easier by not reaching into her space or going into her pen while she’s in there. If you need to clean it or feed her, make sure she’s out first. Keeping her in her pen isn’t going to teach her a lesson, and she might even get depressed from it. Bunnies don’t learn through behavior modification like that. They don’t understand they are being punished. They get depressed and resentful. Adding a second bunny won’t help the situation either. Bunnies can’t just be put together like other animals. There’s a long bonding process. Both bunnies need to be fixed, given time to heal, prebonded for at least one month, then you start wit short sessions in neutral territory. So a second bunny won’t help, and could even make her worse while she’s hormonal.

[boothebun]

Yeah I forgot to mention that she is spayed, and she’s between 2-6 years. I got her at a shelter about a month ago, and I’m not getting a second rabbit, I was thinking about taking her back to the shelter and looking for a new bun  she has lots of towels to dig on in the room as well as in her pen, but I might try the digging box to see if it makes a difference. I still just don’t get why she’s digging on ME instead of on the towels that are laid out everywhere for her…  and I must mention that she LOVES digging on towels, which is why this is so puzzling to me

[Asriel and Bombur]

Have you been to your own vet since bringing her home? Some bunnies aren’t actually spayed even if the rescue says they are. It’s not really the fault of the rescue, but sometimes the vets don’t always get the whole of the reproductive organs out. In which case she could still be hormonal from it. So it’s worth it to get an ultrasound and be certain she’s fully spayed.

If you take her and find out she is fully spayed, it could just be a reaction to something you’re doing. Bunnies communicate in subtle ways. Maybe you’re wearing something that bothers her or you have a scent on that she associates negatively. Look for subtle clues in her body language before she starts, and make note of exactly what you were wearing or smelled like or even the action you did.

Exchanging her for a new bunny honestly isn’t the answer. You have no idea how a new bunny will interact with you and settle in. Even if they’re super sweet at the rescue towards you, they could change once they’ve settled. Or you could end up with a timid and shy bunny that doesn’t enjoy being touched. Or even a bunny with chronic illnesses. You really just don’t know what you’ll get out of the exchange.

[boothebun]

I have been to the vet and they didn’t say anything about being “not fully spayed” and whether or not she’s fully spayed, I can’t afford an ultrasound to find out for sure. I’ve tried being observant of her body language/what I’m doing that might cause her to do something like that, but I haven’t really noticed any patterns. I’m beginning to think that maybe a rabbit isn’t the right pet for me. And like you said, she was super sweet at the shelter, and now that she’s been here for about a month, it feels like she’s been nothing but trouble. definitely nowhere near as sweet as she was at the shelter 

[Asriel and Bombur]

Bunnies take time and patience. I’ve had Asriel since he was 8 weeks old from the breeder. He’s a sweet boy on his terms. He’s not one for pets except for very late at night on the forehead. If you touch him he will run away. And he’s pretty violent about treat time and if you stop petting him. It really can rake some bunnies a long time to open up and feel comfortable. Bunnies are inherently pray animals, so they’re going to be more timid and some may even lash out at first. They aren’t lap pets and often times are more like cats that don’t want to be bothered. You also don’t know her background. As a shelter bunny she could’ve been badly abused, neglected, or abandoned. If she’s anywhere between 2-6 that’s a large age range and a lot could’ve happened to her in that time. It really is about patience with them.

[Asriel and Bombur]

I really suggest you watch Lennon the Bunny and her background story. It’s a beautiful and touching story. It really shows that once you drop your preconceived image of them and even what you were expecting, you’ll find them to be very rewarding.

[dnelle]

I agree entirely with Asriel and Bombur! The idea that something might be bothering her is a good one. I realized that my bunny hates a pair of my sweatpants (I think because they are so big and baggy they are scary) and she will dig and nip at my legs if I wear them. As for bonding taking patience, this is huge. I imagine it would take a long time to fully understand your bunny’s body language and personality, so it’s good that you’re starting to learn. I am definitely still learning with my bun. The fact that she’s even so interested in you to dig at you kind of makes me jealous, lol, as my bun is so so shy she rarely ever leaves her pen and never when I’m around. Lastly, I also agree you should watch Lennon the bunny on YouTube!! Lennon’s owner was on the brink of returning her as well. here is the link to Lennon’s Story. https://youtu.be/rPWwJKRm1mQ
Lastly, I’d like to say that bunnies aren’t for everyone. They definitely require a lot of work, love, and patience. I do think that you should try as hard as you possibly can to make this work out, as like A&B said, bunnies are incredibly rewarding pets. This is a commitment that you made when you adopted her. However, if you feel that you are not properly equipped to care for your bun, you need to always act in her best interest.

[boothebun]

Thanks for the tips/advice. I actually do watch Lennon, and their story is partly why I wanted to get a rabbit, along with a ton of other rabbit YouTubers/Instagrams.

Anyway, I’ve been thinking for a few days about this whole thing, and I really think that a rabbit just isn’t the right pet for me. Ever since she started showing behavior like nipping/digging me (about 2 or 3 weeks ago) I’ve been nothing but stressed about her, and correcting her behavior. Like I said originally, I’ve thought about keeping her in the pen, but that would just be cruel to do that. There’s no space for her to exercise, and she would get very lonely and bored just sitting in there every day. I would love for this to work out, but I just don’t have the patience and energy to make it work. It’s a really hard decision, but I think it will be best for both of us if I return her to the shelter so that she can find someone to give her everything she needs. I think that getting a different pet like a small dog will be a better option for me.

[LittlePuffyTail]

Sad to hear she’s going back to the shelter but if you feel that’s your only option. But just want to point out that if you don’t have enough patience and energy, a dog is probably not a great option either.

[FlemishDad]

Our rabbit would dig on us from time to time at first. It seemed to be related to getting confortable and not aggressive. I just petted him while sitting and wore long pants so if he dug it was just on my jeans. He gradually stopped doing it on us and now only does it very occasionally to the ground if he is about to lie down or pee.

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