bunny suddenly CRAZY

[rupert murdoch]

my 6 year old neutered holland lop bun has always been pretty laid back. he roams free in the house but usually moves back and forth between the same 5 or 6 spots, you know, staring at the wall and what not. he usually greets me when i am home and always happily engages in play. he doesn’t like being picked up but when the mood strikes him he is very happy to get head pats. 

he recently went through a medical nightmare that started with me switching his food over. about three months in i noticed he had diarrhea, which i obviously handled immediately. after a few weeks of force feeding critical care and simethacone and metaclopramide around the clock he was back to eating, drinking, pooping, and peeing normally. i barely left the house the whole time because i was so nervous. i noticed once he was better that he had a HUGE abscess on his belly which was from rubbing his tummy against the ground to relieve gas pains . he had it surgically removed and finally he is okay again. basically this whole process was horrible for him the the post op care was just as intense as his recovery from the gi stasis. all said and done, about 2.5 months of me being with him around the clock (literally waking up every few hours to check on him), hand feeding him, etc.

NOW- he is a total nut job!!! it’s hilarious to watch but borderline annoying…and just to clarify, i’m not complaining about being annoyed, just trying to get across how completely insane he is now. is it possible he’s gotten so used to my constant attention after receiving it while he was sick that now he wants to be best friends? i mean, he hops up onto my bed and nudges me and steps on my computer and pushes my feet around and gets in my face almost constantly. if i am eating ANYTHING (this used to only happen with cough drops) he literally tries to take it from my hands and sometimes he will even try to stick his head in my mouth.

i’ve asked his vet if this kind of behavior could be indicative of any health issues and she said no. she double checked any possible side effects of medications he was on.

has anyone ever experienced anything like this? regardless of medical issues, any complete 180s in personality or behavior?

thanks

kerry

[rupert murdoch]

for instance: trying to eat my sandwich right now. and no i don’t let him eat that stuff. after what i’ve been through with this guy i spend 15 minutes washing his vegetables every day, no ham sandwiches for him. 

[Beka27]

Hmmm…

First off, I’m glad he’s on the mend from his health scare! That sounds really scary… 🙁

I have personally only ever heard of the OPPOSITE occurring. Bunnies who undergo health problems and need to go back and forth to the vet for exams/testing/surgeries, and then need to be medicated and cleaned up multiple times per day, seem to USUALLY retreat from their owners/caretakers!

I think him wanting to be around you is a much better after-effect. Maybe he knew how hard you were working to make him better?

[rupert murdoch]

Beka27, I have experienced this retreat with him and it only makes sense, which is why I’m so confused about his behavior now. After he recovered from surgery he had a 2 month course of meds that seemed to upset him so much at medication time every day that he didn’t even have time to get over the trauma and stop hating me before the next dose was due. But within the past few weeks, including the last week of meds and the following 2 weeks, he has been obsessed with me.

The idea of him appreciating my care is sweet but somehow hard to believe. I can’t come up with any better explanation though. 

[RabbitPam]

I’m reminded of those of us who have taken our bunny to the vet, and after being avoided at home, and chasing around to catch, and enduring thumps and nips, have a bunny who clings to us once we’re on the vet’s table. I think in unfamiliar places, our bunnies suddenly know who their mother is (us) and feel safer with us.
It sounds like he totally bonded with you. When they are older, they really know who is there in their life as their caretaker and who loves them. You are his person, and he now knows that when he isn’t well, you are devoted to him and he feels better for it. I think he is dependent on you, loves you, and finds comfort from snuggling with you the way a bonded pair rely on each other for that. Kind of nice.

[rupert murdoch]

rabbit pam you’re gonna make my cry. too sweet. i hope this is the case.

[Tessie]

Me too, RabbitPam, awwwwwww!
How sweet! I hope my bunnies love me… :’)

[Beka27]

Yes, I agree! If he wants to be your “righthand man”, let him! Maybe eat your sandwiches somewhere else tho… Lol!

[FooFoosMommy2]

This is how Foo is all the time. There’s always a bunny there. I love it, and consider myself lucky after hearing how stand off-ish some buns can be.

[LittlePuffyTail]

I personally can’t eat anything at all without my bunnies coming over and expecting to get something. I think that’s sweet that your bunny is so devoted to you.

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