Bunny’s acting up…

[Lionbunny]

I took last week off of work because I needed to use up some vacation time, and Bun and I spent alot of time together during that time. I was totally in love with her last week! Seriously, I was thinking that I had the BEST RABBIT EVER. I was even teaching her to "beg" and it was coming alot pretty well (alot better than the litter box training!).

Then, Wednesday I went back to work (I had to work a two day shift- military schedules are weird like that) and I just got home this morning. My boyfriend and I live together so he takes care of her when I’m at work. She was happy to see me, and I cleaned up her cage and littler box, gave her fresh hay, and we sat down together and I was admiring her and how big she’s getting… all good so far.

Then I decided she needed a brushing because she’s starting to shed a little more and I saw some clumps. Now, before she’s always been really good about brushing. She sits very still and really seems to especially appreciate when I get the thick areas on the back of the neck and top of her head, where she can’t groom very well. Today, she was being horrible, kicking and running away, and then coming back to me with the nerve to ask for a treat! I also noticed that she’s been digging alot more (luckily she confines it to a cardboard box that I gave her) and I’m wondering if she’s p****d off at me for going back to work or if maybe hormones are kicking in (this should be about her 11 week mark, as an agreed upon guess between the vet and I) or both… What do you think?

This is unfortunate because I actually found a shelter not too far away that got a bunch of lionhead kits that I was going to go look at tomorrow to try to bond her with, but if she’s hitting puberty she may not respond well to any of them, or differently than she will after her spay right? What should I do???

[Scarlet_Rose]

Awe how cute you’ve got some bunny bonding time in! That’s great! Rabbits really don’t like too much change at once so she may be reacting to that, however she is still willing to sit with you and come to you, so I don’t think that’s it. I believe it is her hormones kicking in, especially with the digging going on. I would definately have her spayed before you bond her, also are you planning on getting her pregnant and having kits? If you try and bond her, she can get pregnant now. Her personality will tame down after being fixed and plus you’ll have her around much longer. As for the lionhead kits, I don’t think you’ll have trouble finding that Mr. Special Bun for her. There are also some rabbit rescues in MA as well where you can take her to be bonded when you are ready and you can have “dates.” Plus they’ll be fixed too and you won’t have to hassel with or worry about it plus they’ll likely already be litter trained. : )

[Sarita]

Sounds like it’s a bit of puberty and she’s developing her personality too.

Probably best to wait on bonding her too until after she’s spayed.

I agree too with Scarlet Rose – they definetly like to have a routine – I think most animals do.  If you change it up in any little way I think they don’t feel as secure. 

 

 

[Lionbunny]

The kits are only 5 weeks old, so no problems as far as her getting knocked up! I definately don’t want to contribute to bunny overpopulation, not to mention I have her good health in mind in my decision to spay her. I think I’ll schedule her spay for the week after next, before she turns really horrible, though!

[Sarita]

Are the babies still with their mother?  Really they shouldn’t be separated from Mom until they are 8 weeks old – I know sometimes in the shelter the ideal situations aren’t always possible though.

If you do get a baby they can sometimes be frightened putting them with an older rabbit (although I realize your current bun isn’t that old).  I tried that with a baby rabbit once and he was terrified – he was never in any danger but I felt awful.

[dmh426]

Spaying her will definitely improve her “prima donna” attitude. They do get made when we leave them or don’t pay them as much attention as they like. If I work late, I get the cold shoulder for a few minutes before she just warms up to me, which is not her normal personality. So ,yeah, i know the attitude problem well. like having a teenage daughter instead of a bunny!

[Scarlet_Rose]

Even if she has not reached sexual maturity (which can happen as soon as 3 months which is about as old as she is), she can still go through a false pregnancy in which she will shove him away and it can adversely affect their bonding. I am so glad you are havnig her spayed! You’ve got to let us know when you find a suiter for your lovely lady, well not so lovely now with the hormones. : )

[BinkyBunny]

You have gotten some great advice! I also wanted to add that they may not get her pregnant now, but if you take the new bunny home when it is weaned at 8 weeks, you have just a month before there could be an issue with that, and not only that, since the 2nd bunny will be coming into sexual maturity…well….have you ever seen a poop war? Some bunnies can get reallly territorial at that time and marking with extra smelly poos, spray and urine spots can really be quite challenging. So I also ditto everyone who stated it would be best to get her spayed first.

[Gravehearted]

Another vote to get her spayed before trying bonding for the same reasons you’ve heard from Binky and others. The bonding process will be much easier for you both if she’s spayed first! Unspayed females can be extremely territorial. About a month after the spay her hormones will be calming down and you should be able to take her to your local shelter to pick a friend. Like people, bunnies like to pick their own life partners, so it really works best if you let her choose her partner.

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