Destructive weeks after spay

[Alisha]

So it’s been a while since Luna has been spayed. She healed and is eating again and being herself…except she’s become more and more destructive. She seems VERY restless, digging at things and messing up her stuff quite often. She usually is very quiet when I’m sleeping at night but now she’s waking me up making a ton of noise and it makes me nervous because I live in an apartment with thin walls. I don’t know how to help her. I keep thinking she’s bored of her condo so I try to let her out but she’s destructive anyway. She digs and eats carpet even more now and wants to nibble on everything or dig at everything. The only time she stays still is if I’m petting her and I can’t do that 24/7. Does anyone know what this is and if it is normal and goes away? She has been eating a lot more hay than normal – not sure if it’s related but I’m also not complaining. I felt like never ate enough hay. I give her lots of cardboard and wood chews so I feel like it’s not her teeth but I’m not sure. She is also honking a lot more at things. She’s not necessarily mad at me but if I move things around her she honks really loud then sits and wants me to pet her. She’s way more aggressive when I give her treats now. She acts DESPERATE for them. She would always stand up on her legs and beg for treats – that’s normal. But now she does it more intensely and even tries to take the bag away from me sometimes. It’s almost as if she’s ravenous but she has plenty of hay, greens, and pellets. So I’m confused. 

[Kiki]

Is she molting? Is it spring where you are ?
Indie started eating a ton more recently as she started her molt. Also, they get a little nutty when spring comes around.

[Alisha]

I don’t know if they can be too young to molt but she’s a year old and she’s never done a “molt” per say. I brush her here and there and get a little bit of fur but nothing much so she’s not much of a molter. It is becoming spring but I live in Utah so it’s like spring one day and winter again the next. It snowed two days ago haha but she’s never been this way before.. At least not like this.

[Kiki]

Indie is only 7 months and starting to lose her coat. How long has it been since she was spayed?

[Alisha]

It’s been about a month.

[Kiki]

Bunnies can be fuzzy little arse$!&$s. The increased hay intake makes me think it’s a growth spurt, hormonal , or a seasonal change. Indie literally ate me out of house and home for like a month straight, either the molt or the season change, but she is settling back down now. I know I read that it can take several months for their hormones to chill.
How many pellets do you give her? If at all? and how much time do you spend with her outside of her cage? They are just so filled with sassitude sometimes, maybe she’s mad about something ?

[Alisha]

well normally I only give her like 2 tbsp or a little less with her two meals that I give her greens with. But Since she’s been so cranky and munchy I just gave her a small bowl full of them for now to see if that settles her down somehow. She doesn’t eat them all or anything but yeah. I try to let her out every day. She used to be free roam and I want to get back to that but she’s too destructive. She’s up and down. She’s either really sleepy and just lounging around or she’s suddenly antsy and destroying everything and this fluctuates all day.

[Kiki]

Well damn, I am stumped. I understand how you feel, that is exactly how Indie was before her spay, but she thankfully settled right down afterwards. I wonder if it is because your bun is older and she would have had the eggs etc, ready to release. My vet mentioned that Indie was right on the cusp of that so I fixed her right before full blown sexual maturity/hormones etc. Do you have any kind of pen that you can put her in to play so she can’t destroy everything, but still has the feeling of more freedom ?

[Alisha]

Hmm well I’ve tried that. Just put her in a big pen in a bare space and she just kinda attacks and pushes/pulls the pen hahaha she’s not scary, she’s just so cranky and then sweet when you pet her.

[Kiki]

maybe she just wants all your love and snugs Not a bad problem to have, just a bit overwhelming LOL

[Alisha]

I’ve spoiled her. I work from home so she’s used to my constant presence and affection haha Hopefully one day with another rabbit, she’ll be less …bored?

[Asriel and Bombur]

It can take some females up to 6 months to fully drain from hormones, so at one month post spay I’m honestly not surprised. If you’re up here in the northern hemisphere, spring fever is well under way as well. It could be a combo of the two. And never too young to molt. My boys had their first big molts when they were 6 months. They were quite brats through the whole month of it.

[Alisha]

Maybe it’s the breed she is? She is a mini rex with something else. She just doesn’t shed that much. And okay, hopefully it does go away over time. I just want her to be relaxed and happy.

[Marzipan The Bunny]

I agree I think it’s just a hormonal spike since many rabbits hormones can be a bit crazy after getting fixed. I guess it could also be the time of year. I’ve heard many rabbits acting up in these few months, especially my own bun! I don’t think it has anything to do with the breed, though, since it has only been starting recently

[Alisha]

Ah yeah, I mean the breed with her fur. Since she doesn’t shed a whole lot haha

[Bam]

A post-spay craze due to hormonal imbalance seems most likely. As A&B says, some girls need 6 months. Spring is also a factor, the increase in amount of daylight has a heavy impact on hormones that are not sex hormones, for example melatonin. Melatonin is a sleep-inducing hormone and its release decreases with an increase in light. Rabbits have a very active hormone system, and both desexed and intact rabbits tend to get a bit of the “March hare syndrom” during springtime.

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