EVIL BUNNY! HELP!

[Bun-Bun]

Ok so here are the deets,

Name: BunBun

Gender: Female [not sure if spayed because the pet store said she was but im not sure…]

Type: Miniature rex [mostly white]

Problem: I think my bunny actually hates me. She will be my friend one moment but then once i go into her house to get her food bowl or her litter box she gets really mad at me. And I cant get her out of the cage. I think she is obsessed with her poops… idk why but she doesnt want me to sweep them out of her cage. She is my one and only rabbit. Somewhat i think she is scared of me. Ive had to yelll at her often… she keeps on trying to get to these wires, but i cant keep them away from her. Ive tried. And whenever a drag my fingers on the carpet when im near her, even when its a mistake, she pounces at me and gets really low to the ground making this mrrrrrrrrrr noise. And even when im petting her and shes happy she will bite me. Like recently she had her head on my underarm and i was laying down and she bit me! I was really mad so i gave her a light-not-hurtful-shove-of-her-booty. Shes just really mean. I try to be her friend but she doesnt care and she keeps biting at me. She may be horomonal as someone would say and no im not sure if shes spayed and i need to find a way to tell if she has a spay scar or not, but i cannot tell because no one will give me a good picture of the “underside” of a spayed and unspayed difference, Also i know its important to make sure she is spayed because she can get various cancers that are not rare and are obviously deadly to them. So If anyone could help me… I would be so glad!

 

[skunklionshow]

I totally agree that it sounds like hormones.  B/f Jessica got spayed she would bite me regularly, I still have the scars from all her nips.  She would grunt, chase, and bite me whenever I would clean out her cage or feed her.  I tried laying on the floor w/ her and she’d still bite me, sometimes she would come up and kinda “claw” me.  She tended to be better w/ the hubby than me.  After she got spayed, she became a dream bunny.  I haven’t gotten bit or attacked since.  She used to draw blood on me, to the point that my hands/ fingers were dripping w/ blood.  I highly suggest having your vet examine her for the spay scar.  The vet will have a much better idea of what to look for.  Animals heal just as differently as humans so a spay scar can be obvious and bumpy like or just a slightly off colored line.  Therefore it is best for a bunny vet to check her out.  She should get an initial visit w/ the vet anyway, so you can get this done at that time.  Also, most vets require an exam prior to a spay/neuter, so you will need to do this anyway.  I’m sure that the vet can also palpate the area to identify a uterus or not.  Vets are trained for these things, so make use of their education & experience.  Check out your house rabbit society website for local vets.  Good Luck & Welcome to Binky Bunny!

[MarkBun]

Well there is no way to tell if a female has been spayed or not other than having a vet examine them. You MIGHT be able to find the scar on the belly, but that’s an if and even then, it doesn’t mean it was done properly. I wouldn’t trust a petstore though.  Spaying costs money and that cuts into their profits.  I’ve rarely heard of a good story with a bun from a pet store and their spay.

Next, it is completely natural for a bun to grunt and lunge at you when you go into her cage. It’s HER space and you’re going in to change things around. I usually let my bun out and run around while I’m changing her cage. I get a nasty look when she gets back but she gets over it.

The finger attacks are natural if the buns upset with you. It is similar to their pawing at the ground so they think you’re mad at them so they get mad back. The good news is that there is rarely any real force behind it.

Yelling at a bun doesn’t do any good. She associates a loud noise with your voice. A clap of your hands works better. And bunnies will ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS chew on wires. It is instinct in order to clear escape paths (and I think some just like the taste of rubber). There are several cable and wire protectors that you can get at electronics stores. The ones I use are the flexible plastic tubes with the split down the center.

Shoving a bun isn’t a good thing. I can understand getting frustrated but the reason for the bite is to communicate many different things. It could be something as simple as “Hey! Pet me!” or, “Hey! Don’t stop petting me!” Buns can be somewhat demanding in that area. You should just let the bun approach you and you should stay low to the ground. Read a book on the floor. My bun will still nip my socks/toes because I have really long legs and she wants them out of the way.

[MooBunnay]

Hello there BunBun94 – welcome to Binky Bunny!

First off, being a rabbit rescue worker, I am quite cynical about pet stores, and would recommend you ge your bunny to a vet to make sure she is really a she (which pets stores never get right) and that if they were right about that, that she is really spayed. There is really no way for you to tell yourself if she is spayed or not. You’ve really got to feel around on her underside, and if she is always a bit crabby, well, she really won’t go for that! Also, I’d get her to a vet because if a bunny is sick or pregnant, its another reason that they will be more grumpy.

I have 7 very sweet bunnies – but I do have to say that for about 3 of them, they will grunt whenever I go to take their box or rearrange things in their cage. This is quite natural for a bunny to do. This is because their cage is their home, and they like to arrange it how they want. Pretty similar to how I hated it when my mother would go into my room when I was younger I’d recommend doing your cage cleaning, and removing the litter and food dish when your bunny is having her “out of cage time” to avoid this issue – she isn’t being mean or hateful, she’s just objecting to you being in her “special space”.

My bunnies also dislike it when I’m draging my fingers on the ground near them, I think they either mistake it for a predator, or the sound startles them, but it happens often.

Now, when you are petting her and she bites, what are you doing? The way that I’ve noticed most bunnies like to be pet is on the forehead and sometimes shoulders. There are some buns that reallly don’t like their sides or bum touched. Your bunny may have been mishandled or otherwise traumatized at the petstore, and needs some time to understand that humans are nice and OK.

For the time being – I’d recommend two things to help you bond with your bunny. 1) Feed her some treats such as a teeny piece or carrot or apple by hand, this will help her associate you with TREATS! 2) Let her play around you without petting her. Just let her sniff and investigate you, she’s probabl a bit scared of you, and sometimes the visual of a hand coming at a bunnies head can remind them of a predator, which could be scaring her. So just let her hop around you and sniff you, but wait awhile before petting her. 3) Make sure she’s healthy by getting her on the HRS recommended diet (the diet recommended on this website) and take her to a vet to make sure she isn’t sick or pregnant, and that she is in fact spayed or neutered.

Hope this helps!

[MooBunnay]

Wow – just noticed there are quite a lot of us online right now – we’ve given bunbun94 a novel to read, haha! I think between the three of us we covered quite a bit of ground! Good job BinkyBunny-ers!

[skunklionshow]

Just to reiterate what markus said…never hit or push a bunny or any pet!  Your bun will start to associate you w/ a hit or knock rather than love.  In addition, if it is hormonal & bunny behavior, bunny doesn’t see as what they did as wrong or bad.  Technically, its not really wrong or bad, just defense or nature.  Try putting your hand on her/his head when she lunges or nips…this is more helpful to redirect bunny and let her know you are the dominant one. 

I have a cat that LOVEs chewing on the vacuum cord.  This is the only cord he chews on.  I can get him to stop.  I put aquarium tubing over the cord and he chewed through that.  Try the cord covers.  You can use the aquirium tubing over your cords as well.  W/ multiple cord outlets, I put a grate or board over them. 

PS my bunnies love craisins as treats.  Jessica will do just about anything for a craisin.

[RabbitPam]

Everyone here gives such wonderful information that if you follow the above she will be a sweet bunny to you in a very short time.

Imagine yourself in her place, with a HUGE giant creature (with no fur–how ugly!) taking care of you. Or coming after you. To her small self a little push from you may be like a sumo wrestler pushing you out of a seat on the bus. It’s got a lot more impact than you realize. Bunnies are naturally curious and like company. Being on the floor as suggested with treats next to you, but leaving her alone, will get her over to you as she gradually learns to trust you. If she lowers her head next to you for a pet, or rubs her chin on you, you’re making progress. And mini rexes mellow with age.

[Beka27]

how old is your rabbit?  it sounds hormonal.  was she always like that or did it just start recently? 

other people who got their rabbits at petstores have said that the employees told them the rabbit was altered and they were not.  i think most of the stores that were selling neutered and spayed rabbits were charging over a hundred bucks per rabbit, so if you paid much less than that (20-40 dollars) chances are you were lied to.

you are going to need to take her to a vet to have her checked out.  if she has been altered it’s not hormones, instead she may be ill and that could be causing the aggressive behavior.

[Deleted User]

Hi BunBun…I think all the possibilities have been covered, but I will warn you. Having you bun in another room while you dare to clean her space may not work. I sneak back when he is in another part of the house and damn if he does not know I am doing the unthinkable…cleaning up his mess.

Here I am with my butt hanging out of his cage trying to clean the corners and 4 pounds of rabbit will jump me from behind, claw at me until I move over so he can get in and watch every last poop get picked up.

[kimberleyanddarren]

yes i would say it sounds like hormones, take her to the vet just for a check and casually drop in how do i know if she is spayed?

[KatnipCrzy]

I think the only way you would get a spayed or neutered bunny from a pet store is if a rescue or Humane Society was adopting out bunnies thru the store (some of our local pet stores do this vs. selling bunnies).  A pet store would never want to keep a bunny- especially a female rabbit long enough for her to be old enough to be spayed.

UInfortunately with bunnies there is no 100% way to tell if they are spayed for sure- unless your vet can possibly feel a spay scar, or shave the belly and see a spay scar.  But even then sometimes it can be impossible to tell unless you do surgery to find uterus and ovaries or LACK of.

Julie

[Beka27]

actually, Petco was selling altered rabbits, but they were doing the surgery at a dangerously young age, and selling them for 100 or more dollars per rabbit.  that’s why i said that if she paid much less (20-40 bucks) i highly doubt the animal was altered.

[Alley]

my rabbit was just like this

all i did was lure him out of his cage with some food then pat and stroke him while offering him treats like greens, hay of even rabbit made factory treats. keep doing this and he will sure get use to you.

 

-Alexx ♥

[Holly]

Becka,
Now I get it. When I was looking for a bunny, we went to pet co. I couldn’t believe they would sell bunnies for 100.00. I understand why now. They do look very young. That is for sure!

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

As far as young spaying/neutering goes….This is what I recently heard

Some vets are spaying/neutering kittens and puppies as young as two months old as ;When you get your tonsils out as a kid, your pretty much fine right away, whereas if that happens when your an adult, your out for weeks. They think it’s better on them to do when young. I heard that at our humane society orientation, apparently they spay/neuter everyone before they get adopted, even young animals.

I haven’t looked into this extensively as i just heard about it.

[Deleted User]

Patience and lots of perseverence is needed.

Your bunny needs to gain your trust and this could take time.  Its a big learning process for you and your bunny so just take little steps at a time … do lots of reading .. BinkyBunny is great for advice and information.

Be kind to your bunny and give him the space and time he needs.

Dawn xx

 

 

[skunklionshow]

The AVMA adjusted dog/cat spay/neuter guidelines several years ago.  Part of the reason for changing the age was so that shelters could really make sure that kittens & puppies were fixed prior to being adopted out.  Even though it was included as part of the adoption fee, most people did not wat to bring their pet back for the surgery.  So it was done this way to increase compliance.  Based on early spay/neuter studies, they have not found any impairments to the animal’s health or negative outcomes.  Whereas what initially started as a protocal for rescues has become the norm for most veterinary practices.  The idea is to get them fixed b/f sexual maturity to avoid unwanted litters. 

I did discuss this w/ my bunny vet.  She said that this is not something that would  not be good for rabbits.  It was my understanding from her that it was more of an issue w/ anesthesia in too young bunnies rather than a biological concern.  Anesthesia has to be just right for bunnies, there isn’t much wiggle room w/ this.  The preference is to use specific types of anesthesia, that are different than the standards for cats/dogs.  Its usually a blend of anesthesia for rabbits.  The goal is to only use anesthesia on very healthy, steady & sturdy buns.  Unfortunately w/ younger buns, their weight and health is not completely stable.  At least that was my understanding of the conversation w/ her.

[Beka27]

interesting…^^^^  thank you for posting that.

[babybunsmum]

skunklionshow… thats exactly what my vet tells me about rabbits & anesthesia too.  i recently adopted pinky at 9 months old and had her at the vets for a checkup 3 days after she came home.  my vet did not want to rush into a spay because she was so freaked out at the appointment & new to me at home.  i had forgotten she said that weight also plays a factor until i read your post… my vet also wanted pinky’s weight to come down & have her used to her healthy diet. 

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