I could do with a little less lovin’

[Balefulregards]

Hi all –

 

I am the Mom ( and apparent deep love and bonding interest) of my adult female rabbit.  We adopted Coco a few months ago and have seen lots of the “typical” behaviors as she has settled into our home ( mostly our master bedroom)…She pee’d on the bed a couple of time…destroyed the phone charger, ipod charger, bit through the curtains in an attempt to get them out of her way, bit through my sheets in her tunneling efforts, chewed the backing of my quilt out. Needless to say, I have assumed she was not yet spayed…and she is going to the vet today for her check up and setting up of the spay appointment. She is generally let out at 7 am ish and not put back in until 11 or 12 when we go to bed. One of us is always home, so she has a nice LONG time out of her cage and with us.

 

Over the last few days ( since Monday) she has become obsessive with me. Doesn’t like my husband coming into the bedroom. HATES to be moved off the bed when she is with me ( she has stopped peeing on the bed, Thank Goodness) and last night went NUTS when she was put in her cage/bed for the night. She got so incredibly loud and obnoxious that we had to move her cage into the hall for the night.

Yes, it is clear to me that Coco is a digger. And Yes, she has toys/spaces/boxes of shredded paper/straw mats all over the place to dig and chew.

This morning, she woke us at 6 a.m. to be let out of her cage. No problem. Normally, she kicks my husband out of bed and I rub her in my not quite awake state as she jumps over me, sniffing and exploring.  She has not been a biter of Humans. Sure, maybe a nip to say “You are blocking my running path”, but not a bite in earnest.

So this morning she starts ripping out her fur after she gets out of her cage…so I think “Darn it – False Pregnancy!” She had one when we first started the adoption process, so I know that it will pass. She jumps up on my bed and begins to make a nest on my bed. She seems to spit out the fur she has collected in her mouth (is this right?) and dig, dig, dig at the sheets. I deter her, distract her by rubbing. I am reading ( in the midst of my PhD) with one hand, rubbing with the other when she gets a special look in her eye.

She starts sniffing and circling my arm.I know what is coming and prepare myself mentally for the de-flowering of my arm by my rabbit. She mounts my arm and BITES HARD. I yelp and she hops away, looking completely non concerned.  She moves in and does it again – I yelp. By the third time ( and the drawing of blood on the third bite) I hold her head down in a dominant manner, firmly scoop her up and deposit her into her cage.

Where she is -at this moment – looking very balefully at me, indeed. She knocked around in her cage, thowing stuff, biting the bars, for a bit and has not settled and is giving me the rabbit stink eye.  I may keep her caged until the vet appointment, as I don’t need more welts on my arm.

 

Any advice or help? I am not shocked that she has bonded with me. I rescued her.I am the source of food and good rubbing. I spend the most time on the floor with her. But I was shocked at this mornings aggressiveness. And As much as I love Coco and can forgive her for our human stupidity and leaving the cords for her to access ( no longer, though – have that thick black cable tubing)…chewing up my handmade quilts is a big No-No.

Dawn and Coco

 

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[JK]

Hi and welcome!  I am not an expert here but she sure sounds like she’s got raging hormones going on!  Spaying her is a definite priority and I think you will see an amazing change for the better.  Hopefully some of the experts here will chime in.  I have a neutered male so I have never experienced this kind of behavior! She sure is a cutie though!  Good luck!

[Beka27]

she is adorable. i love the orange dutch! you can bond her with a black dutch and it will be HALLOWEEEEEEEN!!!!!!!!!!

lol! welcome here!

this really is just the hormones. false pregnancies are esp. hard b/c the hormones are absolutely wild. when you go to the vet, i’d ask for the NEXT AVAILABLE spay appt and just watch your body parts until then.

now, females esp can be territorial, and they love to chew and dig, moreso than boys sometimes. my spayed, adult mini rex girl is a big chewer and digger (and she’s been known to lunge on occasion.) so the surgery will be able to stop the false pregnancies, and hopefully *most* (if not all) of the bad behaviors.

in terms of your quilt and your other chewed belongings, anything that is in an area she is allowed to be in is fair game. bedrooms are hard b/c there are so many personal items and clothing, shoes, etc… i try to keep my room completely off-limits, UNLESS i am paying close attention, when i leave the room, they get herded out. my son’s room is strictly off-limits b/c he has toys and cords everywhere. can you set her up somewhere where the area is better proofed or picked up, and you do not have any valuable items there?

as you know beds carry our scents the strongest, so that is another thing that might be making her territorial and aggressive, trying to claim the area.

[Balefulregards]

Thanks to you both – She had some cage time….Came out and tried to bite again, so I held her head down and back to her cage….

So, after reading some of the archives, I also threw some Essential Lavender Oil on my bed/quilt….and let her back out.

While I am still the recipient of the Bunny Stink Eye, no digging on the bed after the oil was sprinkled.

It is a long time until the 5 o clock vet appointment….

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Welcome! I laughed out loud ‘deflowering of your arm’ That is too funny!!

That’s so weird for a dutch bunny to be so obnoxious and entitled (sarcasm) LOL It is breed typical for dutches to be princesses and the throwing of the temper is pretty typical too!

Spaying is going to help your situation ten fold! Arm biting when being amorous is very common, don’t know why but whenever my arms been de-flowered (k, my arm is actually a bit of a tramp) they’ve chomped on it too-Best way is just to watch for when they get started being that way and don’t let them near your arm!

[Deleted User]

ouch, yea I feel bad for you that outta be painful…

[Author]

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