If only keeping an only “child”/bunny

[jackieblue]

I am seeing so much “bad” and cranky behavior with alot of the bunny’s on this forum and see that it is happening

whether they are fixed or not so now I am wondering what is the real reason or need to fix them if it doesn’t change bad

behavior and/or keeping it from happening?

 

[LBJ10]

For a lot of buns, it does change or reduce “bad” behaviors. What I am referring to are hormonal behaviors though, so I’m not sure which “bad” behaviors you are thinking of. Some behaviors are just things that bunnies do, like digging and chewing. Those particular types of behavior may have nothing to do with hormones. Things like marking/spraying, aggression, nipping, humping, circling, etc can all be hormone-driven, so spaying/neutering can help.

If you are looking for another reason though, spaying is extremely important because it prevents reproductive cancers. Left unspayed, a bun has an 80% chance of getting cancer before they are 3 or 4.

[Beka27]

Altering rabbits does contribute to the reduction of most, if not all, bad behaviors. But in addition to neutering, rabbits also need boundaries, training, and most importantly… Realistic expectations. Members generally only start a thread of they are having an issue, but the threads you read are the minority. 99% of the time, neutering stops those behaviors in their tracks, or at least within the next few weeks.

Something else to consider is that rabbits are still considered teenagers until they are 12 months old. Some undesirable behaviors are age-related, not hormone-related. Those behaviors usually fade with maturity.

So in short, neutering a male isn’t absolutely necessary. It is beneficial for the rabbit (and your sanity) but not a medical necessity. Spaying a female is medically necessary and is considered a requirement.

[LBJ10]

Oh yes, Beka does have a point. A lot of the problems you see posted on the forum are not the norm. People only post because they are having a problem. Most people experience behavioral improvements after they have their bun altered.

[jackieblue]

Circling?  Is that when they go around and around your hand as tho they are trying to get you to uh, be intimate with them?

LOL! Princess Peach has done this several times, the first time starting about a month ago when she was only 4 months.

Also, am I to assume females don’t bleed with that time of the month? Are they nearly constantly in heat or once a month

twice a year or what?

Thanks!!

 

[LBJ10]

Yes, circling means “let’s make babies together”.

Rabbits don’t go into heat or have a time of the month. Ovulation is triggered by the physical act of mating.

[jackieblue]

So twirling around my hand numerous times is circling then? Funny. I figured as much but wasn’t positive.

We didn’t have our only other bunny long enough to experience all these things because the apartment people at the

time wanted more money and because cleaning the pen sent me into absolute massive allergy episodes that apparently

had to do with my being pregnant because it hasn’t happened with this one.

 

[bpash89]

LBJ10 makes a really good point, there is a big difference between “bad” behavior and simply unsavory aspects of typical bunny behavior. My little girl is about 8 months old or so and I can give you a laundry list of “bad” behaviors that have subsided or stopped entirely since she’s been spayed. Peeing/pooping outside the box, aggression, lunging, nipping, making messes on the bed, circling ect. She’s also far more cuddly and friendly now – hopping up in bed with me every morning to cuddle and flopping against me (or even on top of me sometimes) for a nice long nap. She’s also much more communicative about when she wants to be petted without resorting to biting or scratching like she used to. That being said, she still chews on everything she can find because chewing is simply a bunny thing, not a hormonal thing that can be changed. Also, like the others said, girl bunnies have an extremely high rate of cancer by the age of 3 or 4 so it is vital that they get fixed. So yes, spaying and neutering is very important, even for a single child bunny.

The expression “f-ing like rabbits” was coined for a very good reason. “Mating season” is constant – 24/7, 365. She’s circling because she’s hormonal and sexually frustrated. She wants a boy bunny and she wants him now.

Your bunny will lead a much happier and healthier life if she is fixed. I imagine it’s quite frustrating to be so hormonal with absolutely no outlet for your entire life (at least boy bunnies can take it out on a couch cushion or something). She’s like a little nympho nun…

[Smudge2000]

When I was younger, me and my sister has two female rabbits. We didn’t know much about rabbits then. Neither of them were ever spayed. As we were hound, it was mostly my dad who did the looking after of them and we didn’t really bond that much. When Sugar died and left fizz on her own, we found that fizz became more friendly with humans and she was lonely so she wanted someone to play with as she no longer had sugar.

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