Just joined the bunny club

[naivebunnyowner]

Hi everyone,

I’ve been around animals (mainly parrots and dogs) all my life and finally decided to look for one to adopt.  After a month of searching Craigslist and Humane Society listings, I found a 3-year-old unspayed Craigslist Flemish giant named Applejack who was doomed to either a shelter or an unsuitable home.  The girl I got her from said she took her in after a backyard breeder said he/she was going to abandon Applejack to the wild (in AZ, where she would quickly become hawk or coyote food).  Not sure how she found out about this, but the bunny has had a rough life.  This family already had lots of other smaller critters and did not have the time, space, or financial means to take care of her.  

I will post a pic in this thread soon, I just wanted to ask some questions since I’m anxious about not giving her a good life or having a good relationship with her.  

She gets aggressive in some particular locations (she bit my butt on the couch today, still sore).  She also hates being picked up, so getting her off the couch without her peeing, biting, or just generally freaking out is pretty difficult.  Will these things possibly decrease after desexing?  Still looking for a good way to keep her off the couch during playtime.  It’s only happened twice but it’s stressful for both of us when it happens.

Also, I flinched when she bit me and accidentally bumped her head, although very lightly.  She nipped my hand just a bit after that as well.  Will she hold this against me forever?

On the whole, though, she’s super sweet and happy.  She loves stealing veggies out of my hand and running away and pooping herself while binkying.  She also gets all her non-angry pee in the litter box and 95% of poops.  I hear this gets better after spaying too, so I guess it’s only uphill from here.  I’m going to check up with the previous family’s vet, but if I’m not satisfied I’ll call around to get her spayed elsewhere.  Hopefully she doesn’t already have cancer.

I have a billion concerns but those are my main ones.  Any thoughts and your time are appreciated.  Thank you and I look forward to bunny-related conversation.

-Max  

  

[jerseygirl]

Welcome! Congratulations on your new rabbit and thank you for taking her in!
It certainly is a steep learning curve when it comes to rabbits. She sounds like a sweetie (mostly lol) and it’s great she is using her box so well.
Im sorry, but i did laugh a little when I read about the couch and her nipping you. Not that I think it funny that you got injured! But this is so typical of rabbits.
They seem to think beds and sofas are theirs. And unfortunately can take to marking them. They can also think that nipping is a good way to get humans to move.

Also, I flinched when she bit me and accidentally bumped her head, although very lightly. She nipped my hand just a bit after that as well. Will she hold this against me forever?

Actually, I think your natural reaction was good and hopefully will teach her nipping is not okay. It’s not a bad idea to yelp a little, even at time when it doesn’t hurt. I wouldn’t deliberately push at her head as she will likely try nip again. As you saw! They do have a blind spot in front of the nose too, so putting our hands there often results in a rabbit lunging at it or trying to bite, or just running off. I don’t think she’ll hold it against you. You’re both learning your way with each other. It sounds as if she trust you a lot which is great given her history. There may be some learnt behaviours she developed in her previous home.

With one of my rabbits that nips sometimes, I sometimes push top of his head down very quickly (I dont hold it down) and I stand my ground. I don’t know if it really helps but for him, it seems to. Most of the time I just say “Uh-Uh” and he knows not to do it again. He has some triggers that might cause him to nip. Mainly the smell of my other rabbits on me.

Desexing can certainly help with some undesirable behaviours. Desexing a female rabbit is recommended regardless as they have such a high risk of uterine cancer if left intact.

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