Major Change in Bunny Behaviour!

[tanzilouise]

Hello everyone,

Apologies in advance for the long post, but I was hoping you may be able to help me understand the changes in behaviour and the Lead up to it could be significant.

my Bunny is 5 1/2 years old.
He has always been such a calm, friendly bunny – even the vet was shocked at how friendly he was when he went in for his X-rays last week.

he’s had a couple of visits to the vet over the past couple of months for his eyes, but as there was no change he had to go back again last week, (6 days ago)to have X-rays to rule out severe teeth problems.

he had to have a slight bit of work done on his teeth, as one had grown at an odd angle because of the way he eats, but no extractions or infections, so luckily not too bad.

he then had to have the critical care paste – which he did not like, but he wasn’t eating on his own so it wasn’t optional.

Anyway, he is now eating little bits so the vet has said if the syringe feeding is causing him stress we can now stop it, which we have. ( this was 4 days ago)

However, he is now like a completely different bunny! 😔

At first I though his behaviour changes were due to not liking being syringe fed, as he got stressed when we had to feed him,  but it hasn’t changed back since we’ve stopped it.
He now hates being picked up and cuddled, and will scratch and nip me to get away. He has never done this in the whole time I’ve had him.

I’m worried that all the poking and prodding from the constant vet visits and syringe feeding has had a more lasting effect than I thought it would.

Has anyone else experienced the is with their Bunny?

any help would be really appreciated.

 

Thank you! 😊

[Moonlightbunny66]

Maybe you can try letting him come to you for a while and not trying to touch him? Kind of like starting your bond again. My bunny Muffin has chin issues and would HATE getting cream put on it, he’d freak out and run away. After a while of stopping the cream, he would still think I’m trying to put it on him sometimes and he’d freak out again.

It’s probably something similar to that, he’s afraid of being poked at again. If you give him some space for a while, that will probably help him trust you. Like sitting on the floor without touching him. Then at some point (depending on how he’s feeling) you could feed him treats from your hand and let him know you mean well. Then eventually, (maybe a week or a few weeks) you can pet him in a way that won’t remind him of the syringe feeding. Like just petting the top of his head and see if he responds well to it.

My bunnies hate being picked up so I can’t really help with that part!

This is just my idea and how I would approach it! Anyone else can add on to this. 🙂

[DanaNM]

I don’t think it will be too lasting of a change, but he could still be in some pain from his dental work.

I would do as Moonlight suggested and not hover too much. I’m sure once he realizes he isn’t going to be prodded or syringe fed he will go back to normal.

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[LBJ10]

It’s only been a few days, so I agree with the others. Give him time to realize that you’re not going to grab him and force feed him. I’m sure he’s still wary.

[Bam]

Is his eating back to normal now? If it is, this change in behaviour is probably because he’s afraid you’ll grab him again.

If he isn’t eating like normal yet, I’d suspect some form of pain.

[Poe & Atlas]

One of my rabbits had GI stasis a few months ago. Took him to the vet, got medication to feed him, etc. Over the next couple days he got so upset when I was around because he associated me with his meds and critical care I was feeding him. Once he stopped needing them, he was still on edge around me for a few days. I tried feeding him treats and only petting him, not picking him up, and he eventually realized that I wasn’t doing it anymore and he slowly regained his trust in me. Now he’s pretty good, still doesn’t like being picked up, but he never did, and he sometimes tolerates me petting him. But he’s friendly in his own way!

To sum it up, I think that rabbits just need some time to realize that you aren’t going to force feed them every time you’re around, at least from my experience. Good luck 🙂

[tanzilouise]

Hi everyone,

so sorry for such a delayed response, my notifications were playing up and didn’t realise I had any replies.

 

thank you all for your help and advice.
my little one is now doing much better, still isn’t keen on long cuddles or being groomed for very long, but we’re getting there and he sees much less stressed angry at me.

thank you again 😊

[Bam]

Thank you for the update! 😃

[Author]

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