My bunny hates me!

[Kellybelly]

I have had my bunny about 4 months now.  She is a lion head.  She was nice when she was a baby but after a few weeks started to just want to be left alone.  She never comes up to the cage to be pet.  If she thinks you might pick her up – she hides in her house.  She thumps sometimes too.  I have 3 small dogs so she really only hangs out in a gated kitchen because I don’t trust the dogs.  She will lay and sleep with my daughter for hours under covers – is that normal?  But when you pick her up or carry her she freaks out.  I don’t know what to do to make her happy.  I think I need a bigger cage as well with some ramps.  I had a bunny a long time ago and she always wanted to be out of her cage – this bunny just wants to be left alone.  Any suggestions?  Also in the last couple weeks she stopped using her litter box – well she will use if for pee but hasn’t been using for poo.  She was so good with litter training – I don’t understand.

[MarkBun]

The first question is always – is she spayed yet? This helps hormones to calm down and it sounds like adolescence has settled in.

Second, many buns don’t like to be picked up and held. They’re prey animals and prefer to have all four feet on the ground to run.

Sleeping with your daughter isn’t an issue – some buns prefer to cuddle when sleeping – sounds like she’s bonded with your daughter.

[babybunsmum]

yes, if she isn’t spayed yet it may be time to do so.   bunnies can change personality quite a bit when the hormones kick in & spaying will help that.  and help litter habits altho you’ll likely have to re-litter train her.  more importantly spaying will help avoid uterine / mammary cancer which is common for unspayed buns. 

it’s true that many rabbits will freak out when you pick them up even after being spayed.  its good practise to know the best way to pick up your bun so that they feel as secure as possible & so that they’re supported fully (a rabbit can kick hard enough to injure it’s own spine) so that you can handle bun for vet visits & for nail trims and so on.  i find holding them close & covering their head with your hand can help calm them.  but it’s best to interact / play with your bun on the floor.

is her cage in the kitchen?  it may help to have a penned area setup directly off of her cage so that she can explore the area without having to be picked up & moved.  the more she can explore on her own safe from the dogs the more she’ll feel secure with her surroundings.  good luck!

[Beka27]

check out the cool habitats section under bunny info. it has all kinds of condos and enclosures that members have made. there are so many options. i agree that a way for her to go in and out on her own is very important for her to feel secure.

if she is not spayed yet, i want you to be SO careful with your daughter and her laying together. bunnies going thru puberty can turn vicious and territorial in about a second. more than once, i’ve been on the receiving end of a nasty attack, when just a moment before everything was fine. i would hate for them to be laying there and then bunny just turn and bite.

[wendyzski]

I saw the header line and immediately said to myself “I’ll bet it’s bunny-puberty”!

Buns go a bit psycho when they hit puberty – kind of like human teenagers.  They get moody and smelly, they act out, get territorrial, and since bunnies can’t yell and slam doors they bite and box. 

Getting her spayed will not only reduce these behaviors before they become habit, but also will help her live a longer and healthier life.  Unspayed females run a very high rish of uterine or other reproductive cancers – as high as 80% before age 4 according to some studies.  So start looking for a rabbit-saavy vet and start saving your pennies.

[Kellybelly]

Thanks for all the advice.  I am building her a bigger cage now.  I got the cube things – I just have to look at the pics more closely to find out how you do a door????  How much is it normally to spay a bunny? A vet in my area wanted 250!  I had no idea!  Also – with those cube things for a second floor – do you have to build a ramp or do they jump?  I guess I should look at the pics again.  Also what age am I supposed to spay her?  She really hates people.  I am afraid to put her through surgery.  She used to have her own room but was so antisociol so I moved her to the kitchen to try to get used to more activity and being around us.   I am so happy I found a great site for questions – it is very hard to find good information on bunnies.  Any advice would be great. 

[MarkBun]

Yes, spays for buns are very expensive. They are around $150-250. What you need to do is find a rabbit saavy doctor though. They may charge a bit less being familiar with the procedure and also be a better surgeon. The age I believe is around 3 months.

The panels are held together via zip ties. To make a door, just zip tie one side of the panel to the wall and use a dog clip to hold the door closed on the other side. If you keep the levels to a foot in height (about the height of one panel), the buns should be able to leap up to them without too much trouble. Make sure to put some sort of flooring on them though (such as cardboard or rug) else they’ll break a leg.

I don’t think she ‘hates’ people as much as she isn’t used to them yet. I’d try reading a book while sitting on the floor with her. She’ll come over to see what’s up. Just let her investigate – don’t pet her. It helps to get them used to you.

[BinkyBunny]

yes, just hanging out with her on the floor is a great way to get her to trust you.

Neuters usually can happen around 3 – 4 months, but Spays usually happen around 5-6 months.  Many vets do prefer to wait until the 6 month, but it’s VERY important that you find a rabbit savvy vet.   Spaying a rabbit is not the same as spaying a cat or dog. 

I don’t know where you are located but here is a list of vet from the House Rabbit Society Website. http://www.rabbit.org/vets/vets.html

It’s also a good idea to make sure that even those vet places have not changed vets that you make sure that any new vet is rabbit savvy.

Here are some great tips on how to find a rabbit savvy vet.

http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/vet.html

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