New bunny owner

[Mrs B Wabbit]

 I adopted a beautiful, sweet bunny about 2 months ago from a pet store (shame on me, i know).  She has always liked being pet and is very funny & social with humans. Although I’d love to pick her up she doesnt allow it but thats ok & maybe it will happen in time.  She has free run of my place when I am around to watch her but I keep her in a cage at night since she is a chewer, especially wires.  My first issue with her was potty training.  She has a small litterbox inside her cage & I keep a larger one in a spot she was constantly going on the carpet.  I still find her going in other places but believe its due to residual cat spray.  This has yet to be resolved but then a bigger issue has come up.

(I’m only guessing her age is 6 months because she is starting to show signs of hormonal issues & she is not spayed.)  My neighbor has an un-neutered male bunny that Mrs B met a couple times when we first got her. She had no problem with him except I, as the owner, didnt like her being mounted for obvious reasons so we’ve kept them apart.  Well now that she is older, she bites anyone that has his scent on them, specifically my 6 year old daughter who plays with the male bunny often.  By doing alot of reading to educate myself, I believe this is a territorial issue she is having. I just dont like the fact that hand washing alone isnt enough to keep her from biting my daughter. ANY remaining scent of him causes her to freak out. My daughter was literally chased & attacked tonite. I feel bad & understand why she is doing this but how can we make her stop? I dont see that spaying is 100% effective for all bunny issues.  I’m really proud of my daughter for also understanding why the bunny does this & she is still a huge animal lover (actually wants to be a veterinarian).

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated   

[MoveDiagonally]

Welcome to BB!

Spaying is not guaranteed to eliminate behavioral issues BUT hormones often amplify bad behaviors. It’s really hard to curb these issues while a rabbit is full of raging hormones. Additionally, spaying is also pretty essential to a female rabbit’s health due to a high risk (80%) of developing reproductive cancers. I would really look into getting it done.

[Tessie]

Welcome to Binky Bunny!
Im sure we would all love to see pictures of your bun!

As for the nipping, getting her spayed really is the only option, other than your daughter not playing with the other rabbit. Spaying is essential for bunny health and will improve her behaviour all round!

[LittlePuffyTail]

Welcome to BB!

I agree with MoveDiagonally. Spaying is no guarantee but it usually does help reduce hormonal behavior. It is in her best interest to be spayed. The cancer risk is very scary.

[Author]

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