Our bunny has suddenly become aggressive towards our small dog for unknown reasons

[Bunbun2]

My family has had a lion’s head/mini lop for about 9 months.  She is around 1 year and 2 months old.  She is spayed and has been for about 6 months.  She is a free range house bunny but is kept in my daughter’s bathroom with two litter boxes, food, and water when we are not home because she kept peeing on the couches.  She has been kept in the bathroom for about 4 months.  The space of the bathroom is much larger than any cage and she is let out as soon as people are home.  Her diet is hay and fresh vegetables.  We have two small dogs that she has been around on a regular daily basis since she moved in because they are all free range and inhabit the same spaces.  They eat with each other, lie down in bed around each other, and sometimes play with each other.  Dally (chihuahua/dachshund), Dante (small mut of some kind), and Bun have never been very close but each others presence has never been a problem.  Bun is friendly and quiet sweet with all the humans in the house.  She doesn’t bite us but gives lots of kisses and loves ear skritches.  

In the last week, Bun has started putting her tail out and chasing Dally around the house kicking at her.  This hasn’t just happened once or twice.  It’s at the point over the last two days that anytime Bun sees Dally she starts chasing her.  Dally will snap back at her but generally just runs away and Bun chases her until we separate them.  I don’t quite understand this new behavior from Bun.  At first I thought Dally had done something to Bun to upset her but I don’t think this is the case because she just keeps chasing her.  These chasing incidents do not seem to be precipitated by food or anything that Dally has done.  

The only change to any of our pet’s environment is our back gate is being redesigned so the dogs aren’t let out quite as much and Bun isn’t let out at all because we don’t want her to get out.  This project started Saturday 2/9/19 (yesterday).

I would appreciate any advice into this behavior change.  If it doesn’t change in the next week I plan to take Bun to the vet to make sure she is not suffering some kind of neurological deficit.  On that note, she isn’t expressing any tale tell signs of bunny illness or discomfort.  Her behavior is unchanged except towards Dally.

[jerseygirl]

Hi Bunbun2

Since it is just the one dog Bun has being reacting to, it makes me suspect there has been a change with the dog.. Is Dally intact and come into heat at all?

[Bunbun2]

Both Dally and Dante are spayed and have been since way before Bun arrived at the house. I didn’t think about that. Could she be jealous of her? We were reading about this last night and Dally is definitely my partner’s favorite.

[LittlePuffyTail]

Yes, bunnies can definitely get jealous. My bunny, Elara, pretty much ignores my cat, Kyle, but sometimes, if I’m sitting on the floor and Elara thinks Kyle is sitting too close to me, she will growl and chase him away and then come take the spot herself.

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