personality change

[Reeem]

I recently rabbit-proofed my house so i can make my rabbit a free roam bun thinking she would love it. So far all she does is sleep under the couch for almost the whole day, when she does come out to play she doesn’t really binky or run around a lot like she used to, she’ll jump on me for cuddles mostly. She also used to run to me every time she was called but doesnt do that much anymore. Is it possible for her not to enjoy being a free roam bun? She does seem content though. I got her spayed a little over a week ago, could she have changed because of that? 

Another thing is she’s quite aggressive sometimes with some of my family members, is there a reason behind that? She basically has scratched and bit everyone in my family except for me.

[Wick & Fable]

Short post, but full of great information and concerns rhh! Firstly, I’m glad your rabbit has recovered well from her recent spay on the 14th. I’ve never had a female rabbit spayed, so unsure of the recovery time, but I’m assuming she’s fully recovered and the low energy is not residual from the operation. Let the community know if you may feel differently. Appetite and poops are good indicators, in addition to energy levels.

Sleeping under the couch for majority of the day is actually a very common behavior for rabbits. Before ruling it out as 100% normal, do you see any indication that she’s under the couch and staying there out of fear? If so, the novel, large environment may be a lot for her to take in, so stay around to comfort her and assure her she can explore the area safely. If it’s not out of fear, it is normal. Wick wakes me up at 5:15AM, I feed him, then he hangs around until I leave for work. Starting at 8AM until 3PM, he sleeps on top of my dresser (http://www.instagram.com/p/Bdkm_vllDop/?taken-by=wick_theboogeyman). Day time is normal for a rabbit to want to sleep. Especially since your rabbit is becoming more grown, she may be regulating her sleep better, rather than being a bombastic, up-all-day baby rabbit! Wick literally leaves the living room to go sleep in the bedroom, so he likes the security of silence and little stimulation while he’s sleeping, which is something your rabbit may be achieving by being under the couch. Do monitor she’s not leaping into the couch somehow from a hole, or chewing the bottom of the couch while she’s there! Dusting the bottom of the couch with a sweeper would be helpful so it’s a cleaner place for her to sleep, if you’re okay with that being her spot.

She has had time to bond with you, and at the same time, she’s been exposed to you the most. You’re probably the one giving her food and attention the most, thus, your family members are still unfamiliar, potentially dangerous predators. They, like you, need to earn her trust. A relationship cannot be forced. Scheduling small play dates, where a family member just sits with you while she’s around so she’s used to their presence would be good. Make sure your family are not handling or forcing interaction on her, which would naturally make her go on the offense to attack (scratch). Having family members hand-feed her pellets at pellet time may be helpful!

In terms of less binkying, that’s a bit normal for rabbits. The environment isn’t as new, and she’s habituated to it, so the “funness” may have naturally mellowed out. If she’s become lethargic, that’s a health concern, but less binky’s does not mean your rabbit is sad!

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.

[Reeem]

She is definitely fully recovered from her spay, she used to have this cube thing in her cage which she would always sleep in but now she seems to love sleeping under the couch, doesnt really look like shes there because of fear. The cube is still in the same corner with her blanket incase she prefers that. Her sleeping time is basically from around 11 am to 10 pm. she will come out for a little run and cuddle during that time, but shes mostly active throughout the whole night. Shes not a baby anymore she just turned 3 so i thought that shes becoming a bit old and lazy , is that possible? Also Wick is super adorablee!!

[Wick & Fable]

Good to hear confirmation that the spay and post-op went smoothly! I think mellowing out is possible, but there are some things that can influence that.

For one, Wick had really mellowed out around November last year, and I realized it’s because myself and his other parent were getting into a rut of going to work, coming home, making food, and just eating it before bed— no moving around or engaging activity. Wick eventually emulated that, so the most of his activity would be moving from one lounge spot to another, because the rest of his pack weren’t being very stimulating. Now, myself and his other parent make the effort to interact with him in a more active manner, run around and crawl around with him, do the -occasional- harassment to him… just to get him going about a bit more and feel more naturally inclined to run around.

Another can be what I mentioned about habituation of space. Moving around is a way of exploring the environment, but if you know it, there’s no need to get all active to go around. Rearranging furniture, like shifting a coffee table, randomly putting boxes every where, stacking clothes while folding laundry on the ground, etc.. are novel items you can do to create stimulating space!

And thank you! I haven’t met a rabbit who’s not adorable yet, so I’m sure your rabbit is adorable as well If you have any questions about anything, always feel free to ask on BB or you can comment on a slew of rabbit instagrams via Instagram! If you ever have a chance, posting rabbit pictures is greatly appreciated on this site

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.

[Reeem]

Oh okay, thank you! ill try to get some more toys and maybe a tunnel for her!  

Not the greatest picture but thats my baby girl 

[Wick & Fable]

Look. at. those. ears!! What a beauty! Gorgeous white fur as well.

Keep monitoring and if you notice the activity level is more like lethargy, examining health behaviors, like eating and pooping, for abnormalities can help deduce if there’s a health problem amiss.

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.

[Reeem]

aw thank youu!! and yeah ill keep an eye on her.

[Heaven]

@Wick silly question but how do you tell it’s lethargy? Is it something you just know or less obvious?

[Wick & Fable]

Not a silly question! Lethargy is not only less energy, but it’s more disinterest/less enthusiasm about things overall. For example, not being as excited from the crinkle of a treat bag. Lethargy is a bad sign because as a prey animal, rabbits are programmed for survival, so not showing enthusiasm to food or reacting to other environmental stimuli mean that something is major is happening, preventing the rabbit from functioning properly. This could be a digestion blockage, depression from losing a partner, pain from a tooth root, etc..

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.

[Heaven]

So general lounging around and laziness is alright if he perks up when I interact with him? I can’t ever imagine him not being excited over treats haha – that would be a very clear sign!

[Wick & Fable]

Showing intent for social stimuli is a good sign. It’s not a 100% certain sign, but yes, that’s one positive sign. Treat testing (giving a treat to see a reaction) is a very easy way to gauge this as well. Pretty much all rabbits go hay-wire for treats, so if one doesn’t, that’s could be a huge issue. The ideal is that you see signs of poor health before it manifests itself to where it becomes lethargy, so abnormal poops for example can mean improper digestion from poor diet or something else. Digestive complications are the result of or source of a good number for rabbit maladies, so it’s a good health indicator to monitor. Poop size, color, consistency, contents (fur or no fur; visible hay bits or none; wet or dry) are great to look at and occasionally dissect if you’re up to it. I most recently cracked open a Wick poo because to confirm something in it was folded up fur, instead of something concerning.

HowCast (on youtube) have an informative rabbit poop video you can watch. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiwPqQlvEPI&list=PLLALQuK1NDrjnjAFAcbvUg4tmT_jxnjTU&index=44

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.

[LittlePuffyTail]

Sterling says “HELLO!!!!!! Beautiful!!!!! Are you seeing anybun?” 

[Reeem]

That face and those ears!! I dont think ill ever get over how adorable big ears are 

[Reeem]

Didnt want to make a new topic so ill just add to this one. Basically nuni has been a nightmare lately and its getting me extremely frustrated cause i really dont know what to do. I dont know what suddenly changed in her but shes starting to become more aggressive, super naughty and just not like herself anymore. She just flipped her whole litterbox and litter went everywhere including on her, pulling and digging her litterbox is her latest obsession . She’ll also start digging at doors even though she knows shes not supposed to. Shes fine the whole day but from around 2 am till 10 am she becomes super bad. Once she starts noticing me getting angry at her shell jump on the couch and lay her head on my chest and then i cant be mad at her cause like come on, too cute.  What could be the reason behind this whole change? I kind of feel guilty for considering this but i plan on rebuilding her cage so she wont be a free roam bun anymore. I just want her normal personality/ behaviour back.

[Harley&Thumper]

How old is she? It might be time for her to get spayed if she hasn’t already been. You have taught her that if she misbehaves she can get pets.

[Reeem]

Shes 3 and she got spayed this month. I dont pet her immediately after she does something bad, i give her a bit of time to know that shes misbehaving.

[Author]

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