Pooing Bunny

[Floj]

Hi everyone I am new!  I have a 1 year old female lion head bunny.

 

She has been littter trainined for ages but in the past 4 weeks she is pooing and weeing everywhere?

 

ny ideas as to why and how we can cure this?

 

 

Thanks :d

[Sarita]

Is your rabbit spayed?

[Floj]

No she is booked in for next week.

 

She also hates me (female in the house)  As I brush her clip her claws ect is their a good way for us to bond?

[Beka27]

after she is spayed she might get better on her own. or you might have to retrain from step one.
are there other animals in the house?
have you recently moved her cage/pen?
changed litters? moved the litterbox?

her aggression towards you may also decrease after she’s spayed. expect it to take one to two months for behavioral changes.

[Floj]

Shes the only animal (unless you include other half!!)

No litter or cage changes her litter box is her cage which stays open whilst she is out.

I get really upset with her agression towards me when handling her I have to wear a long sleeve polo neck just in case.

Recently she has started grunting and diving at my bare feet, hopefully just hormones as I have never done anything to harm her

[Beka27]

yes, that sounds like mating behavior. how long have you had her? most people spay or neuter earlier than a year (about 4 months for boys, 6 months for girls). so has she been aggressive since you got her, or has this just happened this month too? once she’s spayed and she calms down you’ll be able to focus on bonding with her. for now… just stay outta her way. i know those bunny bites HURT!!! lol…

i’d also suggest having the vet trim her nails when she goes in to be spayed, that way you won’t have to worry about it while she’s healing.

[Floj]

We have had her since 8 weeks. She hasn been spayed as it has taken us this long to find a bunny savvy vet. The agression has got a lot worse in the last 4-6 weeks. and she has only just in that time had her first proper season as well.

Thats good to know I havnt been doin anything bad to her !!!

she has a good diet of veggies herbs hay and pellets and lots of toys and things to chew she is out for at least 4 -6 hours daily.

[Beka27]

yeah, it sounds as if you’re doing everything correctly. keep us posted as to when she goes to get spayed, and how she is afterwards.

[Beka27]

oh… and we love bunny pictures if you have any to share! welcome here. i haven’t even said that yet!

[Floj]

Heres my lovely girl what do you think?

[skunklionshow]

What a cutie pie!  I agree w/ Beka that it’s likely hormones.  My Jessi & I have a somewhat contentious relationship.  B/f she got spayed she would bite me so bad that I would bleed profusely.  Since her spay she has gotten much better, as long as I don’t invade her bunny space.  Her litterbox skills also went back/forth until her spay.  She would be great for a period of time and then just start going everywhere.  Now I don’t have accidents all over the house.  I too would suggest that the vet trim her nails when she’s under, they can usually cut them shorter than usual at that point.  Another thing….Jessica’s meanness towards me also got better once I bonded her w/ Leo.  Maybe it’s mostly my own mindset that’s been affected more so than Jessi.  Leo loves pets & kisses and he has a super friendly personality.  I also think that Jessi can’t be that bad if Leo loves her.  So I think all these things made our living arrangement much better.  Does she get along better w/ the hubby than you?  Sorry if I just assumed your female if your male.  I know Jessi likes my husband more than me.  Keep us posted on the spay!

[Floj]

Yeah loves the other half sits on his lap lies on his back if he is chilling on the floor.

She is on her own at the moment so be have her out playing with her as much as possible so she has people to play with.

She aslo has a mirror she loves looking at herself

[Deleted User]

Hmmm…possibly a guess, but bunnies are smart and don’t forget things easy… she might just like the other half better cuz you do the bad jobs (nail trimmings, etc) or maybe a woman was mean to her when she was a baby? How is she around other women?

When I saw her pic i literally said “oh my gosh!” Sooooooo cute!!! Sittin in her little dish…ahhhh!!!!

Good luck!

[Floj]

I do think its because Ido nail trimmings brushing and trimming out knots from round bum ect.

On saying that shes sitting on my feet now. I have stopped aproaching her now and just let her to come to me :/

[Beka27]

she’s so pretty! what a cutie. is she gray? i can’t tell if she is or if it’s just the light?

i have a question? why do you put litter in her entire cage? my suggestion would be to get a larger litterbox (they make bigger corner boxes just like that one) and don’t put litter in the rest. that might be more confusing for her.

[Alicia Conklin]

I would second what Beka said, maybe that is confusing her litter habits?  When I first got Tucker I had a similiar set up and he was pooping and peeing all over.  So, I changed his flooring to a carpet and he’s much better…still get the stray poops and every once in a while a little urine…but since he’s not even neutered yet, I’m pretty happy with his litter habits..Tucker also has a bed which he does not poop/pee in and in that bed he has carefresh bedding.  He used to poop/pee in carefresh until I started putting yesterday’s news in his litter box.  So, basically even if you wanted to keep bedding across the whole cage…maybe just a different type in the main cage would help?  Help her differentiate between the two?

 

Tucker also is a little aggressive with me, I’m the one who does all his caregiving.  I think it might be because since he’s unneutered and he’s a single bun he’s choosing me as his mate!   So..he will be getting neutered in the next few weeks!! YAY!!! And then we will get him a mate after he’s healed and I am hoping that makes him stop nipping me in the behind when I sit with him or clean his cage!! LOL

 

She’s absolutely gorgeous by the way!

[Floj]

Thanks she is actually a fawn couler with a whit fluffy tum

Ill try that with her litter

[Floj]

After all the comments yesterday I phoned my vet this morning and have got her booked in to be done tomorrow :d

Hopefully everything will go ok fingers crossed!!

[Beka27]

EXCELLENT!!! make sure she eats beforehand, not sure if the vet said, but you never fast a rabbit.

(((((((((smooth surgery and quick healing!!!)))))))))

[BinkyBunny]

Wow, that was quick! Good for you. Just make sure your vet is rabbit savvy! Beka’s advice is right on!

Here is some great pre-post surgery tips from the House Rabbit Society: http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/spay-neuter.html#pre-post-care

Also note, then it can take a month or so for the hormones to die down, so you will see the changes happen gradually.

[Floj]

Thanks Binky thats great link.

She is sitting in the back corner of her hutch.

She has had a little nibble of some mint but nothing else were keeping her warm and quiet.

Lots of little treats in her cage if she wants them

[Floj]

And a first few poos!!!!

[skunklionshow]

It sounds like you have made awesome progress!  Spay, Recovery, and Poop that’s faster than how it happens on TV…that’s great.  Please continue w/ updates.

[Floj]

Just tried to get her out to look at her wound and now she really hates mommy.

Grunted and went for me so I am going to leave her for now and try and check her wound again later.

She has eaten a few more herbs and seems to have been out a little over night.

No more pooing and she curled up in the corner but seems slightly more alert this morning.

Lou

[Floj]

Another piccie of I hate you mommy!!

[BinkyBunny]

Awe! Poor thing. The surgery is harder on females. It’s good that she’s at least nibbling on greens.  Did the vet give you any pain meds?

[Beka27]

oh sweetie! don’t worry. you’ll be forgiven very soon and then you can start to bond with her for real. do you have any plans to get a larger litterbox for her? she looks a bit cramped in that one.

[Floj]

I have bought her a larger one today just now got to try and get it in her cage!!!

She was attacking her herbs as I was putting them in earlier

[Floj]

Quick update from the uk!

She is now letting me and the other half tickle her nose again through her cage without turning into a evil gremlin.

So we are going to get her out shortly she is moving around her cage a lot more freeley pooing not quite normal yet but she is getting back to herself D

[BinkyBunny]

How is her appetite now?

[Floj]

She is eating normally now Came out for a mooch round since the op scar is healing nicly shes not scratching at it either.

Only problem now is she has gone really agressive and keeps grunting and attacking things. Ie dandilion leaves if I or the other half is holding them up for her.

She is letting us scratch at her nose through the cage but occasionly going for us we are giving her plently of space and giving her love when she comes to us do you think this is the right action to be taking?

LOu

[Beka27]

she did have a major surgery, so i would give her time to heal with as much or as little interaction as she is wanting right now. are you still giving her pain meds? are you looking at her scar each day to make sure it is okay?

[Floj]

yeah she has got meds untill wednesday. Were trying to look at her scar twice dailey at the minute were having to catch her to have a look when shes lying on her back or standing up at the side of her cage as she is not being picked up at all it sends her mad!!

But she was lying on her side with her leg up today so I could see her scar perfectley and it looks fine.

We are giving her love when she comes to it and giving her space at all other times.
was just a bit worried as the other half wasnt up for having her done and is now saying I have altered her behaviour for good so feeling a bit down TBH.

[BinkyBunny]

What? That statement that your other half said about how you have altered her behavior for good ….WHA? Meaning like she’ll be aggressive for good…or ?? IF that is what your other half meant then I say….. What in the world? That’s ridiculous. I think because the other half wasn’t up for the surgery, then s/he is just jumping at a “told ya so” chance, but it’s too early to jump to that conclusion. Your bunny has just had major surgery. She’s uncomfortable, and I’m sure a bit stressed by it. You have to check her scar everyday, which i’m sure she’s not happy about, so of course she’s going to be grumpy. Very normal.

Plus, remember, it takes about a month for the hormones to die down.

So don’t worry. Just keep giving her love. One way for her to also associate you and your hands with something good is to offer her a healthy treat every time you approach her.

[Beka27]

you did what was best for her. even if she is never a “cuddle bun” (most bunnies aren’t), you have reduced her risk of cancer and given her the gift of life. please do not second guess your decision. had she been spayed a few months earlier, she might not have ever turned aggressive, but at least you did it now. expect it to take some time for the hormones to die down, and then you need to start the bonding process again.

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