Protecting Bond Mate?

[Bri]

I just had the doe of my bonded pair spayed. I give her pain meds every 24 hours. I sit inside their enclosure and she doesn’t struggle too much when I give it to her. But she definitely doesn’t like it.

I noticed my buck digging at me and trying to bite me ( he can’t actually bite because he has no front incisors due to a bad malocclusion and they were removed) but I saw him open his mouth to bite my arm. My question is, did he do this because he didn’t like to see his mate in distress and did not like what I was doing to her or he wanted the attention? When I was finished he was ok and licked me. He’s done this twice now under the exact same circumstance. I’m just super curious.
thanks all

[Bam]

This could be debated, I think. He could be feeling protective over her, or of you (hey, mom, I exist too you know!) or he could just want whatever she’s getting. Meloxicam is often honey-flavored, which rabbits seem to really like.

(Keep in mind that rabbits can get a bit grumpy for some time after a spay, while their body and brain are still adjusting to the change in hormonal release. In case you see her get annoyed with him, do a temporary separation so they don’t get into a big fight. Keeping them together has many advantages – she’ll feel safe, he can warm her up if her temp drops, she’s likely to eat more when she has her friend with her – but if you start to see irritability, it’s better to separate for a short while than to have them become enemies).

[Author]

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