puberty… take 2

[Beka27]

geez oh man!

Meadow has been a handful today!!!  well, everyone read my post in the lounge yesterday about her helping herself to toys that were out of reach… silly bunny!

but today she’s being mean.  three times already this morning she has LUNGED at my son (Michael, 4 yo).  they have kind of a love-hate relationship.  Meadow was a “gift” for Michael’s 4th birthday… but not really.  she was for me and everyone knew that, except for MIchael who still *thinks* that she is his bunny. 

he mostly leaves her alone, and she leaves him alone.  they live their lives side by side but separate.  the past couple days Meadow has been exceptionally affectionate with me… and all of the times she lunged at him, she was next to me and he walked up to me.  is she jealous of Michael?  is she trying to claim me as her own… or being dominant over Michael?

i am fortunate that Michael is a very good child and he listens to me (for the most part!)  i told him after each lunge today, ”please stay away from Meadow… she’s in a bad mood.”  normally, he is only allowed to pet her if i’m petting her first.  i rub her forehead and that calms her down (she makes a bunny-puddle) so he can then pet her gently on her back.

everyone knows this but if someone is new and doesn’t know, she is spayed, has been since November, and is generally a very cuddly, calm, sweet lap bunny (to me.)  she has been eating, drinking, pooping, and sleeping normally.  she’s acting normal towards me, but maybe a bit more affectionate.  she has been zooming (running laps) more often this morning.

any thoughts on this?  i assume rabbits can have bad days like everyone else… but is this weird? 

[babybunsmum]

thats wierd beka.  it does sound like puberty #2.   my first thought was to interpret the lunges as dominance but i’m not sure if i’m correct (still learning about it myself).  i say this because pinky does this with the broom when i’m trying to sweep up poops when she’s out in her room.  i use the broom for baby’s poops too & i know she can smell baby on the broom.  did meadow drop lots of poops just then too or did she maintain her normal good litter box habits?  but then, because mead’s altered i wonder if it is pure jealousy? sorry… not much help for you.  hope some one else has some better insight

[MimzMum]

Well the first thing that comes to my mind is false pregnancy…but can an altered rabbit fall ill to that?

[Cadbury]

My vet said it can take a few months for all the hormones to leave the body, so maybe she is still a bit hormonal?

[Scarlet_Rose]

It does sound like dominance, jealousy and over-affection for you, the laps (affection) and lunges (dominance/claiming territory/keeping you to herself).  I find this very sad as your poor son who is just an angel in trying to do the right things around her. 

Forgive my poor memory, does your son offer her treats and give her the most meaningful things or is it just you?  I am wondering if routinely your son started to give her a sprig of mint or basil (I am thinking along the lines of something he could hold out and distance her mouth from his hand to prevent nips) if this would not help her behavior.  The time together should be a positive experience and not negative and letting her be top bunny.  I am concerned as by having your son avoid her and let her win-out he is at the bottom of the totem pole so-to-speak and I so totally understand the why’s of it being this way trust me as it really does seem to be best right now.  So, that being said, there has got to be something that can be done to restore peace of the seemingly bunny hormonally challenged Meadow.  Have you tried or are you willing to try some Rescue Remedy in the water?  This generally helps to calm high-strung animals and could be worth a try if you are open to it.  Dosage is 4 drops in the water bottle or crock.  Aroma-therapy wise (I know this may seem silly but hey, it’s what I do and it works and it’s just my way of life) try some lavender oil in a diffuser or humidifier.

Just a thought as well, is there any particular noise or TV show associated with the behavior or is it only to do with the visual of seeing your son?  I know this may seem like an awful bit of trouble, but could you possibly keep a diary of Meadows behavior, what she eats, what went on that day in her environment and the way she treats your son and what he is doing at the time when she treats him acceptably and when she lunges? This way you might be able to find a common factor to everything.

Does she do this when you are in the kitchen and she associates it with food?  If so, there could be a bit of food aggression going on.  Where are you when she goes into protector mode?  Anywhere in particular?  Does Meadow have a no-human space of her own?  Where is her cage and where does your son play or spend most of his time?  Can her cage be moved to a room or penned-off area of her own?

Anyway, these are just brainstorm ideas I am having as I am thinking of them.  I am going to check your other posts about this too as I know you’re not wanting to keep repeating yourself.

[Beka27]

thanks for taking the time Scarlet!  i’m usually on the giving end of advice but the past two days i’ve been the one asking!

her cage cannot be moved.  it’s in the living room (takes up a large portion of it) and it’s the only place i would want her.  i’d feel awful moving her from our space.  she has always been right here with us.  Meadow has an enclosure made from NIC cubes attached to her XL Marchioro cage.  the total area of her enclosure is just under 5X8 feet.  it’s on a large rug and Michael knows that the rug area is off-limits to him.  Meadow’s NIC grate gets folded to the side during the day and she has free run of the house all day long.  if i leave (or at night) she goes back into her enclosure.  it’s not uncommon for Meadow to nap inside her enclosure on her rug while the grates are open.  she loves her space and she like to spend time in there even when it’s open.  we also have more “Meadow only” spaces on either side of the couch.  she has boxes there and phone books and she loves to nap in there too because it’s dark and secluded.  Michael spends a lot of time in the living room, but normally he leaves Meadow alone and she leaves him alone.

Meadow is not afraid of Michael at all.  he can jump and make noise two feet from her and she won’t run.  Michael actually has a fear of her, Meadow has even chased Michael before and he runs.

it’s not food related because Meadow only eats inside her cage.  in the morning i have Michael give her one papaya tablet, and she takes it from his fingers without a problem… no lunging, she doesn’t try to bite his finger tips, only the treat. 

i’ve really only noticed this the past two days, the problem is only if he walks up behind her, she will spin and lunge… or if he reaches out to pet her without me petting her first.  i was thinking jealousy because it is only happening when Meadow is next to me and Michael walks up.  she really is a mama’s girl, and i suppose it could be my fault because i do spoil her.  we have private mama/bunny playtime each night when everyone else is in bed.

i’m not familiar with rescue remedy.  it calms high-strung animals?  how does it work?  what is in it?  i’m worried about giving a supplement b/c Meadow has recently lost half a pound… would that interfere with her eating or cause changes in weight?  is it obtained thru a vet or bought from a store?

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