Rabbit Personality Changes

[LoveTheRory]

I have an adorable little Netherland Dwarf bunny who is about 6 months old. He’s recently been neutered, but we continue to notice behavior problems with him.

When we first brought him home, he was so sweet and cuddly. He was allowed to acclimate before being handled and was never mistreated. He wasn’t around kids, loud animals, or any sort of stress and his cage was already set up for him and spacious.
A few months after I got him, his personality completely changed. He won’t approach humans. He just stays in his cage whenever I open the door and encourage him to explore. He doesn’t like/allow any petting or touching. Of course he doesn’t like being held and he will kick you and even make angry noises if you are trying to hold him (we don’t pick him up often but this is what we’ve noticed when we have had emergencies requiring us to pick him) and he shows absolutely no signs of bonding.

It’s been about 2 weeks since he got neutered, and I know some of this could be hormonal, but I’m worried about it because he just has no interaction with humans right now. He won’t leave his cage or run and play. Just to clarify he is NOT afraid. I have owned several bunnies and know what fear looks like. He doesn’t dart away. He just turns around and hops away from you and he will keep doing that every time you touch him. He’s not afraid of humans though as he walks around us and climbs on me just fine sometimes. But most of the time, he sticks to himself. I worry he’s depressed or somehow sick. I’ve taken him to the vet to get check ups and he seems perfectly healthy and shows no signs of pain or discomfort.

Has anybody ever had a rabbit shift personalities like this? Does anyone have a rabbit that is this antisocial? Should I be worried?

Any insight would be much appreciated. I just have no idea what to do with him anymore and it’s very troubling. 

[Wick & Fable]

It could be his personality, and also keep in mind that post-neuter “craze” that can occur — since the hormones are still getting settled from the neuter, it can really highlight hormonal behaviors in the bun. This can express in different ways, and perhaps for your rabbit it is a lack of wanting socialization with humans (i.e. large predators). The craze can sometimes last more than a month, so you may just need to wait and see.

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.

[LBJ10]

I agree. Give it some more time. Once his hormones settle, he will settle into his adult personality… whatever that may be. Baby bunnies are like a box of chocolates. You can’t predict their adult personality based on their behavior as babies. Most babies are cuddly and affectionate, but that can all go out the window once puberty hits.

[Sonn]

It could be hormonal or it could be his personality. Just give it time for his hormones to settle.

I will say that even if this is his personality not to give up on him. I’m not sure if the posts are still around but I had a bunny named Monty who wanted nothing to do with humans at all. He was named Monty after the killer rabbit in Monty Python lol. He was still a happy guy and he loved to play and did binkies often even though you’d think he was the unhappiest rabbit on the planet if you watched him around people. I just made sure that I let him approach me and didn’t force him to let me pet or handle him. He’d only allow me to pet him no one else and it was only when he wanted pets. It did make nail clippings difficult but that was only 1 day every few weeks he had to endure me. HA.

[Author]

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