Spayed Lady Bun and Fur Pulling

[Annamatic]

Hi all, 

I know lady buns typically go through false pregnancies. Our lady holland lop has gone through several faux pregnancies, both before and after her spay back in November of 2017, is roughly one and a half years old. Today my husband caught her with her cheeks full of fur and got several good clumps out of her mouth. Is it normal for them to hide away their fur like this? She literally had no change in behavior after her spay and still completely disregards her litter box, doesn’t play well with other buns, and cannot chill unless she’s worn herself out. Any advice on this would be helpful. Do we just stick it out?

[Wick & Fable]

Is there an unfixed rabbit present at all? I’ve heard the presence of an unfixed rabbit will influence fixed rabbits to act hormonal, even though they are fixed.

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.

[Sirius&Luna]

You still have to litterbox train rabbits after they’re spayed, they don’t just automatically learn to use it, they’re just more likely to stick with it. With some rabbits it takes quite a concerted effort of picking and wiping up poops and pee and moving them to the litterbox, moving the bunny to the litterbox consistently, and giving treats when they use the litterbox correctly.

What have you done to bond her with other bunnies?

[Annamatic]

All three buns are fixed.

I’m aware that litterbox training can be an ordeal. We’ve had awesome success with our two males as they picked it up quickly and look ashamed if they make an accident somewhere. She doesn’t share this trait. Litter box training does take quite a concerted effort, as our trash of vinegar scented paper towels indicates. I’m not super concerned about the litter because its something we continue to work on with her, I’m more concerned about the cheek packing.

For bonding, she is already okay with one of the males and we’re working on her with the other. Good results so far on their daily dates except she likes to spray them both. They lay around near each other after 10 minutes or so. No fighting or growling..thank goodness. We’re only about 2 months in, but I’d note her behavior hasn’t gotten better or worse with second male.

[Sirius&Luna]

Hmm, it’s strange! Was her spay definitely successful? Sometimes they end up leaving an ovary or something behind, which can result in hormonal behaviour.

Rabbits ovulate when they mate, so perhaps if one of the males humped her while bonding, she could have got confused and entered a false pregnancy, despite being spayed? I’m not really sure how it works, but imagine that could be a possibility, especially if she had regular false pregnancies before the spay.

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