Weird eating behavior?

[Starlightbunny]

I don’t know if this is weird or normal but lately Starlight refuses to eat if I’m sitting near her and if she sees me she stops, runs to the other side of her pen and flops. Maybe its stagefright?

[HipHopBunny]

LOL! Nice one. 😆 OB does this too, working off the extra calories, eh? 😉 Could be their instincts, it really varies based on their moods.  Did she just start doing this to you? OB’s been doing it for a while, but she is my timid bun. 🙂 Maybe it’s just that she is a little shy?

[Starlightbunny]

Yeah, she never used to care if you sat next to her while eating, i even used to eat my lunch with her. After her spay she seems to do this.

[HipHopBunny]

Hmm, that’s interesting. 😕 Smokey isn’t quite the fireball she was before her spay either. She and Silver were always competing for dominance (so glad they stopped!) Hopefully, you find an answer! Sorry if this isn’t a satisfying response.

[Starlightbunny]

I feel like she’s also become quite the lazy rabbit. Just flops all day.

[DanaNM]

Hmmmm, how suddenly did this start, and how long ago was her spay?

I’m always suspicious that any behavior change could be a health issue. Pain can make buns more timid. But then females have some crazy hormone fluctuations after spaying, so she could just be going through some moody periods if her spay was within the last couple months.

. . . 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.  

[Bam]

How  long has it been since the spay? Girl rabbits often go through hormonal fluctuations with accompanying mood swings for quite som time after a spay. Boys go through a similar phase after a neuter, but it generally lasts a much shorter time in boys.

There are also changes that happen when a bun becomes an adult, regardless of having been spayed or not. Baby bunnies are trusting and cuddly, teenage/young adult buns are more skittish and wary. This mellows out too, to a larger or lesser extent,  but it’s a normal phase that I think all mammals (and some birds) go through. You may have heard of the “spook age” in young dogs, when they can be spooked by pretty much anything, like a tree or a paper bag etc. Basically it’s about a process where the animal is learning to fend for itself as an adult, and being very wary is vital for survival in the wild.

Is she eating and pooping like normal? (Things to always keep an eye on, because health issues tend to manifest in loss of appetite and/or weird poop in rabbits).

[Starlightbunny]

She eats and poops normally, seems pickier with hay and certain veggies more than normal though. She was spayed 3 weeks ago. She is lively enough though if she hears a bag open she’ll be there in 2.5 seconds lol.

[Starlightbunny]

Sorry I meant 4 weeks ago she was spayed.

[Bam]

4 weeks is still within the scope of normal for a girl bun to experience hormonal mood swings. The 2.5 seconds after a bag opens is a very good sign though! Keep keeping an eye on appetite and poop, perhaps try a different type of hay to encourage her to eat more hay, since that is so important for both short term and long term health.

[Littlemouse93]

It can be interesting to see how our buns behave when they do/don’t know we’re watching!

I can’t sit on the floor with my Honey Bunny while he eats because he will leave his dish and come ask for pets instead of eating. If I get up and leave he’ll go back to it and start eating again.

[Author]

Messages