Behavior after Spaying

[existenziell]

So I recently got Olivia spayed. She is a dutch, about 8 months old now. Prior to her spaying, she was really sweet, friendly, outgoing, and never grunted or lunged. She wasn't aggressive at all.

But, 5 days after her spaying and she is none of these things. She didn't like me trying to pet her, she was grunting (first time I have ever heard her do that), she lunged at me while I was trying to feed her, and she bit me (twice).

Now I know what you may say. Oh, give her time and you shouldn't be feeding her while she's in her cage. But, let me reiterate that she has never done this stuff before. She wasn't even like this right after her surgery.

She is eating normally, the stitches look good, she is drinking water, and seems very active and alert. It has been 5 days since her surgery too. Should I be concerned about her behavior? My other bun (Lily) who I got spayed a couple months ago was completely changed around after her surgery, but in a good way. She had been aggressive previously as the hormones set in and a couple days after, she was normal and sweet again.

I want to think that I made a good decision getting Olivia spayed. I did it for her health and well-being. I'm hoping that this behavior isn't permanent. I love her dearly, and I miss her sweet affectionate side.

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

Remember that a spay in a major operation. Even with pain medication, there can still be some discomfort, rabbits do hide pain really well.
Her hormones are going haywire right now. She is not getting new hormones, but there are still some left in her body, it can take several weeks for them to work their way out. Some rabbits don't behave much different after surgery, but others can be more grumpy.
If she is used to having more space to run around, she might be annoyed about being confined. This is for her own good, but rabbits can be very opinionated, especially when they don't get what they want.

Give her some more time. Try working with her and avoiding things you know will set her off (having 2 food dishes allows you to give her food and distract her so you can take out the other dish). You might want to ask your vet about better pain control to make sure she isn't in any pain. Hopefully she will get better once she is healed up more and able to resume her normal activity.

 

[DogCatMom]

Some nice, interesting chewies to work off some of her "confined" frustration? Fresh apple branches/twigs? Pear branches/twigs? Rose branches/twigs? Heck, pine cones? all of course untreated and without foreign substances on them.

 

[existenziell]

She surprisingly doesn't like chewing things. She has plenty of toys in her cage to chew on and play with. Also, she has a hut to hide under if she so wishes.