growling?

[jojo4411]

hello everyone!

i have a netherlands dwarf, named emily. shes usually a sweetheart, she loves licking people except when you try to pick her up. she goes nuts running around the room and hiding behind things. its getting to be a real problem. also, shes usually very quiet, ive never hear a peep from her. but today when i reached into her cage to let her out she growled/grunted at me and lunged for my fingers :S shes NEVER done this before.. then she hopped out on her own and i had to chase her down because i wanted to check her out, make sure she hasnt hurt herself. as soon as i picked her up (After about 5 mins of chasing) she started licking me. she seemed ok, nothing seems broken. shes eating, drinking and pooping normaly. shes about 5 months old, and i havent gotten her fixed yet as i think shes too young. how can i train her to not run around every time i need to pick her up? (coincidentaly yesterday she was awesome, she let me pick her up with absolutely no problems watsoever) and why is she growling at me??

 

[ThatsMySimi]

Hey.

Some bunnies justdont like being picked up. As for the growling at you when you stick your hand in... If you are going straight at her face she may be thinking of you as a threat...

I dont really know about this stuff,butI am SURE someone who knows more will come along soon. Good luck, and its great to see a fellow Canadian on the forum

 

[ec]

From your general description, she's just old enough for her hormones to be kicking in - the territorial behavior she's showing is a part of that. She'll calm down after she's spayed, though it does take a while for the hormone levels to drop.

 

[Bunnicula]

:laugh:jojo4411 wrote:

hello everyone!

i have a netherlands dwarf, named emily. shes usually a sweetheart, she loves licking people except when you try to pick her up. she goes nuts running around the room and hiding behind things. its getting to be a real problem. also, shes usually very quiet, ive never hear a peep from her. but today when i reached into her cage to let her out she growled/grunted at me and lunged for my fingers

Hello jojo4411!

I am LOL because I can sooooooooooo relate. Our oldest Holland Lop, Gingivere, has a very similar disposition. I'm not certain that I can offer you much sound advice, but you should know you are not alone in this.

When we first brought Gingi home and I allowed her to run the house it would take me close to half an hour to get her back in her pen. (That was not the fitness program I'd had in mind, either.) And the growling can happen at any time. When she is running away from me, when she is chasing one of the cats through the house (you should see that one), when I wake her from a deep sleep.

I have learned that for the most part her growling is part of her dominant, bossy nature...she really is gentle and sweet. It seems to be her way of telling me to bug off. Mostly she is all "bark" and no "bite." BUT I am very careful when getting her out of her cage. I approach her from behind when going to pick her up, and I tap her bottom QUITE GENTLY (and move my hand quickly) when I need to wake her from a nap.

Other than a few nips, she has never hurt me...never broken skin. And she has certainly not been openly aggressive to me. She has, however, been very aggressive to other rabbits and cannot be with them without constant supervision.

In our case, Gingivere does also have some health concerns that involve her vision...so I chalk her rabbitude up to that and her desire to be queen of the warren. She's really a fabulous bunny...she just requires special TLC now and again.

Oh...and about getting her to stop running from you. I have 2 rabbits who like to do that. If anyone has found a fool-proof secret I need to know it, too!

:anyone:

Hope everything works out fine with Emily! Looking forward to hearing more.

 

[we3pnuts]

jojo4411- One thing that helps with our bun is food. Our bunny doesn't really run from us but she loves to hide under the bed and I can't climb under to get her. When I need to get her out I will grab a carrot top or some lettuce and that usually entices her to come out. I hold it as close to her face as I can and then slowly pull back as she follows it. Once she's in grabbing distance I give her the food, sort of like a reward. She'll be to busy eating to care about me and that's when I will pick her up. So try using food the next time. Do the same when grabbing her out of her cage. I also make sure my bunny sees my hand before grabbing her out of her cage. Hope that helps a little. Good luck!

 

[polly]

I reckon your bun is getting to that hormonal age a lot of does are very territorial about their hutches so could be she is happy with you anywhere but when you go into her territory. Getting her spayed will def. settle the problem for you.

You will probably find she is absolutely fine and still her normal self for the majority of the time only be a problem if you try to pick her up from her space

Nethies can be very cheeky and quite grumpy sometimes its just part of their nature. It is nethies i have.

 

[jojo4411]

hello everyone!

thanks for all the replies! shes not growling anymore. yesterday when i went to pick her up from her hutch, and she growled at me and stamped her foot.. so i growled right back and stamped my foot. now she lets me pick her up and she doesnt growl

 

[Snuggys Mom]

I have a spayed doe (Penny) who growls and lunges regularly. She's a crazy little Dutch mix, but I love her to pieces.

The other night, when I stopped handing her basil, she growled and jumped up in my face. She's nipped, but never brokenskin, but she scares me sometimes. I usually just put my palm on her forehead and say "no" in a low, firm voice and she calms down. She needs to be reminded who's boss sometimes.

 

[jcottonl02]

Pippin never lunges and growls, but Benji occasionally does.
When I am going to take him out the run on a lovely day cos I'm going out or something, he lunges at me, growling and noses me (he has never ever bitten me) and tries to bat me away with his paws. This is only very occasionally though lol.

hehehe but when Rolo (our puppy) really ticks him off with constant licking and trying to play etc. Benji sometimes just has enough, turns round, lunges and growls at Rolo. Rolo doesn't take the hint of course, and so I have to remove Rolo, much to his dislike. I think this has happened twice, so now I make sure Rolo only licks Benji a few times, and then I make him sit nicely next to him lol! That way Benji comes and snuggles up to him.

Yeah, Snuggiesmom- when Benji lunges at me, I gently place my finger on his nose and say 'no, Benji', not loudly but just in a deep voice and really firmly. Which makes him calm down, and then I give him strokes to show him he's a good boy for calming down.