Help me , super worried

[rebeccalyn7]

Pepper is now a year old,
She's like a completely different rabbit,

She used to let me pat her, she cuddled into me, and let me get her out of her cage and pick her up,

Now she's attacking me, made my mother bleed from trying to feed her, her favorite thing carrot.
What's going on,
She isn't sprayed yet, I can't afford it.
Advice, help!?
Will she get over this?
I'm so worried

 

[Acacia-Berry]

The behaviour won't stop until she's spayed unfortunately. Check with shelters and vets for low-cost spaying or payment plans.

In the meantime, you can try working with her, sit in a room with her (where she cannot escape contact like under a bed) and talk gently to her and pet her on HER terms. Rabbits are prey animals and very much controlled by hormones if they're not fixed.

 

[MikeScone]

Pepper is now a year old,
She's like a completely different rabbit, ... Will she get over this?
I'm so worried

At one year old, she's at the end of her teenage months - exactly when that happens varies, larger breeds taking longer to mature. Like human teenagers, rabbits' personalities do change during their adolescent months, and it's not unusual for them to become less cuddly as they become full adults.

On the other hand, she shouldn't become aggressive for no reason. You need to distinguish between real aggressiveness and just nipping as communication, and if she really is aggressive you need to figure out why. If she's in pain for some reason, she might well be acting out her frustrations that way.

Of course, most adult rabbits don't LIKE being picked up, even if they'll tolerate it, and some are protective of what they view as their territory, so she may just be expressing her newly discovered independence.

A vet visit would be in order at one year old anyway, just to make sure she's OK.

 

[Jayombie]

Defiantly sounds like the hormones are running riot, which means goodbye cute and cuddle like behaviour and hello late teen bossy brutal 'get out of my way' behaviour.

:tantrum:

 

[Tauntz]

I'm still a newbie to bunnies but have experience with other prey animals so double check with more experienced or your vet. I too think it is hormones. Their only only "purpose" in the wild is to reproduce as many times as possible, successfully raise as many as possible before their ultimate demise so they can keep their species alive & part of the food chain. So once those hormones kick in it is time to get down to some serious bunny business! lol It may mean that you will need to get her spayed, plus it is best for a longer lifespan for a bunny to be spayed/neutered. Check around to see if there are any low cost vets or SPCA or if you can make payments while saving up the money for the spay. I hope you can work things out with your bun &/or the vet.

 

[majorv]

She won't necessarily stay this way if she isn't spayed. Like Mike said, she should be towards the end of her teen phase. When they're at that age the hormones control a lot of their behavior. We have unspayed does who you could tell were in that "I need to breed" stage, but got much better after the hormones settled down some. Maybe you could find a low cost vet in the area, but in the meantime I suggest your Mom wear gloves if she gets her fingers close to her.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

But, you do really need to get her neutered. It took care of all the problems with our "furry" kids.

 

[rebeccalyn7]

Could it be her diet, at the moment shes not eating the best and thats my fault.

what are the prices for de-sexing, do the rscpa do it cheap?
I can not afford it at the moment

 

[Azerane]

You would honestly have to call around to a few vets in your area, see this thread here which has a list to links of several vets in the melbourne area that are supposed to be good with rabbits: http://www.rabbitsonline.net/f21/australia-12014/ I'm not sure if the rspca does desexing for the public or not, you would have to try calling them as well. For my vet, they charged $99 for boys and $199 for girls (because it's a more invasive procedure). But getting it done should not only help improve her behaviour, but she will be hugely less likely to get cancer. If you can't afford it at the moment, be patient with your bun, and save every dollar you can to put towards the procedure.

It's possible that a change in diet (I'm not sure what you mean by that she's not eating properly) could cause some bad moods I suppose, but unlikely. Rabbit's don't hold grudges for those sorts of things.

 

[ladysown]

you have some options.
1. leave things as they are
2. look into getting her spayed
3. reexamine how you keep her.

She is most likely NOT being aggressive, but being space protective. She is saying THIS area I have claimed as my own BUTT OUT. When I teach people about bunnies I try to help them distinguish between space protective issues and true aggression. An aggressive bunny will come at you tooth and nail REGARDLESS of where they are. A space protective bunny is more specific in where they will get defensive. Understanding the difference helps you know how to handle them. There are some bunnies the will get protective over a larger area than others, most choose their cage as "THEIR" area.

So you can choose to respect that which means changing how you do things OR helping her realize that no space is her own and she can mind her mannners. (That is a training issue).

Which option you choose you need to consider carefully.

IF you choose to let her cage be her own. Then you need to work around that. Letting her out into a new area while you feed, water, change bedding. Keeping her safely confined IN that area. Not reaching into her cage. Just letting her area be her own.

IF you choose to say NO EVERYTHING is mine, then you need to approach it more as a training issue. What will you tolerate. How will you work with her. Generally time settles hormones down, but NOT if you let the behaviours win out. Seriously. Don't let her get away with the poor manners. Wear thick gloves, long sleeves, hold her down or remove her so you can do what you need to do without getting hurt.

 

[kmaben]

Lots of good advice. Try not to let her intimidate you. They can tell when you can be pushed around and will take advantage. Easier said than done I know. I have a three pound chuck norris at home I'm secretly terrified of. Hence the gloves and long sleeves. When she comes at you, you wont be tempted to jerk away from her and she has to accept that her bad behavior isnt getting her anywhere.