Hi~ new member with a question about my female bunny.

[kikibee05]

Hi,I am new to this forum. I am a high school teacher and recently purchased a bunny to become a classroom pet. I am new to bunny ownership but love animals so am willing to learn all I can. I have "LC" (stands for learning center which is my class) in a nice sized cage (48 X 26) in my classroom but I also take her home on weekends and she spends time in my spare room sleeping on my day beda nd she has a smaller cage there that she uses to potty and eat in. She has been an awesome bunny so far. She is a bit shy at school still, but is doing better every day. I think it is just a new environment for her to get used to. I do not let the students pick her up or harrass her. I am very careful about that.My one question is about female bunnies. Generally she is a sweet bunny that is still shy around us. Last night I went in to say good night to her and she was acting very funny. She had done some shedding more than usual and she was picking it up with her mouth and didn't seem to want me around her. She even made growly noices and I thought she was going to bite me. Is this normal behavior for a female? She has not been in school this week becaused we have had problems with the heat and it has been very warm in my classroom and I did not want her to be too warm so she has spent the week at my house. This morning I checked on her again and she seemed back to normal. Any thoughts on this?Thanks,Sheryl and LC who is a little black and white bunny. My picture is too big to attach so I will try to attach one another time at my home.

 

[jordiwes]

Hi and welcome to the forum!

It sounds like your girl is makinga nest. How long have you had her for? Where did you get her from.

It is not uncommon for a female to have a false pregnancy (spaying her would probably eliminate this behavior).

Although if you purchased her from a pet store, they are notoriously bad for sexing bunnies so hopefully you don't havea pregnant female on your hands!

 

[kikibee05]

I have had her about 2 months. I got her from a tech that works at my vet. Her friend had her and didn't want her anymore so I adopted her. As far as I know she has not been around other bunnies but now you have me worried/images/emoticons/sad.gif I don't need any more bunnies but the students in the room when I read your post think it would be cute to have little babies. That was what I was thinking when I saw her doing it. Why else would a bunny be building a nest? They don't go into heat likes dogs and cats I thought...and I also was told she didn't need to be spayed and that it was dangerous for them to have the surgery. Should I consider it now?

 

[kikibee05]

OK, She can't be pregnant since I have had her long enough to know she hasn't been around other bunnies. What can you do about this false pregnancy thing? Does she need to be spayed? How many times will this false pregnancy thing happen to bunnies? Is there a risk for her to be spayed and will it change her personality?

 

[pinksalamander]

i'm not entirely sure about what you can do about a false pregnancy, but if you get her spayed then it whouldn't be a problem. It is fine for her to be spayed. There is of course a chance something going wrong when operating on smaller animals (or any animals, or humans for that matter) but hundreds of people have been successful. her behaviour will change but for the better. She will probably not be as aggressive. Also if eliminates the 80% chance of her getting uterine cancer someswhere in her life.

 

[jordiwes]

kikibee05 wrote:

What can you do about this false pregnancy thing?Does she need to be spayed? How many times will this false pregnancy thing happen to bunnies? Is there a risk for her to be spayed and will it change her personality?

Here's a good thread on spaying and neutering rabbits from theresource centre.

http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=12040&forum_id=10

It's very safe provided it's done by a rabbit experienced vet. It's also very beneficial health wise, because unspayed rabbits are prone to uterine tumors later in life.

It will calm her bahavior down in terms of being territorial, and probably false pregnancies.

Here's a thread about false pregnancies:

http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=5896&forum_id=1

 

[naturestee]

Welcome to the forum!

Spaying is very safe if the vet is rabbit-savvy. If the vet tech told you that it's "unsafe" it's probably because the vets at that clinic don't know much about rabbits. They need different treatment than cats and dogs. Since it sounds like she's a little older (any idea?) it would be a good idea to have her blood tested before the surgery to catch any problems.

Like Jordiwes said, spaying her will prevent more false pregnancies(during which they tend to be nippy and irritated) and often mellows the bun out a little. They're still just as active, but not quite as grumpy/hormonal. They also tend to be better litter trained.

Here's some good info on how to find a good rabbit vet, such as what questions to ask.
http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/vet.html

And here's our rabbit savvy vet listings. Maybe there's someone near you.
http://rabbitsonline.net/view_forum.php?id=9

 

[kikibee05]

The tech isn't the one who told me it was dangerous: I read it somewhere on the internet before I found this wonderful forum. I am sure my vet is knowledgeable on bunnies but I will ask before I make the appt. There are 4 vets in the my vets practice and I will talk to them to see which one is best to use. Thanks so much for all of your information. I truly appreciate it. She is normallly a pleasant bunny who never is aggressive that is why last night was so odd for her. She is almost a year old so she really isn't too old so hopefully she will heal from the surgery well. Again, thanks so much for your help.

 

[aurora369]

She should do wonderfully!

I had my bun spayed at two years old, and she did fine. A year old is a perfect age to spay you bunny.

A good vet will know that you do not fast a rabbit before surgury, as they cannot vomit, and fasting is very bad for rabbits.


Good luck, and please let us know how she does!

--Dawn

 

[SOOOSKA]

kikibee05 do you have pictures of your Bunny. We all love to see pictures of everyones "babies".

Susan