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sharonb1515

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Ok...have had a holland lop since the end of August. She was pretty sweet to start but a little nervous...We gave her lots of attention. Now she is just getting nasty. If you try to get her food dish she pounces on you..If you try to get her out of cage she bites you..If you try to put her back in the cage she freaks and bites you...Everyone is being intimidated by this cute little thing. She is 5 months old and everyone talks about hormones...I am worried I am going to get her fixed and she is still going to be nasty..My hubby said if she keeps biting everyone she is going to have to go...Any ideas
 
The sooner you get her fixed, the better. You do not want those behaviors to become ingrained. The longer you wait... the more likely it will stick.

As a general rule of thumb, it is best to not ever reach into a rabbit's cage to get her out. The cage should be her "safe" zone, her sanctuary. When it's time to come out, just open the cage door and let her come out on her own. The same goes for getting her back in. It's best to coax her in so that she thinks she is the one deciding to go in. If I put fresh hay or pellets in my buns' cage, they hop right in. I've had a stubborn bun, where occasionally I would have to follow him around and clap. He kept trying to get away from me, so he finally went in his cage. I immediately stopped clapping and then shut the door.

Until you get her fixed (and perhaps after) it may be best to keep the food dish as close to the cage door as possible to minimize your hand's intrusion into her space.

Don't be discouraged. She is behaving very typically for an un-spayed rabbit. Getting her spayed will help with her behavior, make litter training a breeze, and prevent cancer that is prevalent in un-spayed female.
 
Where and how are you housing her? How much time does she get out of her cage every day?
As far as the biting, I'd recommend you wear some thick leather gloves so that she can't hurt you and then when she bites you you won't pull away because it sounds like she's training you. I'd also recommend that whenever she tries to bite you try making a high pitched sort of squeal so she knows that it hurts. This will help her realize both that she's hurting you but also that her biting won't stop you from reaching into her cage.
I also agree with the recommendation for a spay.
 
sharonb1515 wrote:
The problem about letting her come out on her own is that she makes a run for it and we cant catch her very easily ...She then poops everywhere...
Click to expand...
In that case, what you can do is set up a limited area for her by placing something like an x-pen around her cage. That will limit how far she can go. Then, if needed, the x-pen can be closed in to coax her back into her cage when needed.

Letting her out on her own is really key to keeping an indoor rabbit and letting her get daily exercise. It just isn't optional.

Ideally, she will have a litter pan in her cage. Then when the door is open, she will have limited access to an area (x-penned) where she can still freely return as needed to her litter box. Once she successfully does this, then the area can be expanded. Stray poos are part of bunny life. Thankfully they are dry and clean and easy enough to sweep up.

Here's a photo of a temporary set up I had with one bun, but just imagine your bunny's cage up against the wall and this type of pen around it...

16589_230023_210000000.jpg

 
Spaying her is a good idea, and it may help with the biting, but it may not as well. It didn't with my rabbit that is cage aggressive. You definitely don't want her thinking that biting is ok though. If she bites you, press her head/shoulder area to the floor with your hand. You would do this gently but firmly becasuse she may try to wiggle out, and you hold for a second or two after she stops wiggling. This is how a dominant rabbit would discipline another rabbit. If she bites when you are holding her, you can flip her over onto her back with her belly facing up. Most rabbits don't like this and there may be some wiggling so you need to have a good hold on her. When you are doing things where she's likely to bite, it might be a good idea to have some leather gloves on. She's in the habit of biting so it may take some time and consistant effort for her to get it that biting isn't a good thing anymore.
 
I agree with every one else. But I am curious as to where she is housed and how often she is let out and handled?
 
She is handled every day..She does not love being held so she has a large play yard we put her in so she has more room to roam. She is usually in the large play yard several hours a day..We move it to wherever we are in the house so she is not alone..
 
I would highly recommend keeping her play yard around her cage. She should have free access to her cage at all times. This will also allow you to prepare her for regular play time after she's spayed and her litter habits improve.

Not many rabbits like being held (especially once they are adults). This is another reason to not get in the habit of forcing her out of her cage or back in. She may come to resent that handling and then learn to distrust contact. This can result in one stand-off-ish bun.


edit was typo
 
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