Rabbit in heat? Or angry at me? | Please give me suggestions!

[KayDai]

Hi I have a 2 year old Holland lop mix, not spayed, for some back story she has never bitten me, and never have shown any aggression at all. I move around a lot so that means her area is always changing, whether that be a different room, setup or even house, she has never had issues adapting. Yesterday I moved her into my room, she has full rain over my room and at night is in a massive dog crate (which she's never had issues with, also I have xpens but don't currently have them in this home) anyways last night I was putting her food into the crate she was in and she lashed out and bit me, she got pretty deep and *gore warning* my finger would not stop bleeding for awhile. Honestly it hurts knowing she intentionally hurt me because I see her as my babygirl. Today her tail has been up all day and she has been chinning which she has never previously done. Does anyone know if she could be in heat or if she may just be mad I moved her? I took a trip today to PetSmart to buy some Oxbow toys or her to chew on those instead of trying for my hand. Any suggestions are great, it just hurts me mentally because she has never done this before and in a way I'm afraid of even petting her right now. Please help

ALSO I got a new bunny. She lashed out BEFORE I got him as well as before I have even seen him. He is a male and they haven't seen eachother. I changed my clothes before coming into my room and washed my hands to hopefully not smell like him. I don't think this had anything to her lashing out because she doesn't really even know about him yet (He is not neutered and I plan to very soon so they can finally see each other) Just thought I should add this.

 

[MayBae]

To me she sounds like a territorial bun. Maybe she does know he’s there and is acting up because of it, or maybe she matured a bit more and is just marking and keeping her space.

 

[Diane R]

She did not hurt you intentionally. Aggression is almost always due to fear or a medical issue. It could also be referred aggression in this case as you brought in another bunny. Have them both neutered and bond them 8 weeks after?

 

[KayDai]

She did not hurt you intentionally. Aggression is almost always due to fear or a medical issue. It could also be referred aggression in this case as you brought in another bunny. Have them both neutered and bond them 8 weeks after?

Not sure, I plan to get the baby boy neutered but was holding off on getting Daisy spayed. The aggression did start before the bunny was brought home so I'm not sure if something is wrong with Daisy or not because this aggression has not stopped and last night she would just not stop thumping. I am running on no sleep right now because of it.

 

[KayDai]

To me she sounds like a territorial bun. Maybe she does know he’s there and is acting up because of it, or maybe she matured a bit more and is just marking and keeping her space.

That's the thing, she's never been territorial in her life, she's 2 years old and I have never seen her go into heat either. I don't believe she really knows about him unless she is just listening to me talk all day lol. Maybe she just finally matured and is actually territorial?

 

[Blue eyes]

You mentioned that you've frequently moved her housing/setup about -- "her area is always changing, whether that be a different room, setup or even house, she has never had issues adapting." It could be that all of that changing has just been too much. Rabbits typically do not like such changes. It isn't surprising, then, that she has decided to be protective of her crate (sometimes referred to as cage aggression). I have found that rabbits really need a space of their own to feel "safe." It doesn't matter how well we've bonded, they often do best when they have a particular space in which they know they can retreat without being bothered. Since her space has not been consistent it makes perfect sense that she is feeling insecure and vulnerable.

She seems to have taken the crate as her personal space. I'd suggest respecting that as best you can. (Spaying may help reduce that.) To respect that, avoid reaching into her crate whenever she is in it. If you need to refill food or water or hay, wait until she is out exploring. Don't put your hand into her crate even to pet her. Only clean it when she isn't inside it.

That would be my suggestion regarding that cage aggression. On a similar note, hormones can certainly be affecting her in a couple ways. One is the arrival of spring. This can bring out some excess behaviors in some rabbits. So bear that in mind. Second, would now be the addition of the other rabbit in the household. You'd be surprised out how keen their noses can be in detecting the presence of another rabbit. So, yes, your male's presence in the household could also be adding to her need to be territorial. Females are notoriously territorial. That is often the most difficult part of bonding-- when the female is the one established in the home. Be sure to be setting aside some neutral spaces in which to bond them.

Her territorial-ness and apparent insecurity (revealed by the cage aggression) is all the more reason to get her spayed before trying to bond her. Having the male neutered is necessary, of course, but while that may prevent a pregnancy, it doesn't deal with her hormones. That is why it is typically recommended to get both rabbits fixed when attempting to bond them. Spays can be costly, though, so you may want to check vets in your area for price estimates.

And just in case you weren't aware, you'll want to wait 6-8 weeks after the male's neuter surgery before attempting to bond. That gives his hormones time to fully dissipate.

 

[KayDai]

Yeah I try to not move her settup around if I can help it but I move so much due to school, family, and other issues in life right now. I plan to move to another country at the end of this year and hopefully that will be the last time for a long time that I move her settup. Surprisingly I introduced Blueberry (my new bunny) to Daisy yesterday and she had all the aggression taken from her, she was so interested in him, I let them see each other closer for about 5 second because he seemed to be a little stressed and I didn't want him getting aggressive. But since I was holding him she has been all up on me just smelling my hoodie and she seems to have calmed down. I plan to make a appointment for my new bun soon to get him neutered and hopefully than I can let them be together more often because well... I don't really want baby bunnies

 

[Blue eyes]

Remember to wait a few weeks after his neuter before letting them together. Newly neutered rabbits can (and have) been able to impregnate females! It only takes seconds for the deed to occur.

 

[KayDai]

Remember to wait a few weeks after his neuter before letting them together. Newly neutered rabbits can (and have) been able to impregnate females! It only takes seconds for the deed to occur.

Of course! He isn't neutered yet and I have done my research! I just let them see each other with a pen barrier for most of the time and they seemed to get along well I think my male was a little stressed but my female was happy so I am currently looking for a vet to neuter him because I just can't wait to not have to worry about baby bunnies! But I will say it's surprising they can mate so quickly it's scary