Very Clingy Bunny

[sammi036]

My soon to be 3 month old Lionhead (Lola) has been extremely clingy lately. She will constantly follow me around, thump when she doesnt have my attention and will also nip and lick a little till I pet her.

Any idea to why this sudden change of behavior? She is allowed free roam of our living room but chooses to lay with me on the couch. Before she would lay on her blanket or even her cage..

Thank you so much for any answers.. I love her being affectionate but shes driving me a tad crazy!

 

[Spikethebunny]

The first obvious question is: is she spayed? It could be related to that if she is not. Spike used to nip me until he was neutered.

If she is spayed or you don't think it is hormonal, you could just have a bun who particularily likes your company. Except for the nipping thing, Spike this the same with me. He follows me everywhere and wants to be with me constantly. In another section I have posted about how he now won't even let me sleep.

Have you thought about getting her a bunny companion?

 

[sammi036]

Lola's too little to get spayed, our vet said to wait till she was at least 6 months- shes only 3 months now. So I wouldnt think its a hormonal thing yet.

It could just be because she likes my company... but it has never been like this before. She has tons of toys to play with yet she always wants my attention. She has a ton of room to roam around and is only locked up in her cage when I go to bed. I love her to death but she is kinda driving me crazy with all the neediness.

I have thought about a companion but my fiance is not convinced... yet.. haha

 

[kaylicourt]

I think she needs a friend

 

[sammi036]

Should I consider a boy companion or a girl? She's a very sweet little bun so I think it could be possible having another girl room with her. I am just afraid of having two needy bunnies!

 

[agnesthelion]

She might be too little to get spayed, according to your vet, but that doesn't mean it might not be a hormonal thing. The smaller rabbits come into maturity faster than larger breeds so at 3 months she could just be starting to get the surge of hormones. My vet will spay as early as 4 months. My Lionhead was spayed at 5 months and she became hormonal a good amount of time before that too. So 6 months isn't the magic number for hormones, its just the time your vet is comfortable for a spay.
I think it is hormones and once she is spayed the behavior will calm down a bit. In the meantime, do not reward her nipping or thumping with pets You can gently hold her head down (as a momma would do to her kits) to discipline but at the very least you want to avoid giving her what she wants after nipping because then it may become a learned behavior even after the spay.
Also, it could be part her personality as well. My female is very attached to me and even after her spay, and getting her a husbun, she still follows me around and would prefer to be by me getting pets vs. anywhere else. She doesn't nip or thump though.

 

[agnesthelion]

Should I consider a boy companion or a girl? She's a very sweet little bun so I think it could be possible having another girl room with her. I am just afraid of having two needy bunnies!

You won't want to consider a friend until she is spayed. The best way to get a rabbit friend is to contact your local rescue and bring her in to "bunny date" so she can help pick out who she likes. The best bonded pair is m/f. You can bond two females but same sex bonds are more of a challenge and are more prone to spontaneous fighting. Rabbits do indeed love the companion of one of their own kind but bonding rabbits is a very tedious thing. It took 30 days to bond my two. And again, I'm from the mindset that you can't consider two buns bonded unless they are both fixed.

 

[sammi036]

Hmm that does make sense.. I just cant believe they mature that fast!! She's so tiny haha. The nipping isnt bad- its her go to last chance to get my attention thing and hardly occurs. She will thump like crazy though, on the couch, on the floor, in my lap- she doesnt care. But good advice, I wouldnt want her thinking nipping is an aceptable behavior. I have been clicker training her so it should be a somewhat easy fix.

Thank you for the insight!

 

[sammi036]

You won't want to consider a friend until she is spayed. The best way to get a rabbit friend is to contact your local rescue and bring her in to "bunny date" so she can help pick out who she likes. The best bonded pair is m/f. You can bond two females but same sex bonds are more of a challenge and are more prone to spontaneous fighting. Rabbits do indeed love the companion of one of their own kind but bonding rabbits is a very tedious thing. It took 30 days to bond my two. And again, I'm from the mindset that you can't consider two buns bonded unless they are both fixed.

I wouldnt want to get her a husbun until she was fixed anyway.. I'd be too nervous!! haha

 

[agnesthelion]

She sounds like a sweetie and really I would consider yourself lucky to have such an affectionate bun. I know I do Rabbits are all unique and some just don't care as much for human interaction. My male is that way. He likes having his head scratched but he doesn't *crave* the attention and snuggles like my female does.