Bizzare post castration behaviour

Question
QUESTION: Hey there

My netherland dwarf Troy was castrated 8 days ago. He is 3 and a half years old and was very mellow before the op but still playful. However now he has become quite "aggressive" towards me. For example:
-he wont let me place him on his back (which he never used to have an issue with)
-he is very squirmy and dosn't like being picked up anymore
-he is also constantly digging, scratching and nipping at me, my clothes and my bed spread
-Normally he would jump up for a pat when I sit down, but he has decided he would rather dig, rearange and nip at my clothes once he has jumped up. If I try to pat him to calm him down he jumps off or wiggles away.

He never used to be aggressive like this, so at the last post castration checkup I told the vet about his change in behaviour. She had no idea what could be causing it and clipped his nails back however this has not helped.
He is also picking up the empty toilet rolls I have left him to play with and tossing them visciously around. However he is not growling or stomping his feet during all of this? He is nipping bare skin and leaving bruises and nuddging insistantly also to the point of it being painful. Any idea what is going on here? His swelling has gone down and his op site looks normal. Could it just be a form of play and he is not aware it is going to far?
He lives inside, is toilet trained (was castrated to try stop the spraying), and is on a new diet which has less pellets, more green veges and unlimited hay. Due to his new diet he lost 200g and is now at a healthy 1.2kg.

Any help would be muchly appreciated :)

ANSWER: Hi,

sometimes rabbits go through this after a surgery.  He may be a little miffed at the pain he's gone through, not understanding why.  They may be anxious it may happen again.

First thing is patience - be patient with him. Imagine you went through an experience that left you feeling pain and strange people and strange smells (anesthetic gas, etc) and didn't feel right for a few days, and not knowing what happened to you or why.  

His hormone levels are going to be dropping and fluctuating for the next 4-6 weeks and this will affect his behavior.  After two-three weeks he'll be mellowing out more but right now he's having ups and downs, hormonally speaking.  So his behavior will be more erratic for awhile.

He may also need time to build up trust in you again.  I would try to spend more time around him but if he doesn't want to be held, don't hold him.  Most adult rabbits don't like it, and that's part of him becoming a grown bunny too.  Just for now let him relate to you how he wants to, don't force anything.  He'll start coming to you.  

As far as digging in things, tossing things, etc, that is play and the key is to give him things to nibble on and toss that are okay for him to do it with.  Clean, old, cut up cotton towels and cut up cotton tshirts without iron-ons or designs can make a great diggy pile for him to move around and nibble on.  Hard plastic baby keys are great to nibble and toss.  

He may also be feeling more active now that his weight has gone down.  It is easier and feels better to move around.  We've had some overweight rabbits and as they have lost weight their activity level has gone up because it feels good to move around when you have less weight to lug around.

Final thing is if you never explained why he was going in for surgery, to just, while petting him at a calmer time, talk to him and tell him why and why it was important to get it done.  That you love him, wanted him not to be frustrated and enjoy life, etc.  Ask God to let him to hear what you're saying in a way he can understand.  Like dogs and cats, rabbits have an equivalent intelligence level of about a five year old.  They get used to your words and intonations and are more empathetic than dogs and cats, so they can pick up on your emotions extremely well.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you for your great in depth answer!
I have left a towel down for him to scratch and dig on which he lugged around for hours, but im just trying to be a bit careful that hes not eating threads and stuff off it. He still attacks my clothes when he jumps up on me so Ive just been ignoring him when he does this or re-directing him to the towel on the ground.
Just to re-cap, I got him castrated because he was spraying more and more, often I would sit down to play with him and he would get excited and turn and spray then jump up for a pat. Also I read about all the health benifits of being castrated, as he is my only company at the moment (living in a single room at a hostel) I want him to feel good, and live forever so to speak.

Thank you very much for your help, if there is one thing that Troy has taught me it is definatly patience! :)Good ol rabbit.

Answer
Hi,

generally they won't eat it, they will chew pieces out of it, but won't eat cotton.  It feels good on their gums.  Like I mentioned, it will take a little time for his hormones to stabilize at their new, lower levels.  He should stop spraying.  He will feel a lot better not being frustrated all the time too.  Testicular cancer will not be an issue, either.  I am glad you have him as company and he will love you for your patience and good care and attention you give him.  Don't give up, this is still a transition period and it does get better.  He's not quite himself as his hormone levels are fluctuating now because some remain in the blood and other glands produce some hormones so you will get peaks and valleys and that will affect his behavior.  After 4-6 weeks they will level out and there will be a new norm.

any other issues crop up, shoot me a question.