Bad Behavior

Question
I have a bunny thats under a year old I think and i got her about a month and a half ago. She was a complete sweetheart and very playful and about a week ago she started hiding on me a lot more, grunting at me, and threatening to bite me, which occasionally she did (not too badly though) i have no idea whats causing this. She hasnt been spayed yet, so I was wondering of it could have to do with her maturing, and she did eat the plastic of a timothy hay bag recently that I was worried about but shes eaten plenty of greens and lots of hay so Im not too worried that she's got a digestive issue because of it.
Do you have any ideas?


Answer
Hi Kristen,

You did an excellent job of answering your question.  She is hormonal.  Don't be surprised if she has a "psudo-pregnancy"....aka False Pregnancy.  Her hormones will rage to the point that her body will do everything except deliver kits.  She may become withdrawn and aggressive.  She will have a wild look in her eyes.  She will most likely start pulling fur and building a nest.  Give her a next box and allow her to build and maintain her nest until the hormones subside.  She will be very stressed during this time.  Give her extra hay to assist her in building her nest.  And keep things as quiet as possible.  This will help her get thru this stressful event.  A spay will eliminate this behavior and will also eliminate the liklihood of uterine cancer.

Keep in mind that a spay is a major invasive surgery in a rabbit.  Not all vets are capable of pulling this one off.  Make sure your vet is rabbit savvy and has spayed a number of rabbit successfully.  Insist....and discuss this in advance...that pain meds be sent home with you post-op.  Most vets will offer something like Metacam....but this is serious surgery and I would go for Buprenorphine (a narcotic).  We have found that laser surgery makes for a much quicker recovery.  Good luck.