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Lionhead bunny, neuter/spaying

22 10:25:43

Question
QUESTION: Hi,
I have a lionhead bunny, her name is Angel, we think she is around 7 to 8 months old. And once in a while she gets "loveable" were she will let us pick her up, and she constantly/ is in heat" and and gets "friendly" with her stuffed animal rabbit. If you know what I mean. And she has a smelly scent that comes from her. This happens only every three weeks. Is this normal? And After the 3 weeks, she goes back to normal, and she does not want to be picked up at all, and does not want to cuddle. Is this also normal? And would it settle her down if we got her spayed? We think she is a girl, the pet store never told me what exactly what she was/age. Also, what are the risks of having her spayed? And one more thing, she also poops
A LOT in her cage, it's enough for about 5 rabbits, is this normal too?/ or/and am I feeding her too much to go like this? I only feed her about a 1/4 cup once or twice daily.
Thank You So Much,
Anna

ANSWER: Dear Anna,

It sounds as if your bunny may be suffering from that hormone-driven false pregnancy cycle that will alternately make her cuddly and standoffish.  This will stop when she's spayed, which I would strongly recommend.  Not only will her litterbox habits and behaviors stabilize, but her *very high* risk of uterine cancer (unbred, unspayed female rabbits have a very high risk!) will be gone.

You can find a good rabbit vet here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

who can positively sex him/her, and then schedule the operation.

It's normal for an herbivore to poop a lot, since their diet contains huge amounts of fiber, if you're doing it right:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/diet.html

But once she's spayed and trained, those poops should pretty much be confined to the litterbox.  For tips on training, please read:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/training.html

And for all the best information on care:

www.rabbit.org/

Hope this helps you get everything under control, and your bunny in a stable, calm state.

Dana

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

QUESTION: Hi Dana,

Thank you so much for the response. We are getting her spayed on Augest 22. But, I have anouther question. My bunny, Angel, is terring up my carpet, everywere. We don't know why. She takes her front paws and teeth, and at a very fast pase she rips it up like she is digging for something. Now there are a lot of holes in my carpet. What could this be from, or causing it?
Thank you soo much!
-Anna

ANSWER: Dear Anna,

Yep, she's hormonal, all right.  Angel is engaging in completely normal behavior for a teenage rabbit, digging and tearing in an attempt to make a burrow.  She really can't help these urges.  

If there's any way you can let her out in a fenced, safe back yard and keep her under close supervision, she might be able to get some of that excess energy out by digging in dirt, which is what she really wants to do.  Failing that, a very deep litterbox with damp sand might do the trick, though it could get messy if she flings the sand around.  

You also could try a clean, cardboard box glued (no staples or tape) into a box shape and with a couple of bunny-sized holes cut in the sides.  Many frustrated females will LOVE using this as a surrogate burrow, and dig and chew it to bits, saving your carpet.

If she absolutely won't leave the carpet alone, then I'd recommend buying some 100% cotton bath mats and placing them over the spots she digs.  She can go to town on those, and you can either compost them or throw them away when she's completely shredded them.

The key is redirecting her teenage instinctive behaviors so she won't destroy your house while she's going through this difficult stage.  Spaying will help calm her, but she might keep doing this until she's about 18 months old or so.  So it's time now to find good alternatives that she'll use instead of your carpet.

Good luck!

Dana

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

QUESTION: Dear Dana,
I thank you soo much for helping me, my bunny loved the box idea! she is tarring it up as you read this! Anyway, you might get a couple questions from me every now and then. Because I just got her a couple months ago, I know the basics on rabbits, but, I want to make sure on things. My other question is, are there any signs I should check for if she was ever sick or injured? And does loud sounds hurt their ears/ are their ears sensitive to anything? And is there anything I should watch out for in my room, (I keep her In my room to run around)that might hurt her or that is dangerous that she could eat? I know about the electrical wires.
Thanks Sooo much!!
-Anna

Answer
Dear Anna,

Your bunny is lucky to have such an attentive "mom!"  :)

For all the best information on her care and housing, please visit:

www.rabbit.org/

Rabbits are very subtle about signs of injury or illness, so you need to train yourself to notice even the *slightest* change in her behavior, such as refusing a treat or sitting and being lethargic in an unusual spot.  The tips in this article will help:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/sickbun.html

Finally, it is important to bunny-proof the area where she has free run, and especially to protect all electrical wires so she doesn't chew them and electrocute herself or set the house on fire.  For great tips on how to bunny-proof your room, please read:

http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/rabbit-proofing.html

Hope that helps!  Please feel free to write if you ever have any questions and think I can help.

Noserubs to bunny!

Dana