sudden behavioral change

Question
my rabbit has suddenly...as in overnight....become 10 times more hyper and has started nibbling and digging at me and everyone else in the family. she's about 3 or 4 months old. it's kind of cute but the scratching and nibbling isn't normal for her. she loves people. what could possibly have happened that quickly?

Answer
Dear Katy,

Puberty can hit like a thunderstorm, and it's possible that your bunny is just now reaching her "terrible teens."  She'll be pretty obnoxious (if adorable!) for a few months while her hormones go nuts, and it's not unlike living with a teenage human in the same condition.

But take heart:  It will pass.  Once she's a few months older, she can be spayed by a rabbit-experienced vet:

www.rabbit.org/vets

Please read:

www.rabbit.org/health/spay.html

for all the health reasons this should be done, *especially* for females, who have a very high risk of uterine cancer if not spayed.  Once she's spayed, her wild behaviors will calm down, though she still will be rambunctious until she's about 18 months or so old.  This happens in just about any species, so it's not just your bunny. It's all part of growing up.  :)

Just be sure she has plenty of toys to distract her, and provide her with things she can destroy without making anyone mad:  phone books (cover removed), cardboard boxes with entry and exit holes cut in (no tape or staples:  glue them in position) that she can use to test her architectural skill, etc.

Hang in there!  It will be worth the wait and trouble.

Dana