Rabbit Habbit Worried?

Question
Rabbit for the longest time was litter trained and although very affectionate, not wanting.  Now, she follows us everywhere we go, wants to be picked up, and when she is picked up or around us, leaves dropping all over.  When we put her back in her cage where her litter is, she jumps out right away and wants to be picked up.  Any suggestions?

Answer
Dear Adam,

You don't say how old Rabbit is, but I'm guessing she's between 5 and 12 months old.

The behaviors you describe are consistent with the onset of puberty and sexual desire.  She is following you partly out of affection, and partly out of sex drive.  Her leaving droppings are her way of marking her territory and letting other rabbits know that she's the owner of the house and YOU.

The behaviors can escalate to urine spraying and aggression, in some cases.  And her risk of uterine cancer is quite high if she's not spayed.  So that is recommended at this stage, though it's best to wait until she's at least 8 months old, ideally, so her estrogen can finish helping to form her skeleton.

You can find a good rabbit vet here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

and more information about spay/neuter here:

www.rabbit.org/health/spay.html

Hope that helps!

Dana