body language, predatory behaviour

Question
I am hoping you can explain what it means when my rabbit does this.  I think it is a she and unspayed.  She holds her head up high, making her neck look long, ears are up and forward, then she suddenly runs real fast toward me.  She will sit for a little while watching me then charges.  I don't know if it is aggressive or friendly but it reminds me of a mean dog guarding it's yard, charging the fence, and it scares me.
Also, since she bites me when I try to feed her I placed some cardboard on the bottom of her cage and I drop the food pellets onto the cardboard.  I think she likes this.  When she hears them falling she races over and chases them, catches them and eats them.  It's strange to me to see a rabbit acting very predetory.  My Jack Russel terrier/West Highland terrier mix acts the same way when she is chasing a ball or a squirrel but I expect such behaviour from a terrier or any dog but not from my rabbit.

Answer
Hi Regina,

I haven't seen your rabbit, but from the behavior you are describing, it probably is a she, and she probably is not spayed.

My first recommendation is to have her spayed (or if a boy, neutered).  The negative behavior you mention above will be greatly reduced, if not eliminated, by spaying.  You will also save her from dying a premature death from uterine cancer.

Female rabbits that are mature and intact are territorial and defend their turf, as you have seen.  This lessens a lot when they are spayed.  Spaying rabbits mellows them out to the point you can actually enjoy them rather than being worried they will attack or charge you.

Find a good rabbit vet to do this, as this is a major surgery for them.  If you do not have one (and believe me, just because a vet is good with cats and dogs, it doesn't mean they're good with rabbits), go to the House Rabbit Society web page of recommended rabbit vets:

www.rabbit.org\vets

and hopefully you can find one in your area of the country.

The House Rabbit Society also has extensive articles on rabbit behavior and the benefits of spaying females, so be sure to browse through these articles on their web site (you can do a search on 'behavior' or 'spay' on their site).

Feel free to write back.

Lee