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Bunny affections

22 11:31:49

Question
Hi,
I have a female rabbit, a little under 3 yrs old.  She is very outgoing and has always been great with dealing with me, other rabbits, other people and cats.  I had a male rabbit, about 8 mths older than her in the house the entire time I have had her, and they were best of friends, and had free run of the house.  About 4 moths ago he died, and she basically substitued me for her best friend :) She would follow me around the house everywhere, sleep on my bed, lay on the couch with me while watching tv.  A month ago I had her spayed, and while recovering she was not allowed to jump on anything, so I blocked off access to the bed and the couch (I would sit on the floor mostly).  Basically, since she has healed and is now allowed on to jump back on those things, she doesn't, she has become more withdrawn.  Is this an effect of her being spayed?  Is she mad? I have tried placing her on the bed or couch, and petting her so she knows it is ok, but she jumps down quite quickly.  What is the best method to get her back to her old super affectionate ways?

Thanks,
Nicole

Answer
Dear Nicole,

It's possible that your bunny is one of those rare ones whose very affectionate behavior was partly due to sexual attraction.  When such bunnies are spayed, they lose the extremely outgoing nature, and may become calmer.  In some cases, they gradually return to their old, affectionate ways, but only time will tell.

I think you're doing the right things by taking it slowly and letting her be herself.  Try some of the tips here:

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

I've known a few bunnies who took several months to "forgive" their moms (or dads) for the surgery, but eventually they came around, and things were normal.  I wish I could predict for you what will happen with your bunny, but we can't.  In the meantime, keep being affectionate with her, respect her moods, and let things work their way.

I hope this helps.  Please write back if you have more questions.

Dana