# Acceptable behavior for a meat rabbit?



## HomesteadBeginnings (Jan 24, 2018)

I'm new to rabbits so looking for some advice! I have a standard rex doe who is just about 4 months old now. She was perfect until recently. She now lunges, growls and kicks whenever anyone puts a hand in the cage. As soon as she sees anyone the ears are pinned back and she backs herself into a corner. If you try to pat her she lunges and growls (hasn't tried to bite yet), but as soon as you start patting her on the forehead she is fine. Some days she is fine, others she is a nightmare! The cage is probably twice as big as a normal meat rabbit cage, so its not huge but definitely bigger than the normal size. I've been letting her run around outside and she doesn't growl or lunge out there, just inside her cage.

I've only had one doe before her. She was similar but would try and bite, so I replaced her but it seems I've ended up with the same problem. I have a buck who is perfect and never displays any kind of aggression, it seems to just be my does.

Are does just normally this territorial over their cage? Is there anything I can do to calm her down? When she started doing it I started handling her less, to the point where I don't pick her up at all now. Should I handle her more to get her used to contact? I'm thinking I might just need to put on some gloves to handle her inside her cage, or maybe find a calmer doe if this isn't normal behavior...


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## Missmonty (Jan 24, 2018)

I had a doe like that she stopped over time but from about 4 months old until I bred her at about 6 months old she was a monster (ironically she was also a standard rex). One of my other friends who bred rex rabbits told me to try breeding her as soon as she comes of age and it may help, I honestly didn't really believe her but it did help! 

Then I get all my rabbits into a rotation for breeding once they have their first litters (I generally like to wait until they're closer to 8-9 months to breed but she was a special case), I didn't have any problems with her after that. She was never as friendly as some of my others but she did stop growling at me at least. 

She was actually my first rabbit and I didn't even know rabbits could growl before her haha! She never officially bit but she would growl, kick, and lunge at people. We never actually kept any of her babies so I don't know if it was passed down to her babies, the litter we were going to keep one we realized she had something going on with her back and we realized one of the babies had it too so we assumed it was genetic and didn't want to keep breeding it into our program so we culled them all.


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## Tale of Tails Rabbitry (Jan 24, 2018)

I just met someone who used to raise and show Rex rabbits and she told me how vicious they were. She now has one of my NZW/SF crosses that was the sweetest, most docile doe I ever bred, who is being spoiled to no end as she grows out to be a meat breeder.

I also have larger cages, not sure if size makes it better or worse. However, I ALWAYS wear sleeves and gloves or have gloves handy even though my SFs and NZWs are used to being handled nearly every day.

I had one NZW doe that liked my husband but would grunt and try to bite me. She only got worse about it, but she was such an excellent mother. When she started doing that with my husband too, he thought she might have been uncomforable or in pain so she was retired. She was probably nearly five then.

I purposely breed for temperament as well as for a quality meat rabbit. With newcomers, I feed greens by hand, through wires, then with the cage door open, and then I hold them. My kits are held every day I can. I did have a newcomer young buck that would charge me and sometimes grunt, but it was more like a game with him and now he is my biggest sweetheart.

I wonder, though, if the rabbit is experiencing pain somewhere...?


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## promiseacres (Jan 24, 2018)

Hormones and terriatorial cause these behaviors. 
Some people tolerate and just deal with it. Others cull. You might try breeding may calm her down though possibly temporarily. I breed show bunnies and do not tolerate nastiness.


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## Pastor Dave (Jan 24, 2018)

Your purpose for raising them does come into play. My meat rabbits get away with temperment show or pet breeders wouldn't allow. I have a doe that was sweet until she got bred, then got moody. She is territorial and dominant to her cage. The hormones play such a big part. 

She is my most protective mother. I have to watch her close when reaching in the nest box and handling her kits. She did not calm down between litters last time, wanting to lunge and claw when I reach in her cage. If I need to clean or spend a little extended time in her cage, I wear gloves. She has big litters that she keeps big percentages alive til weaning. So, I keep her. I wouldn't keep her offspring.


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## Missmonty (Jan 24, 2018)

Tale of Tails Rabbitry said:


> I just met someone who used to raise and show Rex rabbits and she told me how vicious they were. She now has one of my NZW/SF crosses that was the sweetest, most docile doe I ever bred, who is being spoiled to no end as she grows out to be a meat breeder.
> 
> I also have larger cages, not sure if size makes it better or worse. However, I ALWAYS wear sleeves and gloves or have gloves handy even though my SFs and NZWs are used to being handled nearly every day.
> 
> ...



That is crazy! Over the summer I had roughly 60 adult standard rex before we culled (we were culling for dog food so we let them grow out longer than normal). Other than my one female when she was younger I never had any mean ones. We actually picked standard rex due to their temperaments as generally they're super sweet. I'm not saying she didn't have mean ones but it blows my mind! I've only met a couple individual rex or rex mixes with crappy attitudes.


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## HomesteadBeginnings (Jan 24, 2018)

Thank you all for the replies!

I gloved up and had a closer look at her today. She was REALLY mean to start with but settled down a bit. I couldn't see anything that might be causing her pain, although she was slightly squinting one eye occasionally but there was no redness, swelling etc. Looked exactly the same as the other one. I'm a bit worried as pain might explain her sudden behavior change, but as soon as I leave the cage she stops squinting/glaring at me and goes back to moving about with her ears forward and eyes bright. How can I tell if she is in pain vs being just a grumpy hormonal teenager? 

Her attitude isn't bad enough (yet) for me to cull, so I'll keep her and see what happens after her first litter and more handling. Standard rex in my area are really hard to find so I won't be able to find a new doe anytime soon anyway, unless I switch to new zealands (which is tempting, they seem so much sweeter than the rex  ).


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## Pastor Dave (Jan 25, 2018)

I have found out in this size of rabbit a couplafew things. They all act abt the same. They all taste abt the same. They bred down from some common ancestry probably European Cottontails or some such thing tbat the Romans domesticated. Each of the rabbits I have had as breeders and have gotten to know have their individual characters. I believe they can calm down with proper attention and handling to at least not growl, lunge and claw, etc. to being accepting of petting or minor handling. They may always be timid abt being picked up, but should be able to be a little more peaceful. I don't have to time to spend on an individual that long to achieve good behavior. So, I put up with some defensiveness.


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## Tale of Tails Rabbitry (Jan 25, 2018)

Missmonty said:


> That is crazy! Over the summer I had roughly 60 adult standard rex before we culled (we were culling for dog food so we let them grow out longer than normal). Other than my one female when she was younger I never had any mean ones. We actually picked standard rex due to their temperaments as generally they're super sweet. I'm not saying she didn't have mean ones but it blows my mind! I've only met a couple individual rex or rex mixes with crappy attitudes.



I believe you. I also believe her about the Rex rabbits she had. Generally, I really think a rabbit's temperament has to do with health, breeding, and handling. Most of the people I have run into breeding meat rabbits are more concerned about kindle size and fast development rather than temperament. However, in her case, temperament was important because she showed.


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## Tale of Tails Rabbitry (Jan 25, 2018)

HomesteadBeginnings said:


> I gloved up and had a closer look at her today. She was REALLY mean to start with but settled down a bit. I couldn't see anything that might be causing her pain, although she was slightly squinting one eye occasionally but there was no redness, swelling etc. Looked exactly the same as the other one. I'm a bit worried as pain might explain her sudden behavior change, but as soon as I leave the cage she stops squinting/glaring at me and goes back to moving about with her ears forward and eyes bright. How can I tell if she is in pain vs being just a grumpy hormonal teenager?



It could just be she is territorial or moody. I had one NZW doe that really tried to go after me, but was sweet to my husband. Either she did not like that I was always checking on and counting her kits or she just preferred men.



HomesteadBeginnings said:


> Her attitude isn't bad enough (yet) for me to cull, so I'll keep her and see what happens after her first litter and more handling. Standard rex in my area are really hard to find so I won't be able to find a new doe anytime soon anyway, unless I switch to new zealands (which is tempting, they seem so much sweeter than the rex  ).



I personally have not had enough good luck with NZW having good temperaments as a rule, although I have had a few exceptions that stood out.


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## Bunnylady (Jan 25, 2018)

I think "acceptable" is the relevant word here.  I have had a lot of rabbits that got cranky when they entered puberty; getting territorial about their cages is pretty normal. For me, the tipping point is degree, and does the rabbit stay that way? I have a scar on my wrist to remind me of a Netherland Dwarf buck that got so bad, he would lunge at the front of the cage if someone just walked by. As others have said, some get over it, some don't. Since I deal with breeds that are mostly sold as pets, temperament is _very_ important to me. Not every baby of a cuddlebug bunny pair will be like their parents, but nasty rabbits are more likely to give birth to nasty rabbits.

To a rabbit, 'high' is dominant, 'low' is submissive. If I had to deal with a rabbit like this, I would keep my hands high in the cage, and only approach her when she is exhibiting submissive body language. Taking her out of her cage for attention is good, since the fight usually goes out of them when you get them out of their territory. I don't expect all of my rabbits to be in-my-face friendly, but if they won't at least tolerate me doing what I have to do, they vote themselves out of the gene pool.



Tale of Tails Rabbitry said:


> Either she did not like that I was always checking on and counting her kits or she just preferred men.



Rabbits are very much aware of who they are dealing with. Years ago, I had a young Harlequin doe that was everybody's doll baby around here. We  had a harness that we would put on her and let her wander around - she loved it so much, we called her "Dora the Explorer." But when I took her to her first ARBA show, she nearly got herself put off the table because she started growling and striking at the judge! I poked her on the backside a couple of times to get her attention; she whipped around to deal with this new antagonist, and I said, "Easy, baby, easy! It's just me!" She stood up on her back legs, put both front paws on my shoulder, and put her head under my chin. She stood like that for a minute or so as I stroked her and spoke to her softly. Finally, she settled back on the table, and I told the judge, "she's not mean, just  . . . overwhelmed." He was a bit gingerly about the way he handled her after that, but she was fine; at least she didn't get thrown out of the class.


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