Bunny adolescence?

[momofonly]

My English Angora doe, who is about six months old, has become kind of "fresh" lately. I let her out of her hutch every morning when I clean her ltter box, and let her run around. I had been taking her out every night and putting her on my lap to feed her greens. She seemed to not mind being picked up until recently. Now she's playing hard-to-get and runs in places where I can't get her. Trying to get her to go back in her hutch is difficult as she keeps running away. Today she actually lunged at me when I tried to get her out from under her hutch to put her back inside. I've had her since she was about 7 weeks old. So now I'm wondering, is this just some kind of bunny adolescence, or has she gone from an easygoing, people-loving rabbit to a somewhat grumpy rabbit? Anyone have any experience with this? Thanks!

 

[tortoise]

1. Stop giving loose/exercise time. Some rabbits get convinced that everything is a predator and can't handle being out of their safe place. Put your hand flat in front of her face so she doesn't dart forward, then pick her up. Put her in a smallish cage.

2. Handle every day. Start by being very slow, methodical while feeding/watering. Open the cage slowly, ignore her. After a few days of this, just tough her once. Over a week or two, get so that you can run your hand across her back without her getting stressed.

3. Breed her. Some does with otherwise polite does will get naughty if they need to be bred.

4. If those don't work, consider culling her for temperament.

 

[ChickenPotPie]

Is she spayed? She probably wants to be bred. We females can get a little witchy at these times, you know?

Sometime when you're sitting with her and she can't go anywhere, like when she's an a grooming table, pet her. When your hand goes over her back side, does she lift up? Sometimes you get that obvious indicator but other times, they've just got an attitude.

Spay her if she should not be bred. Breed her is she is of breeding/show quality or is a wooler (if you have need of more or know someone who does).

If she is already spayed, you need to reign her in and be less lenient with her. Toroise's suggestions are great.

 

[momofonly]

I probably should have indicated that this is a solitary pet rabbit. I would like to be able to show her sometime, but I have no plans to breed or otherwise have more than one bunny. The breeder actually told me that she should not be bred, but I wasn't planning to anyway. She isn't spayed. ( A while ago I started the "to spay or not to spay" thread when I was undecided.)

I noticed that while trying to escape from being picked up that she makes a sound that's sort of halfway between a grunt and a groan. Almost like a quiet wheeze. I've had 3 other bunnies before her, and none of them made that noise. I had a male that would grunt when he tried to mount things (until I got him neutered), but that was a different sound than this one.

Thanks for the responses so far. I've learned some new things.

 

[ChickenPotPie]

Oh, if you're going to show her, you better not spay her.

Those grunts are a warning. She may be hormonal or just trying to push you around. Keep up good handling techniques every day. Aggression can start out as cute or misunderstood and quickly turn into you feeding your devil rabbit with oven mitts on.

If you breeder is close by, ask him/her to come by and evaluate the situation and go over handling skills with you (including how to get a rabbit out of it's cage when it's challenging you.

 

[momofonly]

I think it must be hormonal. The reason is that she's been a perfect angel the past two days. I've just been opening her cage, putting my hand on her head, and taking her right out, with no resistance from her. She's been very good about lap sitting the past two nights, really being relaxed. Do rabbits have hormonal cycles? Or maybe she just has decided not to challenge me for a few days.

 

[ChickenPotPie]

Rabbits doe have cycles but I believe the are much more frequent than ours. They do not go into heat.

ie. If I want to breed a doe and she's not receptive, I'll wait four days and try again.

I'm glad she's calmed down for you.

 

[terri9630]

We had 2 does do this. Sometimes you could put your hand in and pet them other times you had to have on heavy gloves to keep from getting bit. Once you had them out of the cage they were fine. They were both very territorial. I tried to breed them and they both attacked the buck. I finally sold them.