Roxy-Boo strange behaviour

Further to my thread last week about my strangely behaved rabbit - she i still digging out her litter tray and seems really scared. We have just moved her and Jasper to their new shed, and she seems really unhappy. She is not eating with her usual vigour and seems really scared. When she was younger, before speying, she was very sweet and tame. Now she grunts and me, lunges when i feed her and digs through her pet fleece. I thought the premium vet bed was chew resistant! :roll: I will start the bonding off process asap as she has now gotten over her neuter. Having had quite a few rabbits, he behaviour is a bit of a mystery!

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Clairesophis said:

Further to my thread last week about my strangely behaved rabbit - she i still digging out her litter tray and seems really scared. We have just moved her and Jasper to their new shed, and she seems really unhappy. She is not eating with her usual vigour and seems really scared. When she was younger, before speying, she was very sweet and tame. Now she grunts and me, lunges when i feed her and digs through her pet fleece. I thought the premium vet bed was chew resistant! :roll: I will start the bonding off process asap as she has now gotten over her neuter. Having had quite a few rabbits, he behaviour is a bit of a mystery!

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

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Rabbits can change a little personality wise post-spay, it does happen, although uncommon. It may be that her spay was done just at the moment her hormones were kicking in and so she may still have some 'teenage' behavioural issues to work through independent of those particular hormones that would have been switched off by the spay. Buns have many other hormones released from elsewhere that can all contribute to behaviour. Some of which will be trying to stimulate her ovaries (which are no longer there) and so with the feedback loop broken this can make bun feel a bit confused as it were hormonally. This is why post-spay calm down can take up to 9 months in some rabbits, and some spayed does will still get a surge of hormones in their first adult spring, even though reproductive organs are missing.

If it is purely fear related and this could have been triggered by simply one learned association - perhaps around the time of her spay? then you will just need to give her time and try and not trigger her fear response too much (i.e. grabbing/chasing). If you see her become 'fear aroused' as they say, back off and try again later - small steps. Positive food rewards and praise can go a long way in a nervous bun.

I'm also wondering, as this is such a change in behaviour for her, whether or not she is hiding pain or illness anywhere? I would want her to have a quick check over with a rabbit-savvy vet before assuming her problem is behavioural, it could be a health issue that she is masking. Good luck