Netherland Dwarf, Gabby, is getting an attitude--HELP

She is almost a year old and was spayed at 4 months. Gabby has the run of the WHOLE house and goes to her litter box inside her cage to potty. She also eats and drinks in her cage. We have tons of toys for her and have put phonebooks, readers digest, and other magazines all around her favorite places ( where she has chewed the carpet ) . She has plenty of timothy hay..we put it inside balls, paper bags,inside pages etc. as well as several pieces of wood ( she still likes the occasional chair, stand leg ). We play with her with a towel which she loves..lots of grunting and jumping. She has started scratching aggresivley and biting me on the leg It really hurts and she has broken the skin twice now. I will reach down and pet her or sometimes pick her up ( if she wants me to ). I don't know what to do..we have thought about getting her a friend but financialy I don't think we could do it..I have also seen some of the pictures here of the result of them fighting and they do not always bond. We really love our little bun bun but I'm getting tired of getting bit by her...not my husband..just me. I also feed her by hand sometimes and she has never been aggresive about us reaching in her cage when she is in there.
What should I do..I tell her no and "spank" her bottom when she does it. HELP..I fell like I'm being attacked. LOL :shock:

Firstly, please do NOT spank your bun, however gently. Rabbits do NOT understand being told off. It just doesnt work.

I would suggest that you take her to a rabbit savvy vet to have a health check (put a thread in rabbit chat asking for 'rabbit savvy vet needed in <your area>' if you need to) as sudden behavioural changes can be down to being ill / not feeling right / being in pain. Rabbits hide pain EXTREMELY well and you may not be able to tell. Has ANYTHING (even the smallest thing) changed in her environment?

Next, what are you doing when she bites you? What is she doing prior to it happening?

Yes, a friend would be ideal, i know it sounds a bit scary, but you can ask the rescue you got her a friend from to do the bond for you, they often do this. That would alleviate the stresses from you for doing this. Financially, not including vet bills, 2 rabbits really do not cost anymore than one. They eat the hay, the food, they live int he same place, so there's no additional housing requirements etc. As house rabbits however, its important you speak to the rescue about temperament and if they chew, dig, are litter trained etc etc.

Perhaps this is some food for thought for you? I'd certainly recommend a health check though if this has just suddenly started.

We have had her checked out by the vet..we take her in every 3 months to have her nails clipped and checked..the vet said she is very healthy. When I "spank" her it is with 2 fingers..pretty much just an agressive NO when she does it. She usually does it when I get up in the morning ( sitting on the loo ) or when I'm sitting at my desk on the computer. We purchased her at a pet store ( $ 65.00 ) and could not afford to get another one, we have a pet shelter but have never seen dwarf bunnies there. The cost of another bun bun was not the only financial worry but also the vet bills when they fight. I have seen some of the pictures of the end result of them fighting and the pictures alone almost made me cry..I would die if she got hurt in a fight!!!! Thanks for the suggestions GrahamL...

I just wanted to add..my husband and I just adore Gabby..she is very spoiled and pampered. She will come in our bedroom at night and hop up onto our bed and run around waking us up. We tried closing our bedroom door and she would sit outside the door and chew and scratch like crazy..so my husband said leave the door open in case she wants to see us. She will stretch out by us at night when we watch tv and likes to be held and groomed ( but only when she wants it ). She has 3 little houses she can go into with towels under them so she can scratch and dig all she wants and she has a pile of timothy hay in our computer room that she jumps around in when she wants...I just wanted you to know that we love our little Gabby so very much. I did'nt want anyone thinking she was being abused when I said I "spank" her.

I just read the link "The Language of Lagomorphs" Wow very informative. I think Gabby was wanting me to groom her and I was ignoring that "order" LOL. That was such interesting reading and I really got a lot from it. I am even going to try out some of the language.Great reading!!