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Roxy turning aggressive :(

Peanut-Toffee

Peanut-Toffee

Warren Veteran
Shes always been a bit of a grumpy thing (well, she got worse AFTER being neutered), but recently shes just getting worse and worse.
Went in the shed this morning to have a fuss, check up and give them pellets. Roxy immediately grunted and lunged at me, I tried to ignore it and carried on cleaning round and checking the guinea pigs etc, but she just kept grunting, biting my legs/arms, then if Rory came too close she'd grunt and lunge at him too :( I have no idea why?
Shes been a bit stroppy since I got the guinea pigs (theyre in the hutch in the shed....the bunnies used to have access to this hutch but obv its shut up now), could that be the reason?
She used to be the fussiest lickiest little thing as a baby!
 
Peanut-Toffee said:
Shes always been a bit of a grumpy thing (well, she got worse AFTER being neutered), but recently shes just getting worse and worse.
Went in the shed this morning to have a fuss, check up and give them pellets. Roxy immediately grunted and lunged at me, I tried to ignore it and carried on cleaning round and checking the guinea pigs etc, but she just kept grunting, biting my legs/arms, then if Rory came too close she'd grunt and lunge at him too :( I have no idea why?
Shes been a bit stroppy since I got the guinea pigs (theyre in the hutch in the shed....the bunnies used to have access to this hutch but obv its shut up now), could that be the reason?
She used to be the fussiest lickiest little thing as a baby!
Click to expand...

i don't have any advice for you sorry, just wante you to know your not alone as this is exactly what is hapenning with sootie and he was castrated 2 months ago and before he was lovely
 
Could be the smell of the pigs in her territory which is setting her off. Have you tried removing the pigs from the shed for a few days and seeing if that helps?
 
I have nowhere else to put them though? Only got them Saturday and didnt think it would be a problem :(
Im worried about her getting too aggressive, and main worry is her breaking the bond :(
 
Sounds like she is stressed out by the smell of the piggies. Can you not bring the pigs inside for a few days or is there still too much of a temperature difference?
Has she had a vet check? My rabbit, Fiver, gets very aggressive and charges at me when he is in pain with teeth or tummy.
 
Will get her vet checked, nowhere else to put the piggies so it if it them looks like I might have to rehome :( I really hope not but Roxy was here first :(
 
I would say thats territorial behaviour. You've introduced another animal into her territory, she's not going to be happy about that.
 
Will she settle down do you think? Or shall I just give up on the guinea pigs already? :(
Didnt think it would make any difference :(
 
Peanut-Toffee said:
Will she settle down do you think? Or shall I just give up on the guinea pigs already? :(
Didnt think it would make any difference :(
Click to expand...

I doubt it very much, to be honest.

I'd want the pigs out of the shed for at least a few days, just to see if she calms down, although you may need to neutralise it, as she will still be able to smell them.

The issue here is, rabbits are VERY territorial and their sense of smell is unbeaten by many other animals, one of those things im afraid.

Think of it as a stranger coming and sitting in your living room without you being able to control it, you wouldn't be particularly happy? :)
 
Just havent got the space, and I dont like guinea pigs being directly outside. The only reason I got them was cos I had the hutch in the shed so had room for them straight away.
So now Ive got to rehome a 10month old male and 8week old female guinea pig :cry:
And loads of people keep them in the same room/shed some even in the same hutch/cage without problems!
 
Peanut-Toffee said:
Just havent got the space, and I dont like guinea pigs being directly outside. The only reason I got them was cos I had the hutch in the shed so had room for them straight away.
So now Ive got to rehome a 10month old male and 8week old female guinea pig :cry:
And loads of people keep them in the same room/shed some even in the same hutch/cage without problems!
Click to expand...

Just because you can, doesn't mean you should, the individual rabbits are different as we well know.

Maybe others will come along with other ideas, but i certainly don't have any.

Sorry
 
If it's only been 5 days - she may well get over it. You could even neutralise the area, keep her elsewhere for a few days, put her back, so it's not "hers", as if you were bonding

I would visit the vet to get pain/teeth etc ruled out, get her eyesight & ears looked at as poor hearing/sight/pain can cause aggression.
Can she see the GPs? I've had buns that are ok smelling buns close by, just not seeing them, so maybe you could block them from view/elevate them etc.
 
I just went out and her and Rory were snuggled up and she sat and groomed my hand for ages, so thats better :) Maybe it was just the morning grumps earlier lol!
The guinea pigs hutch is straight on the floor so yeah they can see each other. Im intending to either get a new hutch built, or get it raised up a bit though so that may help!
 
Peanut-Toffee said:
I just went out and her and Rory were snuggled up and she sat and groomed my hand for ages, so thats better :) Maybe it was just the morning grumps earlier lol!
The guinea pigs hutch is straight on the floor so yeah they can see each other. Im intending to either get a new hutch built, or get it raised up a bit though so that may help!
Click to expand...

How big is the mesh between the pigs and the rabbits? She could do a nasty bite to a piggy if she can fit her teeth through.
 
Just normal sized mesh, they were all sat eating hay the other day lol, piggies eating their hay in the hutch, bunnies nicking the hay through the mesh, all fine with each other lol
 
I would give her a little more time to settle down too. I would think that she'd gradually get used to the idea that that is their space now, not hers. Particularly if you take up Angie's suggestion of neutralising the area. In the meantime could you try giving them extra toys/things to do to perhaps distract her a little?

I definitely wouldn't give up hope yet. There's nothing wrong with the fact you wanted guineas or that you put them in the shed. Yes, Roxy may have reacted badly at first but many bunnies also react badly when they're first bonded - it doesn't mean they won't come around, it doesn't mean it's bad for them, and it doesn't mean you're a bad owner.
 
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