in need of a bit of reassurance :(

Been wanting to post on her for a couple of days but been too upset about it to bring myself to but think some reassurance of some fellow bunny lovers will make me feel a bit better.

I'll give you a bit of background first. I got Poppy on remembrance Sunday so I've now had her for just over 2 months. I've had pets since being a tiny baby and moved in with my fiancé in the summer and really missed having a pet at home, so after lots of uming and aring about what pet to get and what would suit us we/I got Poppy. She a lovely black lionhead. She has a large hutch in the kitchen that she is in when we are out and in bed and she spends the rest of her time in a pen in the dining room (at least 5ish hours a day). I was spending a lot of time with her, she was starting to learn lots of tricks ('up' and she'd jump up onto a box, 'stand' and she'd stand up etc) she was becoming a real snuggle bum after being quite shy when we first got her, she'd flop when I was stroking her she's curl up and go to sleep on the sofa etc. Generally she was turning into an amazing rabbit who was getting the majority of my time! In the longer term I plan to give her a really good bunny life, she's going to the vets on Saturday to have her jabs and while I'm there I hope to book her in for Feb half term (I'm a teacher) to get her spayed. After she's spayed I plan on moving her into the dining room permanently, I'll either move her hutch in there or my parents have a dog crate I'm thinking of turning into a nice pad for her. Then once she's all better and settled down (maybe summer holidays) I hope to get her a friend from a rescue.

Anyway she was a complete soft beauty until last Thursday. Last Thursday her hormones kicked in! She now only likes snuggles on her terms, she is growly about her hutch and has started being quiet territorial.

I got quite upset and spent a lot of the weekend crying about it.

I've taken it right back to basics with her, she doesn't like being carried anymore so I've gone back to using the carrier to get her from hutch to pen etc and taking the chance to brush her mass of fluff when she chooses to come and sit with me. I got her new toys at the weekend (she now has every toy option going I think!) to give her a bit of variety and I'm rotating so she's not getting board.

Sorry I know this is an essay, just hoping that you will all tell me what my OH has been trying to tell me and her mood has nothing to do with me and me doing something wrong and I just need to maintain a bond with her until she's spayed and then I can start the training and hopefully snuggles again.

Thank you in advance x

This is normal in a hormonal female bunny and is nothing that you have done :wave: how old is she now? Spaying is def the best way forward as she won't be frustrated. It will take a month or so for the hormones to die down but she will slowly come back to being a cuddle monster x

I was told she was about 8-10 weeks when I got her, I've looked at pictures online though of lionheads at this age and she had a lot more hair so I think she was probs a little older so she is at least 4 month old, so by Feb half term she'll be atleast 5 months old.

Thank you for your reassurance. I'm very self critical and was blaming myself a lot!

Aww don't blame yourself.. think along the lines of a teen just getting their crazy hormones and giving the "Kevin & Perry" attitude and you have yourself a 4-6 month old bunny :shock: :lol:

Females tend to be worse for attitude, but the boys start spraying smelly cheesy-Dorito wee all over the walls and carpet which is just manky :lol:

countrybumkin said:

Anyway she was a complete soft beauty until last Thursday. Last Thursday her hormones kicked in! She now only likes snuggles on her terms, she is growly about her hutch and has started being quiet territorial.

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You're lucky! Took Pickle well over a year before he would accept any form of snuggle off me and a whole year before my Angelina would even let me touch her without running off and thumping!

She well be a lot more settled once she's spayed, don't worry, she sounds quite normal :wave:

I am pretty certain that once Poppy is spayed, her unsociable and hormonal driven behaviour will either totally disappear or be greatly reduced.

Hang on in there things will get better.

Yep I'm sure once she's spayed her hormones will settle back down and you'll have your snuggle bun back


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