Ohboythisisit
New Kit
Im sorry for any mistakes in this message but I’m typing very quickly on my phone at work.
A few months ago I decided to get a companion bunny for my two year old buck after his sibling died. I found an eight week old that needed a home and was told it was a doe. I kept the two of them separate while I waited for her to get to a suitable age to be spayed, but placed them close enough together so they could sniff through the bars of their play pens. The relationship seemed really good! They were always pleased to see each other and would groom through the bars.
Suddenly, the new bunny’s behaviour changed. She became very wild and hyper and after a vet appointment for vaccinations we were informed that she was not a doe, but a buck. The vet told us that if they were getting on well there should be no reason why I couldn’t bond them after neutering. So that’s what I planned. I have bonded rabbits in the past so I felt very confident.
It is almost one month after getting the new bunny neutered and his personality has changed. He has become vicious after being a very very friendly animal before then. He has become determined to get my two year old by any means and today he was able to break down the fence of his pen, get to him and instigated a vicious fight (my two year old just sat there and took it with no fighting back)
Are personality changes like this common after neutering? He has even become nasty towards humans and will scratch anyone who tries to pet him. I’m not sure what to do as I now have a fearful two year old bunny who has done nothing wrong.
Both rabbits have a lovely set up. Large two level hutches with play pens attached and plenty of toys and boredom breakers. They get a lot of exercise and are only ever closed in their hutches at night or if someone isn’t home, so I don’t believe that their set up or lack of interaction has anything to do with it
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
A few months ago I decided to get a companion bunny for my two year old buck after his sibling died. I found an eight week old that needed a home and was told it was a doe. I kept the two of them separate while I waited for her to get to a suitable age to be spayed, but placed them close enough together so they could sniff through the bars of their play pens. The relationship seemed really good! They were always pleased to see each other and would groom through the bars.
Suddenly, the new bunny’s behaviour changed. She became very wild and hyper and after a vet appointment for vaccinations we were informed that she was not a doe, but a buck. The vet told us that if they were getting on well there should be no reason why I couldn’t bond them after neutering. So that’s what I planned. I have bonded rabbits in the past so I felt very confident.
It is almost one month after getting the new bunny neutered and his personality has changed. He has become vicious after being a very very friendly animal before then. He has become determined to get my two year old by any means and today he was able to break down the fence of his pen, get to him and instigated a vicious fight (my two year old just sat there and took it with no fighting back)
Are personality changes like this common after neutering? He has even become nasty towards humans and will scratch anyone who tries to pet him. I’m not sure what to do as I now have a fearful two year old bunny who has done nothing wrong.
Both rabbits have a lovely set up. Large two level hutches with play pens attached and plenty of toys and boredom breakers. They get a lot of exercise and are only ever closed in their hutches at night or if someone isn’t home, so I don’t believe that their set up or lack of interaction has anything to do with it
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
