I'm pretty upset at the moment because Scooter and I had been getting along so great, he wasfollowing me everywhere,he let me pickhim up, clip his nails, pet him endlessly... and now he HATES me. He looks at me like Ibetrayed him so badly -- which I did. I'abused' him withthevetvisit.He won'tlet me anywhere near him. I know he'll never trust me fully again. In time he'll probably tolerate me, but it won't be the same.
And I really think he's biting because he's been abused (in his mind at least) by people in the past, and because he's an opinionated mini-rex -- 10 fold.He's very much like Dill's 'evil twin' -- although of course not reallyevil at all.
Dill was cheerful and trusting, but would still bite when you did something he didn't like -- the human equivalent would be a verbal 'sharprebuke'. With Scooter,he'smoreangry and distrustful. Whenhe nips for no reason,its more like a 'I expectyou to behave!' Then he'll progress to more nips, like a human shaking their first -- and after firing that warning shot, it's the bites -- like a whack on the bum or a smack across the side of the head. (And if you get him wound up, he'll beat you -- a human abuser).
I think Scooterwas just a relatively normal opinionated little mini-rex like Dill and he was initially with people who didn't understand that, and they disciplined him.
It's oddbut Scooter really is sort of Dill'smirror image 'dark side'.Dill would never nip my skin unless it was through clothes -- he'd search for the clothes and paw at them, didn't seem to like people wearing that weird stuff -- whereas Scooter won't bite unless it's skin. If I'm wearing long pants and footwear, I'm safe. He looks for bare skin and if he doesn't find it, he gives up. If he finds some, ouch! That honestly doesn't bother me. Most don't break skin, and I'm not really afraid of them. (Unlike the Vet).
Marvin isn't making me feel much better. I let him out and walk towards him and he runs away whimpering - loudly - like I'm about to butcher him. :sigh: The pics of him outside in L.A., he looks so happy. He's not that happy here. He's in a pen in the living room, and he just sits on the shelf all day. It takes him a while to come out when I open it.
When he's out, he heads to Scooters pen and fights with himthrough the bars. Not sure who started it, but Marvin heads straight for Scooter's pen butScooter doesn't go to Marvin's when he's out. And then Marvinhangs aroundthefoster girls pen. He spends more time exploring the other bunnies than the house. I think he's going to have to be bonded to somebunny, just not sure who. ETA: I know he'll come around, it's just not much comfort in light of my Scooter betrayal.
Here's Scooter with the Vet. I will put this in the Infirmary thread as well.
(BTW, not too worried about Scooter'steeth, he's eating everything, obviously no issues there, if that changes I'll revisit the situation).
