Sass and territory issues

[Zekeybun]

Hey everyone-
I feel like I’m stuck between a rock and a hard place so i thought I’d get some other thoughts.
Our girl Ash is 8 months now and NOT spayed. We intended to spay her but during her prescreen she had two irregular EKGs and the vet determined she has an arrhythmia and we opted not to proceed for the risk factor. Fast forward a month and a half later and she is exhibiting really territorial signs constantly running around with her tail pointed up making grunting sounds and pooping and spraying everywhere.
She’s a free roam rabbit, has run of three rooms. We do have another rabbit, our hopes has been to bond but we may not be able to now with her not being spayed. We've had Ash since 11 weeks and it’s been a complete personality change in the past two weeks. Our most recent vet exam was about four weeks ago when we opted not to spay.
Are there any practices for trying to correct some of these behaviors? We’ve started restricting space especially in the evenings to try and encourage our previous potty habits but it’s to no avail! We’ve tried searching through forums and online but the first recommendation is always just having them spayed which isn’t an option for us.
She’s obviously exhausted from all the sass

 

[Zekeybun]

As an update I finished posting this- my fiancé came out of the bedroom and Ash jumped off the couch where she was getting pets tan one lap around him and sprayed all over his pants and the carpet- it’s just getting so far out of hand.

 

[JBun]

It's funny, and it's not. I've had a mouthful of it myself, with one well aimed shot from an enthusiastic buck I had

Are you sure you have a girl(I'm assuming the vet confirmed this)? I've had a few unspayed females that would spray a little, but it was always the unfixed males that liked to coat the room with their pee.

There may be some behavioral work you can do, in regards to letting your rabbit know that you're 'top bun'. But sometimes those hormones are just too strong of a driver, and it might come down to either putting up with the hormonal behavior or risking the surgery.

https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Aggressive_rabbits
I had a rabbit that actually went into cardiac arrest(and was resuscitated) at the start of his neuter surgery, which the vet then had to stop and not go through with. But he was alone and couldn't be with his fixed family group unless he was neutered. I put it off a year, found the best rabbit vet in the area, and decided to go ahead and risk the surgery. He was neutered successfully without issue this time.

I can't say how much of a risk it will be for your rabbit if you decided to go ahead with the spay, but if you do decide to, I would suggest finding the best rabbit vet possible to help decrease the risks involved, even if you have to make a bit of a trip to go to one. And make sure pre op blood work is done. For the surgery, having an IV catheter and intubation(only with experienced vet) done can sometimes help if any complications do arise.

https://rabbit.org/vet-listings/

 

[Zekeybun]

Thank you for the resources I’ll will start there for sure. This was our second opinion we sadly lost her sister during her spay so we were apprehensive and waiting a few months or new veterinarian is very experienced, the most in our area due to our past bad experience and she was in agreement though I’m not sure if it was swayed by our past experience.
We had noticed a few times she would be circling and it seemed as though she had sprayed but todays was as clear as day just splashed across his pants! It’s maddening because I hate locking her away or restricting her run but we’re at a standstill!

 

[JBun]

I'm sorry about your other rabbit. That would certainly make it difficult to want to risk spaying again. You could talk to your vet about other options. Maybe there is some sort of hormone therapy that can be used.

Working with her behavior, that link talks about claiming your rabbits spot to show you're the boss, you can also gently but firmly shoo your rabbit out of your territory, espeicially if she is spraying or exhibiting unwanted behavior. Using other rabbit behaviors like thumping at your rabbit, or thumping and turning your back to your rabbit while glancing over your shoulder to make sure she's watching. You can even try treat and clicker training to help divert your rabbits hormonal behaviors. So there are options if you're able to take the time and work with your bun. Here are some links on rabbit communication, as well as training info.

http://language.rabbitspeak.com/
https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Understanding_your_rabbit
https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Training_a_rabbit