Sudden Behavior Change

[thevelveteenrabbit]

Hi everyone! This is my first post

I have a 7 month old female lop mix that was spayed early last month. Before being spayed she was extremely outgoing and would play/binky the whole time she was out of the cage. It has been about 5-6 weeks since she has been spayed. Recently, she has acted "afraid" of everything outside her cage. She will perk up as if she hears something and run back into her cage to hide underneath the perch/ramp type thing. She was fine about being petted outside her cage before and now she won't hardly let me touch her - she sniffs me and takes off. This past week she has hidden in a corner of the room after I let her out of her cage( and this is after I've fed her her nightly greens). I'm not sure what's going on... I was aware that it would take around 6 weeks for her hormones to level out, but it's been around that long and she's worse now than she was at the beginning!

I'm not sure how to handle this situation. I've had her since she was around 13 weeks old. I love her a lot, so I just want to understand her better Is this just how she will be now.? Any help will be greatly appreciated.

 

[whiskylollipop]

5-6 weeks isn't very long, my boys took a full 8 weeks to get back to normal activity levels, and they were only neutered. (Spaying is a much more invasive surgery.) Once they hit 7-8 months old, though, I did notice they got more aloof and didn't appreciate handling anymore. Bunnies tend to be very active and unafraid when they are little, they'll let you do anything to them. But they form stronger opinions about what they like and don't like when they grow up.

I'm sure she's just being extra cautious as she's recovering from the surgery, and also figuring out her true personality as an adult now.

Merlin is now 2 years old and has decided to be a mummy's boy again, but our relationship in his adulthood is very different from his babyhood. He's still strongly opposed to handling, and only wants pets on his terms. But if I sit down and ignore him and don't force my love on him, often he'll come over and nose bonk me, stick his nose into my stuff, park his fat ass on my keyboard, nibble my papers and generally be as annoying as possible for attention. And when I pet him he'll pretend not to notice, he'll just happen not to feel like moving away just yet.

Give her time. Teenhood is a confusing time for everyone, and that was a pretty major surgery she went through.

 

[thevelveteenrabbit]

Thanks for the reply, very helpful!

 

[tiffanyandchloe]

ok so iv had my bunny for about a month now. Shes only still just a baby. When i first got her she was shy but very cuddly. Now whenever i go near her cage i notice that shes biting at his back and doing alot of scratching. Whenever i try ti pick her up she runs away and starts having a spaz at everything in her cage. We havnt changed anything in her cage(bedding wise ) to any other product. Shes eating and drinking ok. I clean the cage everyday. So what could be going on

 

[whiskylollipop]

ok so iv had my bunny for about a month now. Shes only still just a baby. When i first got her she was shy but very cuddly. Now whenever i go near her cage i notice that shes biting at his back and doing alot of scratching. Whenever i try ti pick her up she runs away and starts having a spaz at everything in her cage. We havnt changed anything in her cage(bedding wise ) to any other product. Shes eating and drinking ok. I clean the cage everyday. So what could be going on

Most bunnies do not like being picked up. They prefer to have all four feet firmly on the ground. Baby bunnies, as I said above, will usually let you anything to them, but when they grow older will be more opinionated about it. I avoid doing it if possible.

The scratching could be insecurity, it sounds like she wants to dig herself a burrow. Does she have hides in her cage? Being able to hide away if she wants to is important for a bunny to feel safe, especially if she's still new in an unfamiliar home, so consider putting a little hidey hut in her cage if there isn't one.