teen bunny struggles

[tokkibada]

Back in August when I first got Cal I had no idea what I was about to get into once he turned into a teenager! Is it normal to get frustrated?

Unfortunately I have to wait until march for his neuter but until then I'm stuck with an incredibly moody and hormonal rabbit. He seems to want to socialize less with me and whenever I give him treats like fruit he runs away with it into his hideout instead of eating off my hand He spends most of his time in his hideout and he only flops when I'm far away (he used to flop right next to me but it doesn't seem to be the same anymore). On somedays he's really stubborn and refuses to do tricks for treats... I'm really hoping the neuter will calm him down and make him less moody but for now it's bumming me out.

Oh and he has been more naughty as of late too, jumping out of his play area or running under my bed and refusing to get out. His potty habbits have been getting worse too

 

[JBun]

Running away with a treat is sooo normal. They do it because they don't want you to steal their treat from them. That's not an uncommon thing for rabbits to do with each other(steal each others yummy food), so they take off with it to make sure no other bunny tries to take it. So feel privileged, he sees you as a fellow bunny Completely normal bunny behavior. If you don't want him to run off, hold it in your fingers as he takes bites out of it, just watch your fingers. You'll have to hold tight as it's normal for them to want to yank it away.

About your bunny running away from you more. It could just be the hormones and moodiness, but one thing that can contribute to a rabbit avoiding being around an owner is if the owner is trying to handle or pick up their rabbit, or even pet their rabbit if the rabbit isn't in the mood for it. Rabbits have a very independent personality, as well as being a prey animal which can make them want to avoid a predator(humans in this instance) doing what predators do, snatch them up, or try and pick them up. So I would suggest to limit handling and picking up your rabbit to when it is only essential. For some rabbits they can learn to tolerate some handling, but for some in particular, the more you try and handle them the more you can damage building a trusting relationship.

https://flashsplace.webs.com/bondingwithyourbunny.htm
https://rabbitsindoors.weebly.com/bonding-with-your-bunny.html
Yes, the hormonal teenage phase can be difficult. Bad litter habits are common, increased naughtiness because of those relentless hormones causing sexual frustration, all normal. They can be quite moody(though usually it's more the females than the males) and opinionated about if they want to cooperate with what you want them to do. Though even neutered being opinionated can just be a personality trait. It's just a matter of waiting it out until the neuter. Though you shouldn't expect your bun to just become a fluffy cuddly pet like many people think rabbits are all like(not that you do). Rabbits come in all sorts of personalities, sometimes cuddly, sometimes quirky, often independent and opinionated, sometimes stroppy. It's all about getting to know your rabbit as they are and building a trusting relationship with them.

If you don't know much about rabbit communication, try looking through these links. They're pretty good about explaining rabbit body language.

http://language.rabbitspeak.com/
http://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Understanding_your_rabbit
http://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Behavior_FAQ

 

[gelliebean]

I totally understand moody teenage bunnies. My girl got spayed a month ago but a couple of weeks before and a few weeks after she was SO cranky.

First, I had to completely block off my bed with an x-pen because she would pee and poop all over it. My mom couldn't even come into my room because she would lunge and hiss at her. Got worse after surgery because she was so mad. Even more mad that she had to take more medicines and needed to wear a sock shirt because she was chewing at her incision. Grunting became her new favourite sound and she became cat-like in the sense that she would permit me to pet her but bite me a couple minutes later. Thankfully, IT GETS BETTER. She is back to her sweet self again.