rabbit advice needed!

[Lucymj]

I hope someone on here can offer some advice!

I have a british giant doe (flymo) who lives in my garden. She has run of the garden during daylight hours and lives in a large converted dog kennel at night.

She is only 5 months old, but is very very friendly and tame. When i am in the garden she walks to heel, jumps on my lap when i sit on the bench and is generally a cute fluffy bundle of gorgousness!

She has more grass than she can eat, a constant supply of water and has 'hard' feed at night.

When i go to get her in in the evening she hops around my feet and follows me down the path, generally getting under my feet and i have to be very careful where i put them. 3 nights ago i accidently 'kicked' her - not hard, she was just in the way when i put my feet down and i tripped over her a little. She wasnt hurt but it must have given her a fright!

Last night, we were walking down the garden and she was hopping along merrily at my feet then she randomly growled at me and lunged at my leg, biting me through my jeans! I ignored her and kept walking and she was fine.

Tonight she growled at me again when i was walking down to her kennel. She is really friendly and apart from these two 'outbursts' hasnt ever been anything other than soppy and lovely. I have a toddler though so dont want this behavior to get worse. She has never shown any agression to him or to me until i go to put her in at night, and it has only been the last 3 days. (i dont pick her up - too heavy! - she just hops into her house and i shut the door )

Any ideas? I am stumped

[X]

Has she been neutered?

[Lucymj]

No X. she is still only a baby as the giants dont reach maturity until 9 months.

[kerrylee]

hormones?

I would ring your vet; it could be in pain - teeth - back etc...

I have had many a rabbits - never known this although I had a floppy eared bunny who was a house bunnie and he used to grunt at my ex.....thats it send him away!!!!!!! ;D LOL

[Lucymj]

Will give vet a ring but as she is happy as larry then out of the blue has a paddy and straight away is fine again i think it is down to me having tripped over her............ i am just not sure how to deal with the behavior really! So much easier with dogs and horses!

[X]

Maybe she is starting to mature, could just been hormones making her act differently? Not completely sure though, sorry. If she carrys on it may be that she wants attention, you could get her a friend? just a few ideas!
x

[kerrylee]

I do hope it works out for you - hugs to grumpy bunnie!!!

[Lucymj]

Mmmmmmmm....... had thought about trying to get her a freind bunny, although during the days she quite often chills out with the ducks and chickens in the shade! I intended to keep them seperated incase the chickens hurt her, but she is so huge they definately know she is boss! lol! Definately worth thinking about though - although i have 2 cavies and 3 netherland dwarfs who have a large wire pen, so she kind of has company, but she is too big to be allowed in to play with them!

[Magsnotloggedin]

Rabbits can be very territorial, could this be it?

[Lucymj]

Could be, but she wants to be around me all day! I am totally stumped. Was i right to ignore her 'attack'? She didnt bite tonight just lunged and growled. Maybe she was warning me off kicking her again? Oh why oh why do we have animals?!!!!! lol! Wish they could talk!

[gwenoakes]

I have a rabbit and although I love him to bits and never hurt him in anyway he doesnt like me and wont bond with me. I feed him and do more or less everything for him, but no way will he accept me. Vet says rabbits usually bond with one person to the detrement (sp) of all others. The previous rabbit we had was all over me. Very frustrating because this didnt happen until I had him for quite a few months. He has bonded very well with my daughter though who doesnt have much to do with him at all. Also think it might be hormonal as well, would have a word with your vet if I were you.

[marywelsh]

hi i also have a british white and he is a year old he also has the run of the garden and will do the same as yours
the other night i was putting him away and he jumped up and bit my side (more like a nip) i just think he was over excited,
i was advised not to get him a friend as the vet says if he doesn,t like the other bunny he is stuck with him or her.
mine likes to play football and he adores fennel (fresh)
sorry i can,t be of more help

[marywelsh]

ooh another thought ronnie our rabbit only acts like this when he hasn,t seen us for a couple of hours

[jennyb]

Re getting friends and them not bonding...

My lop x died a year ago, leaving me with a very sad little netherland dwarf who was missing his shed companion. I found a local bunny rescue and took the dwarf along to "choose" a new companion - he rejected the first two, then decided he quite liked a female baby lionhead, so she came to live with us and share the shed. They have been best mates ever since and regularly groom each other and cuddle up together. It can be done, but you have to be careful. They had wire mesh separating them for the first week or so, but I soon took that away as every time I went to feed them they were lying together with only the wire between them!

Both mine are neutered, by the way, and are very very rarely aggressive.

[gem]

Possibly try the water spray squirting trick?

My rabbit hates everyone but me and keeps trying to kill my OH so mych so that he wont go near him now, he has a lady guinea pig he loves and lives with.

He's getting on a bit now though as he is 5 this christmas so I dont think he'll ever change, I hope one never goes without the other or the two will be devastated.

Lucy I cant be much help, mine attacks the cats