Uncommon Bunny Behavior

[Teamdasher]

We adopted a Dutch bunny about a month ago and as best we can figure she’s about 4 months old now. When we first got her I did everything I could to make all of our interactions positive (she didn’t come from a great home). Now she follows me around everywhere, doesn’t mind being picked up if petting/grooming is involved, and even hops up on the couch after the kids are in bed to be snuggled. Oh and she’s near perfect at the litter box training, with the exception of a few errant poos here and there. We haven’t spayed her yet because we wanted to build trust first, but that is coming this month. My question is this normal bunny behavior? I was considering getting her a pal (post spay of course), because I just love her so much, but am unsure if I just got lucky with her behavioral characteristics. I don’t want to be disappointed by having a bunny that is aloof and uninterested in interaction since I feel like maybe I’m spoiled by her.

[peppypoo]

Aww, she sounds like a sweetie! Some bunnies can indeed be very affectionate – she sounds like my Peppy girl, who is also a Dutch (and adopted as well). I’m glad you’ve made the decision to have her spayed. If you decide that you’re interested in another bunny after the spay, make sure that it’s because you want another one, not because you feel that she needs a friend. I encourage you to consider adopting a bunny from a shelter or rescue in your area – in addition to already being spayed/neutered, most rabbits in shelters are adults who have already developed their personalities, so there won’t be as much guesswork involved when it comes to temperament.

[Beka27]

If she is indeed only 4 months, chances are her hormones haven’t kicked in just yet. She still might become nutty. My mini rex was a lot like your rabbit until about 5.5 months, then she became a nutcase… and then she was spayed and all was fine again.

[Teamdasher]

I’m not sure exactly how old she is. Her pee doesn’t stink terribly, and she isn’t very big which is why I’m guessing she is under 6 months. We got her from an animal hoarder and the family didn’t know anything about her really. The hoarder supposedly didn’t have her for very long, before the family intervened. Truthfully I don’t even know if she’s been spayed or not because they didn’t take good care of her. Hopefully if she isn’t spayed we get that done before she goes nutty. I don’t think she requires a playmate, but I enjoy her so much I know I’d enjoy another. I figure as a side effect she would get someone who could understand her language in a way I never could.

[NuggetBuns]

Yeah she sounds lovely and glad she has a loving home now! What’s her name? Would love to see a picture of her too.

Every rabbit is different so I don’t think it’s uncommon or weird to have a friendly, good bunny =) Also, if you’ve been treating her well, spending a lot of time with her, and showing her a lot of love, she’s going to be more affectionate and social with you too. Pets take after their owners after all.

[Teamdasher]

Her name is Penelope, my 4 year old daughter named her. This is her hanging out with me last night. This is what we do every evening when the kids go to bed (sometimes on the floor, but usually she jumps up onto the couch to hang with us). She doesn’t have a cage that she stays in. we started her out in our bedroom with an open cage, and then slowly allowed her to roam to the rest of the house with the exception of the kids bedrooms.  We have an apartment so it’s not a huge space.  She doesn’t use her cage anymore, as she has a giant covered kitty litter box in our living room where she eats and does her business. The rest of the time she lounges out on the floor, or we hang with her.  I scheduled her to be spayed on Thursday morning, and I’m hoping it doesn’t traumatize her to much. 

 (practicing to get her toe-nails clipped)

[NuggetBuns]

Oh, Penelope is beautiful! She is just darling, hope her personality does not change after getting spayed. My bunny only gets free run of the living room and we also leave her cage open so she can choose to go in or not. It’s wonderful that Penelope no longer needs a cage. It saves you the hassle of cleaning it and money on bedding. I thought about putting our cage away, but our bun is so used to having her food and water bowl in there.

[LittlePuffyTail]

She’s gorgeous and sounds like such a sweet bunny.

[Elrohwen]

What a sweet bunny! Sounds like you got very lucky with her.

I definitely wouldn’t say that she’s the norm for bunnies – their personalities can vary widely. I have one who is not social, but his behavior is perfect and he could easily be free range. My other bun is very social, but she’s smart and gets into things, so she must be locked up when we’re not home. They’re all different. You got the lucky combo of a well behaved *and* social bun 🙂

[NuggetBuns]

Elrohwen- Yeah, you never know what you’ll get with bunnies. Just like humans and animals . I also have a socialite that likes to cause mischief every once in a while. We never trust her when she’s alone in the apartment either. You would think that your female would start to pick up good behavior from your male bun since she’s always locked up while he get the whole house to himself! Do you think she gets mad about it?

[Elrohwen]

Posted By NuggetBuns on 03/28/2013 07:08 AM

Elrohwen- Yeah, you never know what you’ll get with bunnies. Just like humans and animals . I also have a socialite that likes to cause mischief every once in a while. We never trust her when she’s alone in the apartment either. You would think that your female would start to pick up good behavior from your male bun since she’s always locked up while he get the whole house to himself! Do you think she gets mad about it?

He gets locked up with her He doesn’t mind though – he’s the type of bun who could probably live in his cage 24/7 and he wouldn’t care too much. She’s the one who hates to be locked up, but it’s her own fault (not that she realizes that).

[Baxter n Boos Mom]

Yes – I agree with all the comments above…as to the varying personalities of buns. You have truly lucked out with your bunny. I have two dutch buns, and neither like to be held/cuddled. My 1st boy is social, wants to be where ever my husband and I are, and loves to run around us and be pet….but the 2nd bun is very shy, skittish and only wants to be touched on his terms. He spends most of the day alone 🙁 He’s ~10 months old, been with us since he was 7 weeks old, and making progress – but still very shy.

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