Fear or Defiance

[Baxter n Boos Mom]

I’ve been working with my buns every day to desensitize them to handling.  

Yesterday, Baxter starting to pee on the floor during this session.   I think it’s an act of defiance, but my husband thinks it’s a response to fear.  I haven’t found peeing listed under rabbit responses to fear – so thought I’d ask you for your thoughts.

Outside of the Xpen, Baxter does not exhibit any signs of fear – and welcomes it when I pet him.

SESSION BACKGROUND: For a few short minutes every day, I enclose the buns one at a time in an XPen with me, and lift them off the ground for a second, and return them to the ground.  Following the session, I give them a treat.  With Boo, I’ve been able to progress to holding him – still while close to the ground, and return him to the floor.  He no longer struggles – so this is  a very fast process.

HOWEVER, my alpha bun Baxter is a totally different story. He tries to resist, and tries to nip me from time to time.  With Baxter, I have to apply slight pressure to shoulders, before he will surrender and allow me to lift him.

[Monkeybun]

They can pee in fear for sure. But, if you dont have a litter box nearby, he may just have had to go

[Baxter n Boos Mom]

MD: There was a litterbox – he just chose to pee next to it. And I wasn’t trying to pick him up at the time….so does this still sound like fear?

[Author]

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