3 buns = 3 times as many weird behaviors!

[Katscarpena]

Luna – she is definitely settling in. We are starting to see more and more of her personality each day. (Today is only day 3 granted…)

She is a digger – LOVES to dig. Already working on a dig box. She’s a chewer – immediately put teeth marks in every book she could reach on my shelf. LOL  Silly bun. She’s shy but curious. Also – a grunter. I think she doesn’t like to be messed with too much. Wondering eventually about the nip/bite factor as she settles in. I know females are sometimes a little grumpier than males.She is spayed though… Also – she has some head sway. I think her vision is really poor. You can see her trying to scan away. 

 

Chipper – seems TERRIFIED just knowing another bun is around. he’s taken to hiding completely. Either in his basket (he has a basket with a table cloths he loves to dig/snuggle in) or in his cage hiding behind the 1/2 that is covered. 

 

Licorice – being a complete tiny JERK.  Probably mad about being moved, he’s leaving some nice little turds around for us. Delightful. But the real issue – he is relentlessly trying to get at Luna. Like in the same way he was towards Chipper before his neutering in March. Except with biting. He’s NEVER done any biting/lunging. Only Chipper has done the lunge/bite (and it’s always been towards Licorice – never humans.) Luna sniffs at Licorice – he immediately tries to bite her through the bars.

Follow up questions on behavior:

How worried should I be about Luna’s head sway? (She is a red-eyed albino. I know sometimes they have limited vision.)

Do Albino’s require special care?

How can I keep Licorice from trying to nip/bit Luna from through the cage/x-pen bars? NOTE: there are no doors down here on the 1st floor. So I have to resort to gates/screens.

 

 

[MmkChelsea]

I wouldn’t be worried about the head sway. Mine does the same thing. Their eyes process light differently and the swaying helps them process things a bit better. The only extra care I can think of is not to change the layout of her cage as much due to their difficulty seeing. Also, I find that I have to move slower toward my rabbit so he can see that I am approaching him.

I am not too sure what to do about the nipping and biting as I haven’t had to deal with it. Hopefully someone with experience with that can give you some tips!

[Katscarpena]

The nipping/ biting seems to only be when she is in her enclosure. I think it’s actually her starting it 1st – I didn’t realize it. She is SUPER sensitive about “her” territory. I had to feed her and wipe her cage – she was grunting and charged me! I realized she is letting out this little growl at him – and then he’s trying to nip.

As for the albnio tip – I appreciate them. That is a good point about not moving things on her – and i think she charged me yesterday because 1) I was messing with her stuff, and 2) I think it seemed “sudden” to her. She didn’t initially see me coming.

[MmkChelsea]

Maybe she just needs to get used to the other buns you have. When my bunny would nip at me, I would make a high pitched squeal and he quickly realized that he wasn’t allowed to do that. Now my bunny will put his teeth on me, but will not bite down. I don’t know if that will help, but it’s worth a try!

My albino bit me hard one time because I “snuck” in his cage without him knowing. I could tell that he immediately realized it was me and hid in his corner. I think he felt bad about it. :p It seems to help if I talk to him before I come near him.

[bunnytowne]

Bunnies do scan from side to side or up n down.  I read somewhere it was to get the depth perception right.  I talk to Cotton and put a fist in from of him and say pettings you want pettings so he knows what I am up to.  Else he will lunge.  

Maybe some word to signal what you are up to.  Like food n water or cleaning or a petting first then get to business with what you need to do.  Feeding or something.  Hopefully this helps. 

The fist in front of him is like a bunny putting its head down asking to be groomed.  A bunny can learn that means you are asking to pet it tho.  Some are more territorial than others. 

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