Cranky Girl

Hi All,

I finally found some Florida White rabbits. I picked up a trio last
weekend. The 2 does have been bred. One (I call her Eighteen) on the
27th of April- so she should be due within the next week. Any
thoughts on a quick & dirty, er clean nest box?
I have been leaning towards an all wire box (it is hot here already)
but I need to have something on hand if I don't get one made in time.

None of the rabbits are really fond of being handled by me. So I put
them up & left them alone the first few days to let them settle in.
Last night when I went out to feed I caught the buck (Ricky) with
little trouble & just sat with him on my lap for a few minutes. He
wasn't freaking out but wasn't loving it either. I then offered the
does a little treat and Eighteen tried to bite me & boxed my hands
with her front feet. I didn't want to back off too soon so she
wouldn't think her behavior worked but I didn't want to stress her out
either. She charged my hand a second time & bumped her nose on the
corner of the cage door & had a sneezing fit. I left her alone after
that. The other doe (Six) sat nicely for petting but I didn't take
her out of the cage.

Then tonight when I opened the cage to offer a treat Eighteen came at
me again. I didn't give her a chance to box or bite this time. She
ate the treat but looks like she didn't eat any of her pellets last
night or the treat (she did eat all her hay tho'). I went to see the
others and give them their "treats" & Eighteen kept stomping &
bouncing around. I guess she is still pissed about last night. Does
it sound like she is gonna be trouble from now on? Any suggestions on
changing her behavior? I am thinking I will need to raise a
replacement from her litter that will be more tame (assuming she will
have some- I can't palpate her to be sure she is prego- & that they
survive) I just don't want to deal with an aggressive rabbit. I
have a bad temper & if she gets me bad I will knock her upside the
head & I think that is probably not the best response )

I read in the files that I should come from over top & I didn't do
that so I am sure that didn't help but I didn't back down either. Any
advice will be appreciated.

If you handle babes from the start then they are usually tame right?

Thanks!!
--
Cindy
Sunny, FL

it may be partly a pregnancy thing - with a change in environment and a change in hormones you really can't get a read on her yet

I'd continue to give her treats and not be pushy at all right now til kits are born

after the kits are born you'll have a better chance to assess her temperment

(she may also simply never have been handled much)

I have had lots of rabbits who appeared miserable cranky turn out to be quite nice ..it takes patience and can take work but

rabbits are like any other species in that a kit will have personality of it's own

I had a litter (now 6 months) that I really atched this in - all were handled daily and easy to handle as small kits - Devil Spawn is an active exploring rabbit - he has made good friends with the dog in his family and is quite the little charmer
Piffle is a little more aloof but enjoys being groomed and being handled by his teenage buddy
Popple is a pain in the butt - he is an escape artist and has some serious scarring from picking fights through wire ith other rabbits - he tolerates being handled but doesn't enjoy it - I would say I handled him the most as I had intended to keep him intact and keep him here ... if work in counted he and Piffle should be the most friendly of the buns and they are probably the least friendly
Dustbunny was always the laid back DOH bunny - he is still that way - a little slow on the uptake but a pretty social dude ..
All four are easily handled but very different to each other ..

Hi Cindy. :hi:

I agree with Brody's comments. If you are raising rabbits for meat, there is no need to pick them up much. Mine only get picked up when absolutely necessary: breeding, claw trimming etc. Most tolerate petting and none are aggressive. My buck loves nose and ear rubs.

This doe needs some time. I suspect she has never been handled much. The double stressors of pregancy and a new home are likely affecting her personality. Continue to offer treats - through the wire if that works better - and work up to stroking the nose and ears when it seems acceptable to her. If she never mellows out, you may want to cull her down the road and replace her with a doe from her litter or, even better, from your other doe's litter. The tendency to friendliness seems to be passed down, but whether by heredity or environment is difficult to say for sure. Handling the kits often while they are growing certainly helps a lot.

I figure on at least a month to get new bunnies acclimated to their new surroundings and to us. That goes double if they're bred when I get them. Patience is the name of the game.