Doe behavior with PICS!

I hope this is the correct forum to post this on.

Seems like I am always complaining about my poor scrawny NZ doe. LOL, and here I am again. I don't know what to make of her behavior. I am wondering if she is having a false pregnancy or something.

She has suddenly become aggressive with me. This morning she jumped at the food scoop and knocked it out of my hand and growled at me. I am starting to notice their ear posture changes before they act on an aggressive impulse so I sorta saw it coming, but was surprised at how she came at me so suddenly.

She is also digging DEEEEP holes in the exercise pen. She dug a hole that is about 14 inches deep in less than an hour, when she went down into it I could only see her rump and tail sticking out haha!

We moved our hutches yesterday and I put up the separate exercise pens, but thought since she and the young buck seemed to get along so well, I put them in one pen together and she ran him over a few times growling. Then she attacked him with her fron feet, while growling and stomping. He wasn't even bothering her! She ran him over like a frieght train and I had to throw an empty water bottle in order to stop her attack and get him outta there as fast as I could. I will not make that mistake again!!! :evil:

I don't know what to make of her behavior. She's finally starting to gain some good weight too. Any input would be wonderful!! Thank you

Could she be bred? Some get very defensive when bred. Otherwise some just take a walk off the deep end when they reach maturity. I had a nice broken blue doe who randomly one day after she reached breeding age started attacking everything. Even her water bottle in her cage and she attacked me from the ground a few times. She also tore through a pair of leather gloves. There was no reason for this behavior except hormones. We got one litter out of her by our most laid back buck and then butchered her. I butchered any of her offspring I didn't want to use for breeding because I wasn't going to sell that to someone. I'm waiting to see the temperament of a chocolate doe from her and I'm breeding a broken blue buck to the black doe I kept from another line. I may end up culling the entire line in the future but she was such a nice looking doe I thought I'd give it a chance.

It sounds hormonal, but to me this doe is beginning to sound like more trouble than she is worth. Are good rabbits hard to come by in your area?

Thank you both.

I suppose her being bred isn't 100% out of the question, though my buck-- who tried the best he could-- is so young. Neither of my does would lift for him. I watched closely. Basically he didn't look like he was breeding them, he looked rather like a back-pack fashion accessory LOL!!! Both does would just ignore him with a bored look on their face hehe (i know I am anthropormorphizing).

I will give her a bit more time. I just hate to start over though with another young doe...I guess what I should do will be clear soon enough. Thanks again, the people here are great

__________ Wed May 11, 2011 2:11 pm __________

Does anyone else have any comments or suggestions?<br /><br />__________ Wed May 11, 2011 6:48 pm __________<br /><br />Here are some pics of her. Does anyone see how thin she is?? And this is an improvment on before.

Put her in a cage with a box and hay; she may be close to parturition (delivery). I have had calm does get aggressive shortly before delivery too...

see I look at her and see a lean rangy doe.

Get her preggers and she just might surprise you with what she can pull off.

Right now she might be hormonal and wanting to be breed if indeed she isn't.

I have a few does who I know when they want to be bred because they will 'chase my hand'. I breed them, the behaviour goes away.

Hello Jamie,
I agree with Ladysown. Get her bred and she might
start eating better. BTW, what are you feeding her/your rabbits?
How old is she and how much does she weigh? Has she reached Senior weight?
She does look rangy, perhaps a higher protein level feed would help.
Try some Whole or Rolled Oats, a few Black oils as a top dressing on the feed.
Ottersatin. ldtimer:

"I just hate to start over though with another young doe..."

Yeah, you usually think that until you get a new doe...

Thanks everyone!

Her diet is this:

Morning: 1 Tablespoon Calf Manna, 2 Tablespoon BOSS, plus several days a week they all get greens of some kind. And hay in her hay rack

Evening: 1 c. 18% Pellets, I was giving her more but she was scratching at it and playing with it.

Her appetite is really good and she eats everything, but maybe a little left over hay.

ETA this has been her diet for over two weeks now.

If she is eating well. I would be concerned that she had worms. Not sure of a rabbit de-wormer though sorry.

You can use lots of things to deworm a rabbit. Most of the dewormers on the market are effective and safe so long as you get it in a form you can measure a rabbit sized dose.

http://homepage.mac.com/mattocks/morfz/rx/drugcalc.html

Akane, thank you for that great site!!

To everyone who commented on deworming. I have treated her with Ivermectin paste for earmites twice since I got her. Plus I have also given pumpkin seed as a natural dewormer. What else should I try?

How does she feel too you? If her bones are really noticeably protruding then she has a problem, however you want to be able to feel the structure of the bones with muscle on them if you can't feel bones at all then you have an obese rabbit.

To me she doesn't show any sign of worms in that picture. She does not look rough, she does not have a pot belly,and she has no hair loss at the base of her ears. Some rabbits are just rangy in type and there is nothing you can do about it unless you intend on making them fat which interferes with trying to reproduce.

As for the aggression it sounds like hormone issues to me. The only time I've had an issue with aggressive rabbits is when they really really want to be bred or they're about to have babies. I also had a spayed doe who developed a bad hormone imbalanced and became very aggressive but I don't that would be the case with your doe.

She's plain old bony. Her hips stick out very noticable and I can easily feel her spine--though that has improved a little...very little. Honestly I am thinking of just culling.

Jamie,
that sounds like a plan!
When a Rabbit has protruding Hip and or pin bones
the best plan i to cull. You cannot make a Silk purse
out of a Sows Ear. I would seek out a few better
formed/proportioned stock. I am certain that your
next choice in stock will be an improvement.
Ottersatin. ldtimer: