turn into mean machine

This is year it has been quite the experience with rabbits behavior... First I had a rabbit bite me ...now I have 4 does breed and out of those 4 , three of them are just hateful... They are due on the 7 and 8th of October and I have been noticing there behavior go from normal to grunting and what to get to your face. I have one rabbit I take her out and she goes for my face .. and attacts anythingthat comes close.. Like what the heck is going on.. it was just this sweet bunny a week ago. If these rabbits don't go back to normal after they have babies.. they will be going in the pot .. :angry:

hormones do interesting things to rabbits. Just carry them in a box with a lid and don't mess with 'em over much. Treat and reward good behaviour.

thanks... They are shedding there coat.. so I have to take them and groom them. and that is every week until there coat is done.

I'm more into the pot thing. Sometimes they change and sometimes they don't.
I only have one doe like that, she's like that bred, she's like that open. The rest are sweethearts. I will cull her when I can. Too many good ones still, to work with bad ones.

thanks sky... I have decided that I am going to keep what I want out of the litters and the rest of the ones that I don't like will go one by one until I have what I want.. I just started out with the angoras this year.. so it takes time to keep back what I like in the fibre and temperament..

Most of my does so far have been awful when they're bred, but they cleared right up after the litter was either out of their nest box or out of their cage.

I have given them away, but not due to behavior. I expect a doe to be a brat. I would be pissy if I was pregnant too! They probably feel awful with all those hormones and little wiggly worms inside them. The only reason they left was because I am trying to clear up my cage space so I can concentrate on my angora stock.

My one proven angora doe is a loving mother, and although she shows no signs of attitude while she's bred, she is protective over her kits in the box. Not excessively, but she will give a warning nip if she thinks you're being to much for the kits. My other first timer doe is usually a love, but she tries to bite anymore when I groom her (she's due in four days). I assume that she'll be like the rest, a grumpy pregnant doe, a protective mom, and back to her normal loving self a week or so after the kits are born. My two other does are too young to breed, but I am going to guess they won't be their normal selves when their bred either. And keep in mind, one of the biggest deciding factors on who I bring into my stock is temperament. I will not keep a rabbit with a rotten temperament, but they are excused when they are bred or have kits in the box.

If anything, I will cull for an overall bad temperament, but I would even look at their behavior while their carrying and nursing to be an indication of how strong their mothering instinct is. I have never had a grumpy doe that was a terrible mom. They all were outstanding mothers.

All my does don't turn nasty just because they want to be bred, or are pregnant, or have babies in the box. I remove my boxes frequently, and have only had two does misbehave, and that stopped after the first few times I did it. The doe can grunt and thump, but charging, trying to scratch or bite is not acceptable in any case. None are bad mommas, they just trust me. Most of these does were not even raised by me either. I'm just not interested in putting up with it. If I can't put my hand in a cage without being charged at, the rabbit goes.
I have to have animals any member of my family can handle in my absence.

skysthelimit":2chzbn0r said:

All my does don't turn nasty just because they want to be bred, or are pregnant, or have babies in the box. I remove my boxes frequently, and have only had two does misbehave, and that stopped after the first few times I did it. The doe can grunt and thump, but charging, trying to scratch or bite is not acceptable in any case. None are bad mommas, they just trust me. Most of these does were not even raised by me either. I'm just not interested in putting up with it. If I can't put my hand in a cage without being charged at, the rabbit goes.
I have to have animals any member of my family can handle in my absence.

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I sooo agree with this. Just rehomed my doe because
Of behaviors. She was jut a crab a**. She did
Like pets in her own time and did come to you. But
As soon as you tried to grab her or reach to pet
Her she was grunting and thumping.

She did attch and leap for your hand but the
More we worked with her she stopped that just
Grunting and the feet flicking. My kids want
To be involved and love our animals but when I
Have a rabbit or any animal that's going to make
Noises or be mean to them they get scared and back
Off. But with working with them and letting know
What the noises mean they can adjust to that and
Move accordingly. But it was just getting to much
With her acting that way. So, she had to go.

The black otter doe I bought this spring just bit Whipple, she's going on Sunday.
She's always been a bit of a cow but biting is NOT acceptable. She gets a bye til Sunday then she's gone.

Fortunately, we've kept two does from the first litter we bred and I've got two possible does from her last litter that look good so far but at 5-6 weeks I'm witholding judgement for a while.