Aggressive doe

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JessicaR

JessicaR

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I have been having some problems with my mini rex doe lately. She is 6 1/2 months old, it first started at 5 months her wanting to breed and being overly friendly with people. :oops: Just recently she has started to be aggressive towards everyone. If you stick your hand in the cage to get her food and water dishes out she lunges and makes all kinds of noises, and has bit my son once and me twice when we were'nt fast enough to pull our hands back.It is not a bad bites just a quick nip but man it still hurts and bleeds! So i figured since she was older now i would go ahead and breed her last week to see if that would help calm her down. But it hasnt helped. I wont let the kids feed or touch her anymore, which is sad she used to be the most friendly rabbit I have ever seen

Any suggestions on how to get her to stop this behavior? I would hate to have to cull her, but I wont put up with being bit.
 
It is likely she will settle down after she has her first litter...one of mine did that. I would give her a chance and in the mean time, wear gloves.
 
Unless breeding settles down her hormones I haven't found any good way to make them back in to good pets again except maybe spaying. That might do it but at about $50 from the cheaper vets it's not worth it. That's why I always suggest bucks to people who want pets unless they are from specific lines that I know produce well tempered does.
 
I have one of those physco does....she produced physco babies as well...I call her "Crockpot"...cuz the next time she bites me...that is where she is headed...Not worth the hassle as far as I am concerned..I have had her now for almost a year...so she is 1-1/2 years old...and getting a bit less nutso...so we will see how she does on her next litter...she is a good mom...but agressive..
 
She has been getting a little better. She will still lunge occasionally but I am able to feed her now without getting bit.
 
JT_Hunter":3duwa8j1 said:
I have one of those physco does....she produced physco babies as well...I call her "Crockpot"...cuz the next time she bites me...that is where she is headed...Not worth the hassle as far as I am concerned..I have had her now for almost a year...so she is 1-1/2 years old...and getting a bit less nutso...so we will see how she does on her next litter...she is a good mom...but agressive..
Click to expand...

"Crockpot" ---- Hee!!

I have had a few does like this. For some it carries in the line - literally had to cull an entire line of rabbits last year because it just got to be too much, and to say they were good for meat was no longer true when the keepers were having their blood drawn at every feeding. It got so that I seperated all of them on the other side of the rabbit area and told everyone who came over "No! Don't go over there - a family of Cerberus lives there..."

One thing I have tried with some success is to pair the aggressive doe with the sweetest, most docile buck you can get ahold of. In theory, the kits could inherit his temperment.
But if you have any plans of selling to the pet market, you may want to keep back a few kits if you have the room/time/$ to make sure they turn out well before you make your first pet sale.
 
apparently I spoke to soon! Yesterday she bit my wrist when i was filling up her food dish :evil: She never really bites hard just a nip before she runs back, but man I am getting tired of the lunging and grunting! And I am not sure if she is bred or not. I tried to palpate her but I couldnt feel anything, but it was my first attempt to palpate so I dont know if I did it right. I keep telling her if she doesnt stop it she is going to be rabbit stew :twisted:
 
i'd give her the time to kindle and if she doesn't, then make her stew.

You've been a whole lot more patient then I generally am. I don't mind a grunting doe, but being bit is where I draw the line.
 
I try to be patient but... she is just pushing it to the limits. If it wasnt for my 7 y/o DD she probably would have went the second time she bit me. I dont tolerate aggression in my animals, at least not aggression for no reason if she was hurt I could understand, but not just because I want to feed her! She has until December 20th to change her ways or have kits then it is bye bye :mrgreen:
 
I agree! Gonna be a long wait before she kindles, and weans those kits. I hope she doesn't bite to hard between now and then.
 
Aggressiveness while bred is more acceptable to me than any other time. Let her kindle, and see what happens...she *may* settle down...in the meantime, wear gloves and long sleeves.
 
i agree i have does that are aggressive when they are bred...remeber shes carrying her young. Let her kindle and see what happens. If she does not calm down shes proly jus a grumpy lady and needs to pay a visit to the freezer.
 
LilFish_JWQueen(:":3hp6vl8q said:
i agree i have does that are aggressive when they are bred...remeber shes carrying her young. Let her kindle and see what happens. If she does not calm down shes proly jus a grumpy lady and needs to pay a visit to the freezer.
Click to expand...
Yup, my sentiments exactly!
 
I don't mind grumbling does, and I'll take a scratch or two from my two finest, prettiest show-quality critters...but I won't accept a bite under any circumstances! I've got one doe who's been a little more cranky and she just won't breed (even with the best efforts of the buck I chose for her!) so I'm thinking there might be a delightful new holiday dish served for the Yule this year. ;)

Save a chicken, eat a rabbit!!! ;)
 
She has settled down some. She wasnt pregnant, so I threw her back in with the buck for another go. Hopefully January will bring some babies.
 

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