Complete personality change?

[equestrian<3]

I bought a Holland Lop buck back in October of last year. He was about 5 months old when I got him. He was the cutest,sweetest little thing He loved people and attention, and of course being petted. That little bunny was (and still is) so spoiled! Every night before bed, everyone of my family members had to come in, open his cage, and play with him. He would run around my room really fast, zooming back and forth and then out of nowhere he would "pop" up in the air like a piece of popcorn :lol: He has a ball pieced together with wooden sticks. He loved to pick it up and throw it! It soon turned into a game. You would roll it to him, and he would pick it up and throw it back to you. He would sit and play that for an hour straight! We called it playing "stick ball". Well, point being, he was extremely playful and happy all the time.

He has always been hard to handle, though. I have tried everything! Scruffing while supporting his bottom, just picking him up from underneath, using a towel, holding him close. He just doesn't like being held, and never has. I can pick him up long enough to move him from one spot to another (while he's thrashing around and trying to get away). :x I handle him everyday, several times a day, and it hasn't gotten any better. I have posted several threads on here asking for advice, but nothing has worked. It has not been a really big deal, until lately. Instead of getting better, he has gotten worse. Much worse.

He has gotten very "moody" in the past 3 months or so. The running around my room and hopping up in the air thing that I described earlier, he hasn't done that in several months. He used to do it everyday multiple times a day! He has also gotten more...aggressive? He gets into these rants where he will violently go around his cage destroying things! Flipping over his food dish, ripping his hay rack down, beating his toys on the side of his cage. I always leave his cage open as long as I am in my room and he used to run out as soon as I would open it and not go back in until I chased him down and put him back in it, and now I have to chase him out of it to get him to come out! He just sits there facing the wall almost like he is pouting. :?: He is definitely not nearly as playful.

The picking up thing, he used just kind of sit there and take it. He wouldn't run away, but he would still struggle a little. But nothing that I couldn't handle. Now, he has started thrashing very violently. He has, on occasions, flipped completely out of my grasp and done a somersault in the air. Like I said before, he didn't used to run away when you would try to pick him up, he would just sit there, but now I have to chase him down and pin him on the ground just so I can grab him! I am afraid he is going to hurt himself because he has gotten so violent about it. He has slammed into things and kicks so hard! :x I used to be able to flip him over and lay him on his back so that I could trim his nails, and now as soon as I set him on his back he flips himself over and runs away. His nails have gotten long and need to be trimmed very badly, but I can't get to his back ones.

I don't understand why he changed so drastically so fast! I have not changed anything I do with him. Everybody handles/treats him the same. We still spoil him and shower him with attention unconditionally He turned a year old in May, and that's about when all this started. Could hormones/age cause this change, or could I be doing something wrong? I know people can ruin a rabbit with the way they handle them, but it didn't start soon after I got him, I had had him for 8 months before he started doing this! If it is something that I might be doing wrong that caused this change, please tell me, but I really don't think it is. Could this be something permanent or just a phase he is going through?

He still loves being petted and groomed, but he doesn't play as much or is as friendly. The picking up thing has also gotten much worse.

Sorry for the novel, and if you have read this far, thank you! I just want my happy, sweet, playful bunny back

:bunnyhop:

 

[MaggieJ]

I really don't know what is causing this, but I can think of a couple of possibilities.

I take it he hasn't been neutered? If that is so, it may be hormonal. Has he ever been around other rabbits?

The only other possibility I can think of is perhaps it is heat-related. It's been such a hot summer just about everywhere. You don't have your location in your profile (please add it, at least your state... It is such a help!) but even here the heat is enough to make anybunny irritable.

I'll be interested in what others have to say. It certainly is a dramatic change in behaviour.

 

[equestrian<3]

No, he hasn't been neutered because I show him, and the only time he has been around other rabbits was at a show in January. I live in Florida so it is very hot here, but that is nothing unusual.

 

[MaggieJ]

It could simply be that he is not as playful because he is older now, fully mature. Young animals do play more, whether they be puppies, kittens or whatever. I suspect hormones may also play a role. I've noticed with bucks that they are very friendly when young but as they mature they become less active and responsive. I should add that mine are not pets and so the circumstances are not the same. Hope someone else can give you some good suggestions.

 

[akane]

Most likely he just reached maturity. That's why I suggest everyone who buys a rabbit from me to be an indoor pet neuters them. They make much calmer and content pets that way.

 

[equestrian<3]

Ok, that's what I figured. I do show him though, and I didn't think you could neuter show rabbits?

 

[Brody]

hormones ... just keep working with him ...

 

[ladysown]

that would be correct. you can't neuter a show rabbit.

 

[equestrian<3]

Ok, well thanks everyone! Does anybody have advice on how I could trim his nails? That needs to be done very badly.

 

[akane]

Scruff them, flip them, and hold them there despite the squirming until they give up some and then if you need your other hand you may have to squish them between your knees or get a 2nd person to scruff and hold the whole time. Sometimes I can lean my arm down on them and manage to hold them down that way and still reach with my hand.

 

[eco2pia]

I just wrap them in a towel and expose just the one foot. I lay them on my lap in a semi-sitting position, but with their feet curled toward their head, or I trim them with them on their side with their back to my stomach, just pulling one foot out of the wrap and to the side--depends on the rabbit. Whichever way works for them, I find that after a few times I can just skip the towel and they are resigned. I also throw on long sleeves and gloves for the strugglers. They can struggle all they want without raking me.

 

[arachyd]

If you flip him on his back on your lap (or in your arms if you have someone else who can trim the nails) and have his head lower than the rest of him he should be much calmer. Mine struggle till I get the head low and then they sort of give up so I can trim their nails in peace. This small difference in body angle has enabled me to trim evil rabbits that would rip the skin off my arms if they were simply held on their backs.

His behavior sounds like maturity and hormones kicking in. My youngest buck has been doing something similar in the morning - over the last month he has gone from playful bouncing in and out of his cage, giving generous kisses, tossing toys and twigs in the air for fun to violent throwing of his water crock, ripping his food bowl off the wall, purposeful dumping of feed, peeing in his crock and bowls as soon as I fill them, even angrily stomping his feet while waiting for his morning greens and then turning his back on me (yes they do that) when he gets them because he didn't get his greens first (he's less rude if I feed him first but I won't encourage the bad behavior). He's a bit calmer in the evening.

 

[MaggieJ]

This website may help you to understand your rabbit better, Equestrian>3.
http://language.rabbitspeak.com/

 

[equestrian<3]

Thanks everyone! I have bee working with him more and he is slowly getting better

 

[SpotLover]

It's most likely horomones. If you get an animal, get it fixed, if you don't, then breed it. I would suggest getting any non-pedigree'd, mix bred, non-quality, rabbit fixed. Since you show him, he must be pedigree'd and is doing decent on the show table. All animals naturally have the specific seasons where their horomones change because it's breeding season in the natural world. Give him a teddy bear to relieve his stress or a purebred pedigree'd doe of the same breed for him to do what he should do. Just like horses, when a mare comes into season, she changes, she is much more grouchy. It's natural for them to mate at least twice a year