DaytonHillRabbits
Well-known member
- Joined
- May 3, 2015
- Messages
- 136
- Reaction score
- 4
So... I am new to rabbit breeding/keeping and I have apparently acquired an extremely.. unpleasant.. doe. She was NOT this aggressive or threatening before being bred. I am not sure if this is something rabbits do while raising litters or not but she will growl, grunt, posture, and charge at me, though she has NOT made contact as of yet. I know she WOULD if I wasn't quick to move my hand. She is ok until I try to reach INTO the cage for any reason. I can refil food as long as I do it quickly. Most of her defensiveness involves her nest box, she has taken to planting herself at the entrance to the nest whenever I am in the barn or working around the rabbits. When I check the litter, I remove the box entirely because I'm sure she would get me if I tried to reach in with her there.
So.. normal? Acceptable? Any way to improve this behavior? This is her first litter, and she was only with me for 5 days before I bred her so this may be my fault. She didn't have a really good chance to settle before being bred, and she has been an AMAZING mother other than this moodiness. Her kits were born in their nest, fully covered and were fat and happy from the first time I saw them. She hasn't made any mistakes where the kits are concerned. So what to do? Keeping in mind that I am just getting started, and have very limited space. I am hoping she relaxes if I decide to keep her and rebreed... but... will she teach her kits this aggressive crap? Help! :shock:
So.. normal? Acceptable? Any way to improve this behavior? This is her first litter, and she was only with me for 5 days before I bred her so this may be my fault. She didn't have a really good chance to settle before being bred, and she has been an AMAZING mother other than this moodiness. Her kits were born in their nest, fully covered and were fat and happy from the first time I saw them. She hasn't made any mistakes where the kits are concerned. So what to do? Keeping in mind that I am just getting started, and have very limited space. I am hoping she relaxes if I decide to keep her and rebreed... but... will she teach her kits this aggressive crap? Help! :shock: