The terminology that many people use is cage aggressive, or territorial when they try to describe a rabbits behaviour.
I find that using such terminology doesn't help people to understand what the doe is really doing...protecting her space should she ever have littles to care for.
So I've started using the terminology of cage protective... which gets people asking what do I mean, which helps me explain the "psyche" behind the behaviour so it seems less scary and more something to work with...and even to help explain why spaying such a doe can be of such benefit.
Same thing with the bucks... I call it scent marking (so as to include things like random pooping, marking via scent glands and spraying) as opposed to spraying or "nasty boy behaviour" once again I do this in an effort to help educate the public and help them ask good questions. This helps people understand that by neutering this male rabbit you stop the hormones which creates this problem they don't want to encounter.
This leads to me explaining why some rabbits don't need to be spayed/neutered as their hormones don't make them act all crazy (in our eyes) and why others do need to be spayed/neutered to help them fit within our norms.
What do other people do in an effort to help educate the populations you serve?
I find that using such terminology doesn't help people to understand what the doe is really doing...protecting her space should she ever have littles to care for.
So I've started using the terminology of cage protective... which gets people asking what do I mean, which helps me explain the "psyche" behind the behaviour so it seems less scary and more something to work with...and even to help explain why spaying such a doe can be of such benefit.
Same thing with the bucks... I call it scent marking (so as to include things like random pooping, marking via scent glands and spraying) as opposed to spraying or "nasty boy behaviour" once again I do this in an effort to help educate the public and help them ask good questions. This helps people understand that by neutering this male rabbit you stop the hormones which creates this problem they don't want to encounter.
This leads to me explaining why some rabbits don't need to be spayed/neutered as their hormones don't make them act all crazy (in our eyes) and why others do need to be spayed/neutered to help them fit within our norms.
What do other people do in an effort to help educate the populations you serve?
