What to Do When Your Bunny Is Mad at You
I've been seeing an awful lot of Tonto's back lately. In fact, I'm seeing it so often that I'm getting used to it. There have been a few days that I've walked away from him discouraged and wondering where my sweet little man has gone. Tonight I think we finally turned a corner, so I thought I would write an article and share the experience in case a reader finds themselves in a similar situation.
In this picture, Tonto is visibly irritated at me for the long photo session I am putting him through. His back is not completely turned, so he is willing to appeased, but he will only look at me out of one eye. He wants me to know that he is only half paying attention to me. For the last two weeks, Tonto has turned his back completely on me, repeatedly.
How can you tell if your bunny is mad at you?
* When you walk in the room, he quickly turns away from you and sits with his back to you.
* He pulls back when you try to pick him up.
* He refuses to come when called. (if he normally does)
* He doesn't respond positively to petting, treats, attention.
Patiently study your bunny for reasons.
* Tonto was finishing a huge molt, which makes him exhausted and edgy.
* His digestive system can have a harder time during molts which makes him uncomfortable.
* I was brushing him daily, and he was sick of it.
* Because his digestive system was more sensitive, I was limiting his banana/apple treats.
* I cut his nails.
* Spring left our rabbitry. (He loved having Spring in the cage next to him.)
* He was adjusting to having Cosette closer.
* Tonto just doesn't like change.
Analysis
Sadly, all of the things listed above collided in the same period of time. I knew Tonto was sad about Spring, but his nails still needed to be cut for his own health and well being. I knew he was touch sensitive, but his loose fur needed to be brushed out daily to prevent fur blockages in his colon from grooming. I knew he wanted banana, but it wasn't good for him. In general, I had to choose the hard thing, and do what needed to be done, despite the fact that it would make him more angry at me. I also needed to be patient with him and not be offended that he wasn't being himself.
Plan of Action
* Brush Tonto daily and end it with some petting and love, even if he didn't want it.
* Stick to greens and pellets and avoid fruits to keep his digestion in balance.
* Work gently and slowly because fast movements and transitions were jarring to him.
* Give him a new pillow and pay extra attention to him to offset the fact that he missed Spring.
* During pen time, wait and let him move towards me, then reward him with love.
I can't say that I wasn't a tad worried when we hit the two week mark. I have never seen Tonto so adamant, and my plan of action was not yielding the results I was hoping. He seemed as frustrated as ever. Then tonight I sat outside his pen and just left it open, waiting for him to come to me. I waited. And waited. Eventually he came, was pet, and ran away again. Repeat. Repeat. Finally it was time for him to eat and sleep, so I picked him up and put him back in his cage. I got scrambling and loud thumping. He wasn't happy. Before I closed his doors, I knelt down to pet him one more time. This time, he moved toward me and then sat still so I could pet him longer. I even got one teeth grind out of him. And with that, I knew we were on our way back up.