Responding to Bunny Behaviors

I had this idea, before being a bunny owner, that bunnies were a lot like guinea pigs.  You know, the kind of animal that seems content to live in a glass aquarium at your local library or school classroom, and does some funny things now and then.  A dozen bunnies later, that's all so hilarious.  My hollands never cease to surprise me with how much interaction they want, how much personality they have, and how much they understand.  I think that is an important premise because it helps form the framework of how to best interact with a bunny.

A few months ago, my daughter and I were laughing and talking about bunny behavior while cleaning and feeding.  We were joking about how one bunny's behavior seemed to be communicating that it thought I was "So Bad.  So, so bad." - for not petting it first each morning. The bunny that I happened to be petting while saying this gave me a fake nip on the hand.  After taking a minute a figure out possible causes, I concluded it was in protest to the scolding she thought she was receiving.  There is also no doubt in my mind that bunnies love flattery. 

So, if I were to summarize bunny and human interaction, I would say that bunnies want to believe that you absolutely adore them, and give them what they deem as the proper amount of respect.  This usually means lots of petting on the bridge of the nose, perpetual compliments (Look how pretty/handsome you are.  You are the sweetest.  etc...) and at least the appearance of putting them first.  If you follow through with your part, they in turn, become sweet, lovable balls of fluff. 

But what if your bunny exhibits signs of being offended by you - otherwise known as shaming you.  Well, to most offenses, your response should be to take it lightly.  If your bunny flicks its' back legs when you put it down to play, just smile and shake your head.  If your bunny turns his back to you and looks back to see if you have noticed, turn your back to him and then check to see if he notices.  If your bunny stomps in disgust, stomp back.  Of course, all these responses are done in the context of being a loving bunny owner, knowing your bunny's behavior usually has the maturity of a 4 year old. 

There are of course, behaviors that are not acceptable:  nipping, biting, lunging, growling, etc.  If your bunny begins exhibiting these behaviors, it is tempting to retaliate with a smack, water in his face, yelling, dropping, etc.  Please believe me when I say that this will only put you farther behind in solving the problem. The immediate response to bad behaviors should be to gently but firmly press your bunny's head down to the floor and say "No, No.  You can't do that."  in a loud voice.  This is essentially a message that you maintain the dominant position in the relationship.  This will likely go a long way if you mean it.  Just like dogs, bunnies respond to the Alpha.  In the long term, to fix these issues, you need to do some detective work and observe your bunny.  Is it hormones?  Bunnies go through "teenage years" and can be uncharacteristically snippy from about 5 months to 9 months.  Is your bunny being territorial?  Is he afraid that people or animals will take away his stuff - water bottle, food bowl, box, etc.?  Does your bunny feel insecure because of chaotic activity around it or inconsistent feeding/exercise times?  Sometimes you can make little changes to alleviate fears and insecurity and the bad behavior will go away.

(Picture courtesy of a former customer - that bunny is pretty happy and relaxed!)