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Original poster

We came home on Sat with three friendly, tame rabbits. Two days with my children and the mother is growling at me. Help.

33 replies

Jumente · 28/09/2009 17:42

They were perfect, very nice, sat to be stroked, etc etc...then mistakenly I took my eyes off ds2 and he dropped the run lid in on them, probably scaring them badly, and then ds1 climbed in the run this afternoon to 'see' them and kept mucking about with the ladder while I was dealing with a spate of phone calls, despite knowing he isn't allowed to, and when I went out to feed and stroke them just now, the babies were fine but the mum went to attack me several times

I am distraught.
I don't know if keeping the kids away from them for a few days will work, I justw ant my friendly bunny to let me stroke her again - she even attacked me when I was stroking the baby. (4mo)

PLEASE can anyone talk me through what I need to do now. I can't bear it - we only just got them and already the boys have buggered up a beautiful friendship. I am really really upset.

OP posts:
thesunshinesbrightly · 28/09/2009 17:46

i'm sorry but your boys didnt bugger it up, you did so dont blame them they are children. i dont know what you could do but it will take time for the mom to trust you again.

Original poster
Jumente · 28/09/2009 17:50

Cheers for that.

OP posts:
cornsilk · 28/09/2009 17:56

Don't worry too much mum will get over it. My rabbit growls at me if he's in a mood and doesn't want to be messed with and he's a very tame house bunny. Try not to let the boys play with them unsupervised for now. Can they go in for a run round the house and get used to your smell?

thesunshinesbrightly · 28/09/2009 17:57

no i wasn't being funny i was being truthful you need to set rules for your boys, such as not to touch when you are not there, be gentle and sit down when holding them, give them a book to read or read it together.

thesunshinesbrightly · 28/09/2009 17:58

rabbit book i mean

Original poster
Jumente · 28/09/2009 18:00

We did all that

Do you have really well behaved children that never do anything you ask them not to?

Thanks Cornsilk. I hope she does get over it.

OP posts:
cornsilk · 28/09/2009 18:02

lol I don't. My ds's are really noisy and boisterous and our rabbit has had some near misses. Doesn't bother him in the slightest.

thesunshinesbrightly · 28/09/2009 18:02

regards animals yes.

good luck anyway.

PinkTulips · 28/09/2009 18:03

tbf, TSSB has a point, why are the kids able to access the rabbits without your supervision?

they sound like quite young kids if they're carrying on like that so if you brought pets into the house you should have ensured that they were in an area safe from unwanted attention from the kids.

southeastastra · 28/09/2009 18:04

my female rabbit 'attacks' me if i try to pick her up or if she senses me above her. she is however a sweety when i stroke her and let her sniff me first.

HecatesTwopenceworth · 28/09/2009 18:05

Can you secure the hutch / run so that the children cannot access it? You need to 'protect' the rabbits from the kids

cornsilk · 28/09/2009 18:07

Actually that's a good point SEA. Rabbits don't like being picked up from above as they're prey animals. Could be why she was so spooked if something fell on her from above.

Original poster
Jumente · 28/09/2009 18:09

Right ok, I will just go and walk under a bus now shall I?

The rabbit run is in the garden. The children sometimes follow me out into the garden, and have mainly been great, but I slipped up and they just got overexcited and this happened.

Ds2 should have been supervised better, i know that was my fault - the rabbits were not hurt and i didn't realise he was even interested in them until I saw him trying to put the lid back on.

Ds1 was just sitting in the run, trying to stroke them, he is 6 and we had sat and stroked them togethert he day before, I had told him he needed to be gentle and he WAS.

I am not even sure tbh why the mother has reacted so strongly to what was really not that bad stuff going on...the lid falling in yes, but she seemed Ok with me after that - it was only just now she started getting funny.

I'm sorry if I shouldn't have even got rabbits, perhaps it was just a huge mistake in which case I will just have to find them another place to live.

Thanks Cornsilk for trying to help rather than apportioning blame, albeit deserved. You lot must think I am really stupid/careless/ a total idiot. The reason I missed ds2 trying to take the lid off was that I was digging a fecking trench to sink wire into so they can have free range of the garden. I have spent the last 3 days putting up a massive fence for same reason. I CARE about them fgs, I had better leave this thread as I am too cross now.

OP posts:
Original poster
Jumente · 28/09/2009 18:10

Cross posts as well - thanks hec and SEA, i appreciate it.

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babster · 28/09/2009 18:14

You're not an idiot. IME female rabbits can be pretty narky - I had one who growled and nipped - and you might need to get her spayed to calm her down. My gorgeous male rabbit had to be neutered as he kept spraying me with pee - nice! They are cute but hormonal little beings.

cornsilk · 28/09/2009 18:19

Jumente mum may have become cross anyway. It might have nothing to do with the ds's who were behaving like perfectly normal children. At least they're interested in the rabbits. The babies probably loved having ds in the run! I know mine is nosy like that.

thesunshinesbrightly · 28/09/2009 18:19

you blamed your children so i made you aware that it wasn't your childrens fault, sometimes the truth hurts.

cornsilk · 28/09/2009 18:20

Sunshines you are not helping.

southeastastra · 28/09/2009 18:24

the mother rabbit will be ok, but let her sniff you first. they usually like being stroked on the bit between their eyes, it calms them.

but mine would attack if i touched her back or from above. if i need to pick her up it sometimes helps if i cover her eyes!

cornsilk · 28/09/2009 18:26

Oh I do that as well SEA! My bunny also loves being stroked there. We are a pair of rabbit whisperers I think.

Northernlurker · 28/09/2009 18:34

Jumente if you are still reading - at the end of a day with lots of things changing and new stuff happening and the kids running round like mad things I bet you are a bit grouchy. Same for your mummy rabbit - animals get stressed too. She won't hold it aginst you though - just take things slow and steady as others have suggested.

Of course you care about the rabbits and the kids are not rabbit savaging horrors! It's a new dynamic in the family and will take a little time to adjust for everybody but it's a really positive thing for your lads to learn to care for animals and they are obviously very keen. It's all good really

FernieB · 29/09/2009 08:37

Babster is right - female bunnies can be a lot more aggressive than males anyway. She may just be in a mood. I wouldn't worry about what happened with the boys (kids are kids) - I don't think your rabbit will hold it against you. She will get used to the boys. It took ours a while but now whenever my girls pick her up, she just relaxes into it - she soon worked out that they always give her treats.

I've found with our female that she is more aggressive at certain times of the months (she has PMT). She also doesn't like being picked up from above (or at all really), but if you ignore her grunting and pick her up anyway, she'll probably be really lovely and cuddly.

Sounds to me like you've put a lot of thought and work into preparing yourselves for these rabbits. I think they've lucked out with their owners. Enjoy them, don't stress about them - sounds to me like you're doing everything right.

TheBalladofGayTony · 29/09/2009 08:39

time for rabbit stew methinks

ChilloHippi · 29/09/2009 08:54

You could put bolts on the run to stop the children opening it. That's what I've had to do and it works.
My rabbits (both female, kept separate) both growl occassionnally. In fact, one of them used to hate me and would go for me, growling, but would let DH pick her up. I persevered and she's fine with me now.
I wonder if it is having the mother in with the babies that is a problem?

Original poster
Jumente · 29/09/2009 09:38

Thankyou very much, I was very grouchy last night, and I am sorry I lost the plot slightly.

I have recovered slightly from the doom laden feelings I was having and am planning to sit in with them again today once ds2 is asleep/busy indoors...I sat in the run last night and they came and sniffed me, the babies were licking my trousers ! no more growling but mother did look a bit wary.

What happened is that the hutch is really a bit knackered, it's got a run under it which they love but the lid is fecked really - so yesterday I had to arrange for another hutch to be delivered and it is so big it won't go through the gate! But once that is together I shall transfer them and put them up at the fenced off area, so the kids can't get near them unless i say so.

I did rush it, I ought to have waited until everything was ready, and yes it was my fault - of course it was, I knew that already so no 'making aware' was needed, but I was hopelessly frustrated with ds1 who was in a VILE state the whole weekend and wouldn't do anything I asked, and kept being awful, so when bunnykins started to growl at me yesterday I just lost it and felt like everything was just going wrong, and we shouldn't have got them, and even my big 6yo grown up ds was going to make it hell.

He once painted the cat with gloss (pleasant shade of blue) when he was about 2. So you see he has form
She is fine now btw and he is very nice to her...but I think we may have a little rivalry problem with ds2 and the bunnies...

I wondered about having mum and babies in together, too, but as they'll soon be 'free range' anyway I hope they will have enough room not to feel threatened iyswim...she is bound to be protective of them.

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