Bad Bunny!

[jennhalgren]

I'm new to this whole rabbit thing. about 2 months ago I got what I was told 2 bucks and 4 does. They were not well taken care of at all even for meat rabbits. I was told that 3 of the 4 does were due in two weeks after I got them. when I got all the rabbits home I waited a few days to let them adjust to the move. The first one to handle was suppose to be due in 2 weeks, not the case, no bunnies but she is the sweetest thing ever! I bring her inside to watch tv with me when my husband is out of town lol. She had ear mites and sore hocks so bad you could see her bone, she is almost healed. the next doe had 7 but they all died and then she stopped eating for about a week. my husband would cut grass for her and try everything to get her to eat and she seems fine now. The 3rd doe exploded from the neck. The 4th doe became dinner due to her attitude. The 2nd buck was friendly and was bred to one of my does (I saw it happen). when I took said buck out one day to trim "his" toes I noticed he was missing a few boy parts. It seemed as soon as we found out he was a she, she turned evil! I put her in with my 1 and only buck, (which I think he thinks a dog, he lays on he back for belly rubs) and they did the deed. Now if I do anything with 2 of my females I have to wear my cut proof tac gloves. My questions: Why are my does evil? Do does hump like bucks do? and should I wait to see if they have bunnies and then invite them to dinner or wait a bit longer?
Please help! If I knew they were not taken care of I might have not taken them :/

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

Wow sorry you are having so much trouble with your bunnies! I would think the females are aggressive because females can get extremely territorial AND because they haven't been handled much. Can you spend a bit of time with each one every day brushing and giving treats and petting?

 

[jennhalgren]

the 4 I have left were always super friendly up until the 1 had her litter and the other up until we found out he was a she. we (my 4 kids, husband, brother in-law and me) spend about 2 hours a day playing with them, well the 2 we can handle. Doe 1, my husband will take out and put in in the grass to have a little free time, and doe 2 he-she, will not let us touch her anymore. She runs at us growling, boxing, and biting. My husband wants to eat them but I made the horrible mistake of telling my kids that the rabbits were "safe pets". Would it make me a bad mom if I told them they "ran away" lol

 

[alsea1]

I would give it a try but if they fail to perform freezer camp.
As for attitudes, if your raising for meat I don't care myself how friendly they are. If they have good mothering instincts I will put up with a bratty rabbit.

 

[brentr]

Sometimes behavior changes in does can indicate pregnancy. I have a doe that is totally Jekyll/Hyde - calm, friendly when open, bratty/snippy when pregnant. I don't even have to palpate her to confirm pregnancy anymore. I just wait a week after breeding and then put my hand in her cage to try and pet her. How she reacts tells all I need to know...

Not saying all rabbits are like her, but you might consider that hormone changes are what is driving their behavior. I agree with Alsea1; I will put up with a bratty doe if she's a good mom and consistent producer.

 

[currycomb1]

yes, does will hump each other, especially when they are wanting bred themselves. we also put up with witchy does if they are good moms, good luck. give em a chance,jmo.

 

[treeclimber233]

I would recommend getting rid of any bratty does. Raise up some babies from your nice does and breed them. I have never had any luck with changing the attitude of a nasty doe and her babies are likely to be the same way when they grow up. What will happen if your kids put their hands into the nasty does cage?