aggression towards me, jealousy over new guinea pigs?

[krjones3]

I have a gorgeous 8 month old lion head rabbit called ernie. he is free roaming in my bedroom and has always been very well behaved, i've have him almost 6 months and he's neutered.

i also have 5 guinea pigs. i've had 2 since before I got ernie and even though he never particularly loved them he always tolerated them. recently though, since i've got the new guinea pigs, ernie has become aggressive. he will happily sit and watch the guinea pigs in their cages but as soon as i get them out, he circles me, butts me and has even bit me a couple of times - which he has NEVER done before.

this is an issue for me... i can't bond with my new guinea pigs, or give them the exercise they need, and two of the guinea pigs are on antibiotics and i have to take them out of the room to give them their medicine because otherwise i get bitten!

any advice?? squealing when he bites me doesn't seem to work because i'm pretty sure he knows exactly what he's doing and he's trying to hurt.

 

[ladysown]

I'd put him in a hutch when you have the piggies out. if he nips, lock him up.

 

[Aki]

I don't think 'jealousy' is a feeling that you can link to a rabbit. On the other hand, what you can certainly attribute to a rabbit is 'being territorial'. You put strangers, THREE OF THEM, on his territory that he already had to share with two non-bunny intruders. He's not a happy bunny and he is not wrong - honestly, I don't know how big your room is but to share his space with 5 other critters is really not natural for a rabbit (it would be different if he shared with bunnies he was bonded with, because there would be hierarchy and a boss who would rule the land and it would smell like bunnies and stuff...). So, I'm guessing your rabbit is stressed and lashes out at you because he is unsatisfied with the housing situation. It could become more problematic if he turns his ire against the pigs. It's not really recommended to put rabbits and guinea pigs together. To begin with, rabbits are a lot stronger and more agressive so they can seriously hurt guinea pigs. And guinea pigs and rabbits can both be carriers of potential diseases which, while benign for themselves, can be very serious if they pass them on to the other critter. I suggest you find a way to give the pigs and the bunny their own space.