Aggressive bunny

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NorthernNevadaHollandLops

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Reno, Nevada
I had a buyer reach out to me yesterday asking advice on her bunny becoming very aggressive, longing and biting. I've never had any issues like this so I was unsure what to say. The rabbit is a 6 month old Holland lop, so I told her that Ellie (the rabbit) has likely been going through puberty and the changes I her hormones can change her behavior. I recommended they have her spayed, but beyond that, is there anything I can tell her?
 
My advice is tell her to try and bond with her bunny, like laying on the floor and letting the bunny come to her, or maybe suggest taking the bunny for a car ride and the owner just comfort the bunny (obviously with someone else driving), most likely the best way for those hormones to go down is going to be spaying the bunny, my guess is it hit maturity and is having the hormones. I would try in anyway to help the owner because around 6 months of age a lot of bunnies get dumped because people don't realize bunnies hit their maturity and gain aggressive tendencies, now not all bunnies get aggressive but its better to get the spayed than later! I hope my suggestions help!

Lastly, the bunny could be aggressive due to the housing situation, is there any other animals? Dogs and many other animals can make bunnies be fearful leading to aggression. Are they indoors, outdoors? In a cage, xpen, hutch, free roaming? Are there kids in the house? Loud sounds? All of these factors can also lead to being aggressive. SO I would just ask the owner some of these questions and see if there's a solution! Like if it's cage aggression maybe they try a xpen if they can't free roam! If outdoors, maybe just try indoors, something may be making them feel like prey outside!

I really hope this helps I would just ask them some of these questions and give them some tips to help them!
 
My advice is tell her to try and bond with her bunny, like laying on the floor and letting the bunny come to her, or maybe suggest taking the bunny for a car ride and the owner just comfort the bunny (obviously with someone else driving), most likely the best way for those hormones to go down is going to be spaying the bunny, my guess is it hit maturity and is having the hormones. I would try in anyway to help the owner because around 6 months of age a lot of bunnies get dumped because people don't realize bunnies hit their maturity and gain aggressive tendencies, now not all bunnies get aggressive but its better to get the spayed than later! I hope my suggestions help!

Lastly, the bunny could be aggressive due to the housing situation, is there any other animals? Dogs and many other animals can make bunnies be fearful leading to aggression. Are they indoors, outdoors? In a cage, xpen, hutch, free roaming? Are there kids in the house? Loud sounds? All of these factors can also lead to being aggressive. SO I would just ask the owner some of these questions and see if there's a solution! Like if it's cage aggression maybe they try a xpen if they can't free roam! If outdoors, maybe just try indoors, something may be making them feel like prey outside!

I really hope this helps I would just ask them some of these questions and give them some tips to help them!
That helps a lot! Thank you! Bunny is indoors with a hutch attached to an xpen, allowed free roaming time too. No dogs, seems like a peaceful situation. I'll pass this info along. I'm sure it will be helpful!
 
Spay and establish trust. We have feisty lionhead girl and she is slowly calming down after getting spayed. Slowly adusting to trust by her rabbit-savvy humans.

Those d&%* hormones. At the shelter we saw aggressive situations all the time prior to sp/euter.

Good advice @KayDai . Any types of loud noises, reasons a rabbit needs to fear for his/her life, environment... how a person has handled the rabbit in the past, loud vocal tones from humans.
 

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