Biting, urination, and charging - not at the same time..

[Rescuemom]

I'm aware that each rabbit, just like any other animal, is individual in it's personality and likes, dislikes, etc.

But I figured I'd ask anyway. Some recall I asked about a friends young bunny biting her while she was cleaning the cage - this was a spayed, young female of under a year, who has never shown any territorial aggression prior... I'm wondering if she was just uncomfortable with my friend cleaning the cage with her in it and got freaked out or made her discomfort clear with a bite?

That said... Crush has VERY, very fine, soft, floaty, shedding fur... It's ALWAYS shedding(any supplements that will help with this?)... And I always find whole clumps of it in the corners of his cage, end up with it all over my hands when I hold him, all over my clothing, etc. It's terrible for my asthma, so I decided to use the deshedder on him(recommended on here by several people and I have grooming experience with dogs)... And while grooming, he was obviously upset with me, because I wouldn't let him hop all over the place... But when I began to comb his back end too(where MOST of the shedding fur is coming from), he turned his head and I felt a very distinct set of teeth graze my skin. No actual bite happened, I just felt his teeth graze me. So I'm not sure if he was protesting my grooming him, or if he was trying to groom in return as I'm still learning about bunny behavior... Any thoughts?

Also, please note, he is a neutered, three year old Holland Lop, if that tells you anything.

Moving on... I've had him out of his cage for up to four hours at a time before, or longer, depending on what I'm doing and how long I can keep my Beagle kenneled... And have done so, successfully since I got him - he used to get free-roaming in his previous home. I normally keep his litter box on the floor where he can get it(his cage is off the ground to prevent harassment from my Beagle), while he's out... However, recently, while he's been out for short periods of time, he's urinated twice, on two separate occasions, in the same spot. First time, nothing was happening, he was just hopping around enjoying himself. Second time, my Beagle was whining profusely at him from his kennel. What could have caused the peeing?

And... Every time I go to put down food in Crush's cage, he charges my hands. No biting, no noises, no thumping or anything. Just rushes for me, almost like he's excited to get the food I'm placing in there. Is it just excitement? Or is it a form of territorial cage aggression? The first time he did it, it startled me and I pulled back.. But since then, I've been making it known that it doesn't scare me and will even block him while I put dishes down so he doesn't knock them over and he seems unfazed by that.

Anything I could do, anything I should know, and anything I'm doing wrong at all with my bun? I want him to have the best care possible and I'm a worry-wart.

 

[Imbrium]

mine RUN for the food bowl when they hear me picking up the pellet container - I often have trouble getting the pellets in there 'cause of bunny faces in the way

how long have you had him? holland lops don't seem like bunns that routinely shed a ton (mine doesn't really shed at all) - could he be molting? it's that time of year for most bunns and if hair comes out in clumps, that generally means molting (which is good news, since it'll stop after a while )

 

[Rescuemom]

I've had him about two months now. He has shed quite a bit since I got him, but it's definitely getting worse and coming out in clumps. There's patches where his fur should have been. I was beginning to wonder if he was ill or something, even though he's acting fine. Good to know it's likely just him molting!

 

[Imbrium]

yeah, they molt every 3 months and every other molt is BAD - they lose their entire coat.

make sure to groom him a couple times a day to get as much loose hair off him as possible while he's molting so he doesn't get a hairball... if he doesn't like the deshedder, dampening your hands and running them over him or using a lint roller will get a lot of hair off of him

 

[Nancy McClelland]

:yeahthat:

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

Grooming their butt can be irritating to some rabbits. If 2 rabbits don't like each other, they can nip in the butt. So you grooming that area and plucking fur and seem to them like a nip or bite. It is good that he did not bite even though he had he teeth on you. It does show that while he was irritated, he does have self control. Not being able to move around too much during grooming can annoy some rabbits as well. Try giving him breaks to explore the table (be careful if he gets too close to the edge) so he doesn't get too annoyed.
Some rabbits do moult more than others and may look scruffy most of the time. What pellets are you feeding? It can make a difference. I feed Oxbow timothy pellets and don't really have too much of an issue with moulting (it doesn't hang around too long). My bunnies tend to have nice coats and the non fluffy ones have shiny and sleek coats.

When he as peed out of the litter box, was the box clean? I know some rabbits don't want to use a dirty box. There may have been a smell in that spot and it might not have been fully cleaned since the last time. If he keeps using that spot, you can try putting a litter box there or even using a puppy pad. Make sure to clean the spot really well so there is no smell for him to come back to.

Some rabbits get much more excited about food than others. You can try to distract him with a treat or hand feeding a few pellets while you put the bowl in.

 

[Rescuemom]

I'm feeding Oxbow Essentials.

Thanks so much guys! I appreciate all the info. And I wasn't aware that they would nip in the butt if they didn't like each other. That's really good to know. He absolutely loves banana and strawberries as treats - maybe I could try distracting him with a treat while doing his back end too?