Hello everyone - Agressive rabbit with previous neurological issues

[nicola87]

We need help! !

We adopted smokey a few months ago. We was told she had a brain injury while with her previous owner and that she was a bit hyper. She is a house rabbit has loads of toys plenty of room to run around and a good diet. As time goes on she is getting very nasty. She bites scratches grunts and kicks when we try and pick her up. Every now and again she will jump on us and enjoy cuddles and kisses then she just switches back to being naughty.
Does anybody have any tips on how to calm her or get her used to us?

Thank you Nicola

 

[pani]

Has she been spayed? That tends to help with behavioral problems, and helps to significantly reduce risk of cancer.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

You posted in the wrong place if you want answers. However, seems like she thinks she's the Alpha. You need to treat her like an Alpha rabbit would. When she behaves improperly you should say NO emphatically! That doesn't work with most so the next step up is to pin her to the ground and hold her there for a few seconds making sure you have a firm placement so she can't struggle or get away. I'd recommend getting some literature and read up on rabbit behavior so you don't let the bunny train you. I had a couple real stubborn ones and they'd get picked up and rolled on their back and pinned just to let them know who was the boss--I did this with biters as you don't want to teach a rabbit that biting gets them what they want or you're really in for a load of trouble.

 

[nicola87]

Yes she has been spayed.
Sorry im new to this and can't figure it out lol

 

[Watermelons]

your topic has been moved.
Please also try and use more descriptive titles for youre topics. Thanks.

 

[JBun]

Gently but firmly pressing her head down for a few seconds, like a momma bun would discipline her babies, works for some rabbits. Positive reinforcement with treats and training your rabbit to do some tricks, is another possibility. Sometimes it just takes a lot of patience and trial and error to find what will work best for your rabbit.

http://rabbit.org/faq-aggression/
http://www.extension.org/pages/58781/rabbit-behavioral-problems:-biting#.UzzS-mtOVjo