I think Pokey has post-traumatic stress disorder.

[Valmonster]

I've had my bunny for a few months now. She's afraid of EVERYTHING. At first I thought it was just that she was getting used to her new environment, but nothing's changed. I let her out to run around, but she only either stays in her cage, or runs under my bed. She never chews cords or gets into mischief, and is very well litter-trained and will go back in her cage to poop or pee (unless I have a gi lying around, she likes to pee on those). When I have to put her back in the cage and she's hiding under the bed, she runs away from me, and if I corner her she starts hissing and lunging at me like she wants to fight.

About a month after I got her I had to go off-island for a couple of weeks and had a couple of friends stay at my place and keep her company and take care of her. The boys reported to me that she would hiss at them and attack them if they so much as opened her cage to feed her. One of my friends tried to feed her a carrot and she bit HIM instead. So far I'm the only person who can even hold her without her freaking out or biting them.

I really think she's traumatized somehow or something. My nextdoor neighbor has a bunny too and he doesn't freak out like that, he'll let anybody hold him, and he'll hop around and chill out when he's out of his cage. Pokey also always does this "burrowing" thing where she scratches at the bottom of her cage (or when she's out of her cage, at the floor) CONSTANTLY. Also, I took her to the vet a couple days ago for earmites and she FREAKED OUT when he touched her ear to get a better look. It was like something out of the Exorcist. She started SCREAMING bloody murder (I had no idea bunnies could make those kinds of noises), kicking and wiggling and flipping around, and it took TWO cagefighters (me and my vet-tech home-girl) to restrain her and reassure her and calm her down!!!

That's not even the end of it either...

I have no idea what's wrong with her, or how to "rehabilitate" her. When the earmites go away I was thinking about adopting a friend for her, maybe that would help, but Pokey is so aggressive that I don't know if it's a good idea.

Help please!!! :?

 

[LadyKat]

My rabbit acts like that all the time, when I go to pick her up (and she is outside her cage) she lunges, hisses and bites, especially if she is under her cage. Kind of like when I corner her. She is like this with everyone.

Usually I just trick her to come to me by laying on the floor and petting her until she is all comfy cozy then I pick her up. Even though there is fussing once I pick her up, it is not nearly as bad as picking her up suddenly.

Smudge also freaks out at the vets, when the vet had to syringe feed her some medication I had to really hold her tight with gloves on since she bites. It is the same with nail clipping. When my bunny savvy friend comes over she holds Smudge with gloves on while I clip.

I think this is just the type of Bunny we ended up with. My friend has a rabbit that just Chills to, will let anyone hold and snuggle with him, does not chew on anything etc.

If you see my other threads you will notice my rabbit rarely chills.

 

[Valmonster]

Haha yeah I was reading one of your other threads earlier... I was like damnnnn at least Pokey isn't THAT bad!! Your baby sounds like a real monster!! I apologize I have no advice for you...but I empathize for sure! But hey at least we're in the same boat, maybe if something works for pokey it'll work for smudge too! And way to jynx myself, I went to hold her just now and she went and bit me for the first time. I hope she's just being moody and not getting "worse"...but she HAS been pissed off at me ever since we went on our little vet adventure....

 

[Nancy McClelland]

All bunnies are different. We had Stewart since he was a baby and he was the grumpy bunny champ and was never mistreated--just his personality. Sometimes with a lot of time and patience they will change--Mr. B, short for Beelzebub was a little monster and would bite at the drop of a hat. Over time, he finally mellowed to where we could handle him without getting bled.

 

[Bunnylova4eva]

Dear oh dear. Yes I've had a bunny aggrssive like such in her cage. Is she fixed? That would probably calm her down *ALOT* after that. Tame down those hormones. Just keep being consistent with her about it, and some treats, and I think she'll to some extent get over it and learn to trust.