I've had my bunny for a year and he finally bit my hand

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quezadaadrian

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Hello, I am trying to get some advice about how to handle the situation. I tried to pick my bunny up this morning to pick up some poop around him, and he bit and latched onto my hand and I could not get him to let go. I bled for a good 10mins. straight. I wonder if this aggression is related to me recently getting a new young female bunny and possibly made his hormones go crazy and perhaps he is being very territorial now. He is not neutered at the moment.
 
Him not being neutered, you smelling like another rabbit, you "invading" his space, and you trying to pick him up (which by default, rabbits do not like) all likely contributed to this. It is a whirlwind of factors that make his behavior seem relatively 'normal'. That being said, keep in mind that such reactivity can also be a sign that something is medically wrong with a rabbit, so that's always something to at least consider when our rabbits do behave differently than normal.

You can learn more about aggression in rabbits here: Aggressive rabbits - WabbitWiki
 
!st--neuter. 2nd-- treat him as an alpha rabbit would--pin him down when he doesn't co-operate, roll him on his back and keep him there, then speak to him in a harsh voice to emulate how an alpha would angrily grunt at an offending subordinate. Three of our "rescues" were from shelters that were ready to euthanize them as they were biters too. We still have one with us and he's a real sweety now, not the bitey little crab he used to be--wants attention now where he did not want it before. The other 2 have passed to the bridge after a long time with us, and, they were both really good bunnies. Just did not want to adopt them out to anyone as I was afraid they might backslide--had one that was really one of my best and smartest, but he behaved perfect for me but not for the girl that wanted to take him--the good thing is that I had a really sweet female lop that worked out perfect for her and her family. Not always a medical issue--read up on rabbit behaviors--they are different from cats, dogs and most other animals so you need to learn--same with fish, birds, reptiles, spiders, etc. Didn't think about it til just now, but we have more than 40 books relating to various animal companions we've shared our home with over the years.
 

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