My bunny is really aggressive please help!

[CottontailBun]

I have had my rabbit, Bunny, for five years now, and from the start he has been extremely aggressive. Biting, clawing and lunging at my family and I, and I really want to fix this issue. He is especially aggressive when I want to take him out of his cage to walk him, and will attack my hands. My parents have both tried taking him out, even with gloves, but it doesn't seem to help!

I know this might be a territorial sort of behaviour, or a sense of insecurity, but how do I solve this? Do I let him come out on his own? I have tried that method, and I could be sitting there for 20 minutes and he still won't come out?

Recently, it has been getting worse, and my mum is threatening to give him away, and will hit him when he is being aggressive, which really breaks my heart. Somebody please help!

On a side note, he hasn't been cleaning up his own business for several months now, so the poop is stuck to his bottom and is both extremely smelly and dirty, and I want to take him indoors as well as outdoors, but can't because of this issue. What's wrong with him?

Any help is honestly appreciated

 

[JBun]

First off, after 5 years of having this behavior, it could be extremely difficult to change now, and for one reason in particular it will be almost impossible to stop his aggression, and that is if he is in fact being hit, as it will be a natural reaction for him to try and defend himself from a much larger creature(human).

I'm not sure if this is what you really meant, but if your mom is in fact hitting your rabbit, this alone could be a very good reason for your rabbits continued problems with aggression, and you will never be able to cure him of his aggression as long as this is happening. He is only trying to defend himself. If your mom is indeed doing this, then the only thing you can and should do is surrender your rabbit to the rspca(if in the UK) or animal shelter immediately. Abusing an animal is against the law in most first world countries and your mom could be charged criminally if she is in fact doing this.

I'm sure you love your bun very much but it doesn't sound like you are able to deal with his current issues, and his complex behavioral problems that have been going on for years, will be difficult to correct even for a very experienced rabbit owner. The kindest thing you could do for your bun is allow him to go to a home better equipped to deal with his issues. So please for the good of your bun, if he is being hit then you have to surrender him to the rspca or animal shelter.

eta: If this is not really what you meant and that he's not being hit or hurt, then there may be some things that you can try to help cure his aggression, but it will be very difficult and may require changes made in his environment, neutering if not done already, and addressing the poopy bum problem which may require a visit to the vet.

 

[ladysown]

giving a rabbit a whack is NOT criminal behaviour. it's called an inappropriate response to poor rabbit behaviour.
CRIMINAL behaviour is being DELIBERATE about hurting an animal JUST BECAUSE YOU CAN. It's beating, maiming, burning, tying up too close and tight, withholding feed in order to starve, etc.

How to change his behaviour?

1. put him in a different cage.
2. invest in some badly needed training. This might give you some ideas. http://athomepets.weebly.com/at-home-pets-blog/scott-miller-pet-priory-and-the-aggressive-rabbit as well as this http://athomepets.weebly.com/at-home-pets-blog/how-to-tame-an-aggressive-rabbit
3. DO NOT allow your mother to continue to hit him as it's not helping his behaviour.
4. take him to the vet and figure out why he's not cleaning himself up. IF he's like most pet bunnies the reason will be one of two things... poor moulting leading to clumped fur that has matted and started a mess pile OR he's simply fat.
both of these issues can easily be handled... one through diet and exercise, the other with a good hair cut.

Not all is lost but it will take time and commitment on your part.

 

[BlackMiniRex]

i agree with the others, hitting the rabbit is going to make him even more aggressive,
is he neutered? rabbits become less territorial once they are neutered.
i would take him to the vet if his 'tail area' is 'messy', he could be very sick.
What do you mean by 'walk him'? on a halter? most rabbits don't like halters, just opening the cage in a bunny-proofed area will let him get some excercise.

 

[BlackRabbits]

giving a rabbit a whack is NOT criminal behaviour. it's called an inappropriate response to poor rabbit behaviour.
CRIMINAL behaviour is being DELIBERATE about hurting an animal JUST BECAUSE YOU CAN. It's beating, maiming, burning, tying up too close and tight, withholding feed in order to starve, etc.

:what

I strongly disagree. Hitting an animal is considered cruelty, which *is* criminal behaviour because it's against the law. It causes physical pain, potential injury and mental damage including behavioural problems like aggression. It's a lot more than just an "inappropriate response". And did you think the mother was hitting the rabbit by accident? Hitting IS deliberate, and of course she does it because she can. It doesn't matter what she's doing as long as it's hurting and potentially injuring the rabbit, and hitting does both. Cruelty is cruelty, there's no grading system for the type of cruelty, it's all illegal and inexcusable behaviour.

Sorry, but I cannot stand by and see an act of cruelty being minimized without challenging it.

 

[ladysown]

We will have to agree to disagree about what is cruelty.

If a rabbit attacks..hitting at it to stop it from attacking is often a natural response.

NOW.. if she hits it BEFORE it attacks... different story.

But honestly... training that rabbit IS possible, but it takes time and dedication to the task at hand. It also means mom needs to be hands off as her frustration and fear of the rabbit has taken a downward spiral and is simply best if she backs off.

If you need to handle the rabbit, drop a towel over it and then handle him through the towel.

 

[dpbunnies]

:what

I strongly disagree. Hitting an animal is considered cruelty, which *is* criminal behaviour because it's against the law. It causes physical pain, potential injury and mental damage including behavioural problems like aggression. It's a lot more than just an "inappropriate response". And did you think the mother was hitting the rabbit by accident? Hitting IS deliberate, and of course she does it because she can. It doesn't matter what she's doing as long as it's hurting and potentially injuring the rabbit, and hitting does both. Cruelty is cruelty, there's no grading system for the type of cruelty, it's all illegal and inexcusable behaviour.

Sorry, but I cannot stand by and see an act of cruelty being minimized without challenging it.

I agree.
Any type of physical harm to an animal is classed as abuse. It doesn't matter if the animal lunges at you etc, hitting it classes as abuse and will often encourage the behaviour as they'll act out in order to protect themselves.

If bun isn't already neutered, this'll be a first step. Hormones can take 6 to 8 weeks to subside.
Also look at the space available, if in a small hutch with no permanent access to a run, aggressive and territorial behaviour can be more common due to frustration.

Your mum need to stop hitting the rabbit immediately. No matter if she thinks it doesn't hurt him. In a way it'll be reinforcing his behaviour to defend himself from hands.

A patient approach is best with rabbits and something like this could take years to fix so if you're unable to commit to a slow and steady approach I recommend you rehome him to someone who will give him that time. Especially if your mum refuses to stop her barbaric behaviour.

 

[ladysown]

I'm guessing you all would consider spanking to be child abuse then as well.

Too often people cry ABUSE ABUSE when it's not. But as I said, agree to disagree. Time and commitment to doing things a different way works, only the OP knows if she is willing to commit that.

BUT she needs to think long and hard if she really wants to pass on a poorly behaved rabbit to someone else. She won't be able to monitor how that rabbit is treated, what type of care it will receive, or anything along that line. Not all rescues are created equal, nor do they all have the expertise required to work with a rabbit that needs training.

 

[BlackMiniRex]

i discipline my dog my by hitting her (not very hard) and she now has learned very well to not do something that i don't want her to do, but its a little different for a rabbit. Rabbits aren't as strong as dogs and they can get injured if hit to hard, how i train my rabbit to not jump over his barrier between another room is by yelling 'NO' and maybe a loud clap, after that he'll thump and run back to me (he doesn't feel scared at all towards me after that) but i don't think yelling 'NO' will stop a rabbit from being aggressive.

here's a good video on how to make a rabbit less aggressive
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1abIFF_fgpY[/ame]

 

[Watermelons]

Everyone in this topic needs to go back and read Jbuns post.
Animal abust is against the law and discussions for it will NOT be permitted. It is unacceptable behaviour.
You do not hit rabbits, kids, dogs, cats, etc.... there is no reason to. EVER. These are not 2000lb farm animals.
Any further discussion saying it is okay will be removed and infractions added to that members name.
Everyone here needs to go read up on positive reinforcement training and what negative reinforcement really does.

 

[dpbunnies]

Everyone in this topic needs to go back and read Jbuns post.
Animal abust is against the law and discussions for it will NOT be permitted. It is unacceptable behaviour.
You do not hit rabbits, kids, dogs, cats, etc.... there is no reason to. EVER. These are not 2000lb farm animals.
Any further discussion saying it is okay will be removed and infractions added to that members name.
Everyone here needs to go read up on positive reinforcement training and what negative reinforcement really does.

[emoji106] [emoji106]

 

[Aki]

Getting back on topic : an agressive rabbit is generally an intact rabbit (neutering is the key to have a well-behaved rabbit), him not having enough space / time out of his cage will of course make it worse (it's 5 hours outside of the cage at the very least everyday and the cage should be at least 1m long).
Besides, most rabbits don't like being handled. To get the rabbit out of his cage, you open the cage and he will get out when he feels like it. 20 minutes is NOTHING. You don't stay near the cage, a rabbit isn't "walked". It's a rabbit, not a dog. He has to feel at ease. If he still doesn't feel secure enough in his environment to get out immediately when you open the cage after 5 years, there is a major problem.

Outside of the debate about animal abuse, hitting a rabbit will solve nothing. It will make him feel threatened which will heighten his need to defend himself - rabbits don't hit each other to communicate and house rabbits changed very little from their wild cousins on a behavioural standpoint. Point is, your rabbit doesn't understand what you want, he's just releasing his frustrated hormones and defending himself and his territory.

You need to get him to a rabbit-savvy vet to have his diarrhea problem treated and to discuss neutering. Then, when the rabbit is clean health-wise, you need to have him neutered. After that, you leave him alone with enough space and time out of his cage. Of course, no one hits the rabbit.
As someone mentionned, it's hard to tell if your rabbit's behavior will completely change after that because you let him in this state for 5 years so habits are well established by now.

Reading your post, I'm going to assume you are quite young so your parents are mostly responsible for this disaster. But now, you have to do the right thing for your pet (and for future reference, should you ever chose to take a rabbit in again, know that a rabbit has to be neutered or spayed during their first year - it's the best way to avoid behavioral and health issues).

If you can't have that rabbit neutered and offer him the space he needs, you are not suited to own a rabbit right now and you should contact a rescue to try and find him a family that will care for him the way he deserves to be cared for (I'm talking about finding a forster family or a nice rescue which will know how to care about a rabbit, not dumping him in the closest shelter to be euthanized - you owe it to him to find him someone who will care for him if you can't).

Don't hesitate to ask questions if you want more precisions about anything. I don't know where you live, but the House rabbit society (rabbit.org) might help you to rehome if the need arises.

 

[katiecrna]

Thanks for posting these videos I found them very helpful! I just got a new rabbit and I'm trying to get her use to me and I will try these techniques

 

[CottontailBun]

Hi everyone,

Thank you so much for the advice! I have been praying a lot about this issue, and confronted my mother about the abuse, to which I think she took onboard, as she does not hit Bunny anymore, and instead pats him and is gentle with him. I took him out of the cage for the first time in around four years, and he did not attack me, he was incredibly obedient for some reason, and received my stroking of him well.

I have decided to attain a run for him, so that I can clean his cage and not have to leash him up (as that seems to be something he hates), whilst keeping an eye on him and being able to protect him from cats (as several cats live nearby).

However, my garden is rather vertical in size, as in it is not wide, but quite narrow. Does anybody know where and if I would be able to purchase a run/fenced pen that is large in size and adjustable? So that I can adjust it to fit the narrowness of my garden.

I live in New Zealand, if that is any help! Thank you so much for your previous help!

 

[CottontailBun]

Hi there,

Thank you for helping me understand this issue! He was neutered a long time ago, and I have solved the issue of his aggressiveness and taking him out of the cage (as I have newly posted). I am quite young, however that does not justify my irresponsibility with my rabbit, and I am forever regretful for not raising him well from the beginning, but now I understand what I should do.

I have taken him to see the vet twice now about the poop issue, and both times she told us to clean him ourselves every time he is dirty, however I wish to know what the problem is in the first place? He was always incredibly clean, and suddenly within the time span of a few days became extremely dirty. I want to figure out why he suddenly became like this as well as how to clean him, not just how to solve it.

Thank you once again

 

[dpbunnies]

I'm not sure where you'd find them in the U.S. but a lot of people make their own runs in the UK using aviary panels and 16g wielded mesh. (Using 16g wielded mesh protects from predators if you want to leave unsupervised in the run) You can find it all on amazon but there might be cheaper places.

 

[BlackMiniRex]

glad to see he's not aggressive anymore!
have you tried teaching him tricks? (up, circle, etc) to bond with him even more?

 

[Akzholedent]

Sometimes, the mooshy poop thing is a dietary issue. With Pippi, we used to give her these cookies with apple flakes in them, and those upset her tummy. If you just go to a diet with hay and limited pellets, the poops should return to normal. I'd stay on that diet for a couple weeks to a month, and then start graaaaadually adding fresh veggies and treats.

 

[Akzholedent]

And I use a dog pen for Pippi to play in while outside. We built an outdoor condo for Butterscotch and Ellie, and they absolutely love it (but they've been outside bunnies since before we got them). Here's a picture of Pippi's indoor cage. It's a smaller version of the one we use outside. Sorry there's no rabbit for scale. Our air conditioner has been broken for two weeks, and we've had a major heat wave, so Pippi is chilling in the basement. Each panel is able to be separated, and additional panels can be purchased to make it bigger. I found it on eBay. Just search for dog xpens, and make sure the holes aren't separated enough for your bun to get out. We put Pippi in a carrier to transport her from inside to outside, and she hops in at her own free will.

View attachment 1474147137989.jpg

 

[JBun]

I'm very happy you have talked to your mom and have been able to find a solution to your bunnies aggression.

With regards to the poopy bum, it's quite possible that may be somewhat easily resolved, but I will need some information from you. Rabbits produce two types of poop, round fecal balls, and cecotropes that look a bit like a blackberry cluster but are not usually seen as they are normally reingested by the rabbit. Most often when a rabbit has mushy poop problems it is due to a dietary issue upsetting the microbial balance in the cecum and causing the cecotropes to not form properly so they come out mushy and the rabbit won't eat them, and thus they often end up stuck to the fur on their bottom. I need to know if along with the mushy poop, are you seeing the normal round fecal balls and are they normal or is there anything irregular about them like being excessively small, dark, hard, any mucous, any odd shaped fecal poop, or do the fecal balls look normal to you?

I also need to know what your rabbits exact diet is like. What type of pellets, hay, veggies, fruit, treats, etc that you feed him? Have there been any changes in his diet or anything new introduced into the diet since he started having the mushy poop? Have there been any changes in his environment or any thing happen that could be upsetting or stressing him?