Sometimes a difficult bunny is just misunderstood

[kirbyultra]

I just wanted to throw this out there because as a rabbit owner, sometimes we think we know what the bunnies are doing and what their motives are, but the truth is we're not rabbits. Sometimes we just can't be sure.

Ever since I moved Toby out of the same room with Kirby, he has been a fairly happy bunny. I got Toby from a pet store (I know, I know, I should've known better! Back then, I did not) and with the intention of getting him as a partner bun for my skittish bun Kirby. It never worked out between the two of them. Toby was often charging at Kirby through the fence and scaring the wits out of Kirby. Bonding did not go any better. Toby was always hopping all over the place, disinterested in Kirby.

When I fostered Milo for 2 days under some very special circumstances, Toby showed extremely distressed feelings having this bunny in his home. Milo was housed somewhere else, out of his reach. I assumed Toby was sensing Milo's hormones, as he'd only been neutered 2 weeks prior. Toby wouldn't stop grunting and thumping all night. I finally had to put a towel over Milo's pen and close the door to the rabbit room so that Toby could calm down.

When Toby accidentally saw my new bun Madonna, he freaked out and started to dart from place to place, causing all the bunnies in my house to be so frightened.

I always thought Toby was being a little devil and was being mean and aggressive towards all other bunnies. I nowsuspect that Toby is the most fearful of them all. It's possible that Toby has been afraid of them and that's why he's always darting around wildly and lunging at the other buns. He might be so scared that he feels cornered and must defend himself as a last ditch effort.

What makes me convinced suddenly that he's been afraid?

- A long time ago, one quiet night at 2am, I was in the bun room minding my own business on the computer with my back facing the buns... I heard Kirby come down the condo to the floor and next thing I heard was "BING BAM ZOOM!" as both bunnies made a huge ruckus running in opposite directions from each other. I thought that Kirby saw Toby and got scared so he ran away but the noise startled Toby and then Toby ran away but...

- Today, I had a piece of cloth shrouded over the side of Toby's cage because he gets cage protective when Kirby walks by his cage (in order to get to the living room for exercise). It got really warm in the afternoon and Kirby was sleeping under the coffee table so I took down the cloth to give Toby some extra air. While I was cooking lunch, Toby did the BING BAM ZOOM thing again, knocking over all his vegetables, slipping and sliding in his pen, knocking into everything before he huddled inside his wooden hidey box. Kirby was just snooping around under the couch and Toby was caught by surprise seeing him there.

Toby has a combination of cage protectiveness, dislike of being the 'inside bunny' whenever Kirby is let out for his play time, and probably a real fear of other bunnies. I have recently observed in their bonding sessions that after I managed to get Kirby all calm and quell his anxiet, Toby was alwas turbo charged. He doesn't stop hopping. Now that I have reconsidered all these encounters, it's plausible that he was in fear of Kirby's presence all along.

I think he will be very happy living in the living room by himself. I'm making "curtains" for Toby so that whenever Kirby comes out for a run, he won't have to be bothered.

 

[elrohwen]

Helen, that's so interesting! I'm so glad you're figuring out your little Toby.

In my experience with many types of animals, the primary reason for aggression is actually fear. We think the animal is trying to be dominant and mean or something, but usually they're just afraid and don't know what else to do.

In my own recent bonding adventures, I've found that my girl bun, the "firecracker" personality, is actually quite gentle after she gets past wanting to hump. My boy, always very quiet and timid, is actually the one who occasionally lunges and grunts when he thinks the girl is going to hump him or something. He's not being mean, he's just very unsure of her and he acts out to keep her away. But mostly, he just curls up and waits for the session to end (funny how Toby doesn't stop moving - I'm think he's very anxious!).

I hope Toby is much happier out in his own room! Is he nervous around you? Or do you think it's mostly the other bunnies that scare him? My bun isn't very skittish around people now, but we've had to work with him. He's still skittish on wood floors, or in new places, so I think it's part of his personality to get anxious about a lot of things.

 

[kirbyultra]

elrohwen wrote:

In my experience with many types of animals, the primary reason for aggression is actually fear. We think the animal is trying to be dominant and mean or something, but usually they're just afraid and don't know what else to do.

Yes this is exactly what I am discovering with Toby! I don't know why it never occured to me that he might be fearfu of bunniesl. He is not afraid of me or my husband. Not normally anyway. He climbs all over me and he approaches me sometimes when he's in the mood. He is the one bunny who does not like to be petted though. He doesn't enjoy any of the normal human touch that other buns do (nose rubs, head rubs, cheek rubs, stroking from head to bum) and he runs away from it. He has always been sort of this fearless bun in other respects, though, so we always thought he was just a wild child.

It's good to know that aggression is often spawned from fear. It brings a level of understanding to the table when dealing with difficult bunnies.

 

[Bex&Bun]

I had a similar epiphany with my new bun Daphne. I found out that one of them was scratching all their food out all over the floor etc. and I was quick to blame Willoughby as he is deemed the 'naughty' one. Daphne always looks so sweet and innocent... lo and behold not only did I catch her scratching out all the food but I found her chewing my lounge!

Its a good thing that Toby has a loving owner who takes the time to get to know him!