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The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet.  It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.

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Forum BEHAVIOR Confusing Bunny Behavior?

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    • teaspoonergirl
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        Hello,
        Sorry in advance if this gets winded as I’m at my last line of self thought and need more minds to contemplate my issue with my male Oli.
        I’ve been a bunny momma for awhile and have always used this forum for answers but this is my first post as I haven’t been able to find a post with my situation this time. So when my bonded male passed away unexpectedly from an unknown mega-colon condition on Thanksgiving last year I found my female Momma just lonely and unable to bunny, so I decided to get a rescue for companionship from our local shelter but since they don’t allow bunny dates and I didn’t know what she wanted I took home both the male and female they had to better all of their lives. It’s been since Christmas and they both had been spayed and neutered the week before I brought them home. Things were a bit rough at first as we all got to know eachother and things have settled for the most part since hormones have faded in the past 4 months but my male Oli has changed up his game/behavior and I’ve found it perplexing and not falling in any forums posted before in the past and wondered if anyone else has seen this before.
        So quick background, get Oli home and still has hormones obviously and he’s now in a bunny group, which he might not have been before as he was labeled a surrender, with two new to him females. Now he starts with only attacking me, not the two dogs or my teen daughter or husband. Vicious attacks where he searches me out and just goes nuts with multiple bleeding gashes all over where my skin is exposed. Take him to the vet and since my doctor has me on strong estrogen medicine and his hormones are leveling out we assume that could be a lot of it and use the ignore, head to ground, loud squeak (which only works him up to bite harder), the one thump of your foot and the turn your back (which only makes him bite your back) to no avail so we wait it out with him and in a few months he seems to stop. Then the infamous bite came. While attempting bonding he was fast (did I mention he was fast like a snake/ninja) he gets a hold of my female Presh and rips her left lower eyelid completely off with a series of fast gripping bites and he wouldn’t let go and became more aggressive the louder she screamed. A $200 vet bill and some skin glue and Presh has been fine but I’ve given up bonding him for awhile. Now here he is months later and the biting is back mostly towards me but occasionally my husband, still not my daughter or my two dogs,but most focus on me (I’m the only feeder,cleaner,groomer,etc.). But his game has changed as now he lowers his ears on his back and his head to the floor in total submission and wanting pets/love then waits for you to respond and bam strike! Does this to the the females thru their cages he’ll ask for love but when they respond with head licks he will try to get them thru the cage and growl. I’ve tried all the techniques as before to no avail, this time even trying the whole “bite it out” technique with just letting him bite my hands for as long as needed till he’s no longer interested but he will bite them till they bleed and then lick the blood. Plus now he wants to bite my hands more, not every day but a few times a week. Still on the heavy hormones myself but the vet just says that’s just going to be how he is but I just refuse to except it as he seems to not feel proud after he does it. What could he want or need and how can I help? Two thoughts: his teeth are angled strange like a “V” and he loves to chew rubber like on remotes so could it be that if he doesn’t feel like chewing his wood or just sometimes they hurt as they grow longer and he’s like teething? Since he likes the more meaty part of my hand. If so, could someone recommend a good strong rubber toy that would imitate my hand? OR I’ve considered the chance he’s trying to love or groom me back but it is just so aggressive. Is there a chance he likes the blood? We’ve worked through so many other issues with him like food, cage aggression & loud scary noise bites or his bites when he’s scared awake while sleeping that I can’t just stop not understanding him more if I can. Thank you


      • jerseygirl
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          First, my apologies for being brief. Im on limited time and just wanted to put down my initial thoughts.
          You sound like you have a real challenge with him!!

          But his game has changed as now he lowers his ears on his back and his head to the floor in total submission and wanting pets/love then waits for you to respond and bam strike!

          To me, this sounds more like fear based aggression and might have something to do with his past. The biting is likely a learnt behaviour he uses to cope. Ears back and head to floor is not submissive to me.

          Two thoughts: his teeth are angled strange like a “V” and he loves to chew rubber like on remotes so could it be that if he doesn’t feel like chewing his wood or just sometimes they hurt as they grow longer and he’s like teething?

          I think this is the place to start with him. If he has misaligned teeth, there’s a good chance he’s developed molar spurs causing some pain. I would want to get his teeth checked out while he’s sedated. If he does have issues here, it could be what is at the root of his aggression. So best to rule that out.

          Again, sorry to have not addressed your other questions. And Welcome!!


        • teaspoonergirl
          Participant
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            I understand as we’re all so busy and thank you for your response as it gave me more than I had thought of. A few questions for you: One-What does ears relaxed on back and head resting on the ground mean in bunny? I thought it was relaxed. Two-Because of his behavior my rabbit savey vet took the extra time to check his teeth and said they were beautiful. He prefers his willow tree branches, hay and fresh veg over pellets. He’s clean in all ways himself and his cage territory and a few times he’s bit me I’ve pushed past his incisors to his back teeth and they feel fine, along with my visual monthly checks, and he has no interest on chewing my fingers beyond his incisors and honestly gets excited he has my whole finger and tries to run off with my finger in his mouth. The only thing I’ve noticed is his incisor bites on my hand show the top front incisors at a slight “V” but nothing dramatic. What do I need to emphasize to my vet on what more to check on his teeth? Three-if this is fear aggression then what more can I do to help? He has his own personal cage in the family room but within eye shot of the females, his own toys, blankets,food, potty,etc. in his cage plus covered hiddy house in cage. Plus two “roaming” shared hiddy houses thru the house plus he uses the dog door to roam the yard semi-supervised for 2 hours a day. Where he digs in this area that’s safe covered, bunny proofed and not shared with the females so it’s only his “away from the woman aka man cave” that my husband made for him. Since he is full black he’s not a fan of being in the sun.


          • Mikey
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              Ears layed back and their head on the ground can mean a few things. Either theyre asking for pets, theyre nervous, or theyre thinking about what to do (lunge, bite, pounce, run). You can look at their tail as an indicator. A tail straight up is a sign of aggression. If theyre tail is flat/out, its a more ‘calm’ posture. But you noted that he squeaks when he does it, so im leaning more towards fear based submission 

              Ask the vet to check if the teeth are too sharp. Sometimes if the teeth are too sharp, they can dig into the cheek and cause discomfort or pain. I think a vet can file them down so they arnt too sharp any more. I would talk to your vet about that next time you take your bun, unless he starts showing more signs of being in pain

              Now for my opinion, Oli sounds mad about having two other bunnies around. I think hes mad that hes sharing his territory and cant establish their bunny hierarchy since they cant interact. All of these are normal reactions to not being able to bond with his bunny mates. When do you plan to start bonding the trio?


            • teaspoonergirl
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                Thank you Mikey for the information it makes a lot of sense. I want to bond them but Presh is a meat rabbit and she is soo timid and scared. She jumps scared and twitches a lot which I think gives off the wrong signal to the other bunnies. She’s submissive and loving to my other female and we thought they had bonded great until we found out Momma was pulling tufts of fur off Presh lower flank because Presh is scared to move around the house when they’re out. Plus the bite that Oli gave Presh scared me to move forward with him as Presh lost her lower eyelid and there was so much blood and Oli just wouldn’t let her go. My husband wants to try again but I’m worried that if he can’t stop biting me how can I keep him from not hurting the girls. Is it possible he can’t be bonded?

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            Forum BEHAVIOR Confusing Bunny Behavior?