Serious aggression

[monty the bunny]

We’ve had Monty for almost a year now and he has been very aggressive from almost the first week we got him (once he’d settled in).

We had him netuered as soon as we had him but that was at almost 2 years old (not sure if that makes a difference i.e learned behaviour or habitual behaviour), he calmed down almost immediately and was a lovely bunny for perhaps a week when we got him a friend. He immediately went back to his horrible behaviour.
This behaviour included biting you whenever you move but can be temperamental and depends on whether he feels like it or not. We’ve tried a lot, we’ve tried to handle him more/not handling him at all, free roam 24/7/specific outside cage times, water spray/zero discipline and plenty plenty more I’ve read a lot of advice pages and other similar posts however I think a major difference with Monty is that he is not treat or fuss orientated in any way at all. We therefore struggle to reward him for good behaviour however have tried using space and free time or alone time as a reward but hasn’t worked.

Bonding him to his friend took a long long time and actually the only thing that completed it really was moving house, which came conviniently however wasn’t particularly easy. They are bonded now, but Monty often attacks the other rabbit for no reason.

His behaviour is horrible, I love him to pieces and we try so hard to let him keep to himself but it becomes unsafe to walk across the room sometimes as he’ll attack and draw blood. He’s still very very territorial with his cage and now anywhere outside of the cage and has proved impossible to litter train. I think his behaviour has been highlighted by our other rabbit who is the most tame, gentle and loving rabbit and watching him put up with so much from Monty can be very very frustrating. If we are to fuss him in anyway Monty will rush towards us then any wrong move means he will bite either the other rabbit or us.

Our most recent attempt has been Pet remedy spray to see if that helps his behaviour, which has maybe made a slight difference however not enough to not rule out a coincidence and he in fact attempts to scent mark over it and pees a lot over the places it has been sprayed.

When he was neutered he had a general health check that didn’t pick up anything but I will presume it wasn’t anything extensive and so out next step will be to have him checked over at the vet, he is a white Netherland dwarf rabbit and not sure if his eyesight is all there? However that’s just a presumption based on his white fur and blue eyes, please correct me if that is unrelated.

I’m really at the end of my tether with him, it’s really not nice when he’s out of the cage however would hate to see him in his cage for too long. I think my mistake was getting him a friend, he doesn’t show any affection towards him and is completely unaffected if the other rabbit leaves for a while whereas our other rabbit wants to bond and explore together however often is on his own.
Any advice would be appreciated.

[Azerane]

I’m sorry that you’re going through this. It’s quite possible that Monty is really just a rabbit that would prefer to be on his own. He seems both territorial, and also jealous in a way that he doesn’t want you paying attention to your other rabbit. I’m really not sure what the solution is as it seems you’ve tried almost everything. I’m inclined to suggest that housing them separately may be beneficial, you may even need to house Monty in a separate room of the house so that he has his own space and isn’t affected by the sight and smell of your other rabbit. If you have trouble with him attacking you when you’re in the room, perhaps a large x-pen attached to the front of his cage will give him the space he needs, but also you the security you need to be able to walk through the room without being assaulted.

[monty the bunny]

Ah, I wondered if that should be our next step. It’s just sad to have to do that.
You’re right he is jealous and both territorial. It’s also like he constantly needs reassurance from the other rabbit that he is the boss, he offers plenty of signs that we can see but Monty just doesn’t get it, he demands more than then chases him around until he finds something else to distract him.
It’s so frustrating.
Thanks for your help.

[jerseygirl]

We had him netuered as soon as we had him but that was at almost 2 years old (not sure if that makes a difference i.e learned behaviour or habitual behaviour), he calmed down almost immediately and was a lovely bunny for perhaps a week when we got him a friend.

Do you mean the week after he was neutered? Or a week after you got him a friend?
I’m curious, were you giving pain meds after his op and for how long? They don’t always give take home meds, especially for bucks.

[Author]

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