I have a rabbit named Pepe like this. What has helped for him is giving him plenty of freedom. He still is very food excitable – I basically just have to throw his food down and run but that’s okay.

I think first what I would do with him though is to see if there is anything medical like dental problems or really anything else and make sure he has a clean bill of health.

Pepe does have dental problems and can get very aggressive when his mouth hurts – he has molar spur problems and being that this is a netherland he very well could have dental problems too.

Pepe has also latched onto my arm many many times in the past and being caged (when he was caged) made it impossible for me not to get bit – you always get in the way.

Party with Pepe I think he’s just wired this way – it’s just how he expresses himself. The people who found him before I got him (and had rabbits) said he was always excitable about food and would also just turn around and nip them.

When he lunges at me I pet him and laugh and tell him he’s a good rabbit.

It is true that you will need to find him a home with an experienced rabbit person and someone who is patient – I think if you describe him as a special needs person and be as honest as possible you will find someone who will love the challenge to work with him. You absolutely will not change his behavior and gain his trust overnight and I’ll be honest you may never totally change all his behaviors.

I think he needs alot of space to roam and I bet he is a very curious and smart little rabbit who needs alot of stimulation to keep him happy and occupied. I have to say I understand your discouragement that you won’t find him a home and honestly that’s why I kept Pepe because I knew he had some issues.

He does love to be petted (on his terms) and loves to run and have his space and overall he has great rabbit habits (litterbox habits) and does not chew and dig (except on my bed).

There are articles on houserabbitsociety.org  or houserabbit.org     about aggressive rabbits.  That might help.

My first thought was the possibility of a health problem, so I would try to get him to the vet for a check up.
I think if you can lure him into a carrier with food, he will go in and you can whisk him off to the vet. He’s not going to be calm no matter what you do, so make it as fast and easy as possible.

Once you know whether it’s medical or behavioral, you can plan your next step. He may find a maze haven or a mini haven stimulating, since it’s lots of hidey holes, different levels, and chewable. I think a secure but stimulating place might be his kind of playhouse.

I’m not sure how effective it would be but Bach Flowers Rescue Remedy can be used or feeding chammomile… Ditto on health issues. Have you ever put him with any of the other rabbits? Perhaps a mate might help calm him down?

I feel your pain, literally. I’ve mentioned SEVERAL times on this site (and, YES, you can flame me if you’re sick of hearing it), that my Fang is a complete bastard, and you’ve noticed the name, right? He’s the dutch with the devil eyes in the picture.

There is a five second rule for petting Fang-you pet him for more than five seconds, you lose a finger. Fang, as my 18 yr old girl always says, is a complete d_ _k-hole. But he’s so dang cute that nobody cares! We just let him do his own thing, whether that’s tearing holes through our sofa covers ( $$@(^$^#^%*%#! ), or doing drive -by foot nips. He mellowed with age (a little). At least now he doesn’t actively seek human blood. For some perverse reason, he just LOVES to destroy new vcr or dvd player boxes, he stands on top and chews through untiil he creates a hole that he can sit in, then he nibbles the the sides into an even bigger, perfectly circular hole. He’s like some weird caterpillar.

Anyway, we have a very gentle and friendly bunny, and he gets along with him great, better than with us. And don’t worry about the vet. The first time I brought Fang in , I was sure the vet office was going to wind up looking like a scene from Kill Bill. The vet knew exactly how to handle him, kept him calm, and he got through the entire ordeal without scaring Fang, or getting bitten.

So, there’s a silver lining for your little bundle of joy. If someone like me was stupid enough to come along and take Fang, and keep him despite the fact that he’s a 2 lb Hannibal Lechter, then there’s another eager moron out there who will take your Cujo bunny, and thank you for it!

Stiff upper lip, old chap! And leather workgloves would be a good investment…

That’s excellent – 2 weeks! I was thinking gloves as well. Don’t know if a squirt bottle handy would just make him worse at this point. Sounds like he’s starting to trust you.

I used to think my Dude was psycho but you have all proved me wrong, Dude gets snippy if you touch his food bowl, I believe he is in love with it, what i do for feeding time is grab his ears, not hard and that keeps him in place but when u put the food jump he leaps right for it, thats the only time he’s ever bitten, my cousin didnt know and touched his food bowl and he drew blood from her hand but me hes never bitten.

For nail trimming time i like to take him to the vet but when i cant, i sit him on my lap and if u stroke him enough and cover his eyes he’s pretty clam, those tricks work for me and so far Dude is the only one that bites.

Maybe as he gets to know u more he wont be so mean

Well also if you take him to the vet and he hates the vet and the whole thing, normally when they do that they are a bit more appreciative of US when they get home as in comparison we dont seem all that bad x Trip to the vets always makes my more nervous pets much nicer to me lol xx
Also if he is not neutered and he is nicer to your husband could it be a hormone thing that your female-ness is upsetting him lol xx Can you put a towel over his head and put him in a box quick and take him maybe xx good luck xx

Do you think it is possible that he might be a jealous bunny? My friend has a very sweet bunny, but it will bite her and latch on if she ever goes into her pen smelling like another rabbit. She has to take a shower and change her shirt if she has been working with rescues, or other bunnies, before she goes to see her bunny. I have a bunny I cannot pick up, and in order to get him into a carrier we put a large carrier with the door open into his ex-pen. Then we slowly close up the space in the ex-pen until he has no option but to go into the pen.

I think that often the skittish bunnies do well with vets because vets are very confident and secure when working with the bunnies, and I think that confidence helps to keep the bunny calm. For example, my rescue friends can handle and pick up the bunny I mentioned above, even though I can’t, and I think it is because he knows that he can get away with more with me!

Yay! I’m so glad he is doing better. Often times those bunnies that you have to work a lot with in the beginning can be your best friends. My husband loves to work with the aggresive bunnies for that exact reason, he builds a very strong bond with them as he teaches them how to trust humans.