HELP! Buns turned mean!

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BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

This topic has 5sd replies, 4 voices, and was last updated 13 years, 8 months ago by TH004.

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- 07/27/2012 at 8:29 AM
  TH004
  Participant
  261 posts
  I adopted my rabbit 2 years ago. He was 2 at the time. He is fixed. He has always been the perfect pet. He knows commands. Has the run of the house when I’m home. He uses his litterbox perfectly. We cuddled on the couch to watch TV.
  
  Ever since I found out I was pregnant 4 months ago, he has become more and more jealous of my husband, sensitive with hurt feelings and now he is getting aggressive. This rabbit would not even grunt or bite at young children who taunted him (ex. 2-year-old chased him into a corner a few times when visiting). Now, he is biting me daily. It started with him sulking after seeing my husband come home and hug me. Now, he lunges/bites even in the morning, before my hubby gets home.
  
  I love my pet so much, but I’m worried. I don’t want this path to continue. I’ve made sure to get him more veggies, talk sweet to him, etc, but he still bites at me. Can he sense the hormones? Is there anything I can do?
- 07/27/2012 at 11:15 AM
  peppypoo
  Participant
  1945 posts
  What exactly where you doing when he bit you? Is there a pattern?
  
  I’m of the opinion that we tend to anthropomorphize our bunnies a bit too much sometimes (I’m fully guilty too)…I doubt that he is actually jealous of your husband. Has anything else changed in his routine? All health indicators (food intake, output) still intact? Sometimes a bunny turning aggressive could be a sign of other health problems.
- 07/27/2012 at 11:37 AM
  TH004
  Participant
  261 posts
  Food intake and output are still right on. He is molting, but he does that a few times a year.
  
  The first few times when he bit me, I was petting him. I had been petting him for a while in each sitting, and all of a sudden he decided he was done with it. He didn’t grunt or move away (he was sitting next to me on the couch), he just turned and snapped. This time, he was sitting in his bedroom. Normally, when I come in he runs to greet me. He just stayed in one spot and stared. I talked to him for a while, then got close to him. I reached down for him to come to my hand and he lunged at it, grunting and bit it.
  
  If this could be a health problem, what could the vet check for? I don’t want to call and say my buns needs seen because he is mean He has NEVER bitten anyone prior to my pregnancy. We had a 2-year-old live with us for a few months and have had children visit, who I was worried about because young children can be aggressive with small pets, and he was so good. He has never even grunted or lunged at me, prior to these past few months.
- 07/27/2012 at 5:14 PM
  LBJ10
  Moderator
  17231 posts
  I think rabbits can sense a change, just as a dog or cat can. That being said, I agree with Peppy that you should have him checked to make sure there isn’t anything wrong. I would tell the vet that there has been a behavior change and you are worried he might be in pain or something.
- 07/29/2012 at 3:05 PM
  SmokeyBunnyRobinson
  Participant
  356 posts
  In my experience, Smokey turned aggressive and introverted one day suddenly and I couldn’t figure out what was wrong. She would snap, growl, charge, everything. I finally contacted her breeder and she suggested that maybe she had fleas, since fleas cause them to be agitated. She told me to get Revolution from my vet. Within a couple of days of giving her the treatment (a few drops on the back of her neck) she was back to her normal, happy self again. She is an indoor rabbit, but my uncle used to live in this house and his cat had fleas. Hence, her getting the fleas.
  
  I’m not saying your rabbit has fleas, but maybe a vet check would be best.
- 07/29/2012 at 4:53 PM
  TH004
  Participant
  261 posts
  We think we fixed it!! We think he was getting GI Stasis. He is prone to it, because he molts so heavily. Our vet taught us how to fight it, since we lost our first buns to it. We gave him some stomach meds, lots of kale, mint, fresh pineapple, and belly rubs (those work like magic!). (He had been going to the bathroom, but I noticed right after posting this question the droppings went from normal to incredibly small and few) We just got it moving again tonight, with normal size droppings! He is a very happy, loving rabbit tonight. I’ll be keeping a close watch though.
  
  I do wonder… He has the hardest time digesting his hair. It is thick, since he is a Rex/Dwarf mix. I use the furminator brush and it helps, but didn’t prevent him from getting sick. What does everyone else do? He gets regular greens, lots of hay, papaya vitamins, pineapple juice when he sheds, etc. He’s on Oxbow food for adults too. Would it be unkind to cut his hair short when he starts to molt, so it is easier to digest?
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