Hi there and welcome to the forum It sounds like Mr Bun Bun has a wonderful home with you now, he must have had such a horrid life before, no wonder he had no energy.

Neutering can help calm rabbits down, but doesn’t necessarily stop destructive behaviours, it really depends why he is being destructive. He may simply be playing and finally happy that he has something to do/chew/shred etc. Bunnies do get bored easily and if he didn’t have much stimulation before, he is likely just loving it now. He may settle down in that a little the longer you have him, although neutering may certainly help too although it’s no guarantee with simple destructive behaviours unless he’s doing it because he’s sexually frustrated. Neutering will however help with toilet training.

Some rabbits can become more interested in being petted after a spay/neuter, however most of it will likely be due to the fact that you are a new person. Being prey animals, rabbits are naturally wary of new people, but give him time and you’ll be able to win his trust to be able to pet him without him running away. He won’t enjoy being picked up, the majority of rabbits don’t, as it’s too scary and unnatural for them to be held in such a way unless they’ve been caught by a predator. Having come from such an environment, he will also not be used to human touch and interaction as a general rule, so he’ll take some time to adjust.

In terms of vaccinations, if you live the USA, you don’t need to get your rabbit vaccinated and they don’t offer vaccinations. In Europe, UK, and Australia there are vaccinations required. RHDV1 (calicivirus), RHDV2 (new strain), and Myxomatosis (the last two are not available in Australia).

I hope that helps

I’m in nz and we only have calici vaccine here ( it’s done yearly and I highly recommend you do it – calici is horrific

Neutering isn’t guaranteed to calm the things you describe down however it may
I would def recommend having it done either way
Spending lots of time with him without pressure ( attempting to pick him up , expecting anything of him really except tolerating your presence ) will be the way to start with him
No agression is great given his history! He just needs some time and patience and no pressure
Pats , nose rubs , try hand feeding him some of his favourite food in the palm of your hand , sitting near him or his condo and just “being ” together that way will make him see he can trust you which with his history will be important that he learns that first
So glad he is with someone who cares about him enough to learn and try to make his life s better experience for him now

Also limit the fruit – it is just a treat and given he’s a lionhead so small he shouldn’t have more than a very small slice of fruits as it’s too sugary. Fruits are a treat not a diet for bunnies and he will prefer treats over other important foods if he has the option so it’s important to limit it
Hay is really important – it should be 80-90% of their diet so it’s important to keep that offered at all times even if it takes awhile for him to like it, does he have pellets ?

It’s so good that you got Mr. Bun Bun out of that horrible place he was in. You’ve already gotten some good advice here. It can take a while for a rabbit to become comfortable with you and his new surroundings. The last rabbit I adopted, really didn’t want to be petted for several months, but he slowly came to like it, although he only likes the petting for a short time, which we respect.

Trying different brands and varieties of hay is good. Rabbits can be picky about their hay. If he still isn’t eating much hay, you probably should cut back on his pellets a bit, and maybe cut back on the greens and fruit too, to see if that will get him to eat more hay. You can buy hay toppers (dried herbs and flowers) or you could try sprinkling a tiny bit of alfalfa hay on top of his pile of timothy/orchard/any grass hay, to see if that would entice him to eat more hay.

Don’t really have much to add other than thank goodness you rescued that little love bug. He could be acting destructive simply because he is able to now, whereas before he had no enrichment whatsoever.

My little Peanut took a while to adjust to me and feel comfortable with me and we bought him home (from a breeder that looked after her rabbits well) at 2 months old. He’s not 100% comfortable and confident even now and he’s over 4 months old now. But he’s getting there. You just need to be patient but you already knew that