If two male rabbits see each other they will fight, especially if not neutered. You cant just let them meet each other, you have to go through a long bonding process. Sometimes unfixed males are very aggressive but it normally ends after the neutered.

Posted By Kristen on 3/23/2018 9:32 PM

We do not want to give him up because we do love him but we also know his temperament could cause him to be put down.

Are you actually considering putting him down because he bites? Biting and nipping is a major part of rabbit communication, all rabbits do it. It’s totally normal behavior and certainly no reason to put him down. I don’t know any vet that would agree to euthanize a rabbit for that reason. To be honest, from what you’ve described, I see nothing abnormal about Sonic’s behavior. The “get out of my way” nips you mentioned are very normal, again part of rabbit communication. He’s also not neutered, which means he’s driven by hormones right now which makes him unpredictable and potentially aggressive. You didn’t mention if Felix is neutered, but they both have to be fixed and been given a month to calm down before you can consider letting them have any kind of physical contact. When you let them meet like this, with at least one of them being intact, a fight was inevitable. It’s very lucky that neither one of them got injured. Intact rabbits can and will fight to the death. Sonic saw Felix as an intruder in his territory, and they both went into full blown battle mode. Which is why he ended up attaching himself to your foot. You’re right that he didn’t mean to hurt you, he was likely going for Felix and your foot got in the way, or he smelled him on you. He was probably worked up into a fighting frenzy at that point and didn’t realize he got the wrong target. That’s exactly the reason why people use an oven mitt or a tennis racket  as a barrier to break up a fight during bonding, if you get your hands or feet caught in the crossfire, you will get hurt. There’s no reason to lock him up until his neuter, just be mindful of what might set him off. He still needs a minimum of 4-6 hours out of his cage every day.

I would suggest that you read through the bonding section on the forum, there’s a wealth of information there and lots of people post their bonding journals as well. 

As a side note, I know you’ve already said you are keeping the kids away from him for now, but even after he’s neutered, I would not allow the three year old to kiss him on the head. It’s very risky. Children and rabbits generally don’t mix well. Kids are erratic at times, rabbits can be temperamental. They can also be very opinionated and are usually not shy about showing it. One day, Sonic might decide he’s not in the mood to allow the kid all up in his business, and the only way for him to make that known is either with claws or teeth. What happens if he bites the three year old in the face? Things like that are the number one reason rabbits get dumped at the pound. Children sometimes interact with rabbits in a way that might make them feel crowded/defensive, or accidentally do something to frighten them, the rabbit eventually lashes out, and suddenly you’ve got a “dangerous” animal on your hands. You’ve done the right thing to keep them apart for now, but as I said, even later on I would not allow them to get face to face like that. I don’t think I would dare to do that even with my own bun. 

Boy, I wrote more than I meant to, sorry if it sounds preachy… 

That’s really bad advice telling you to keep him in his cage. He will become very depressed and can potentially become very sick. Bunnies need their exercise. He’s aggressive towards other rabbits because he’s not neutered. All bunnies that need to go through the bonding process need to be fixed. You can’t just put bunnies together. Bunnies can and will fight to the death, and hormones make that even worse. His temperament is no reason to put him to sleep, I’m not trying to sound rude, but that’s utterly cruel. Bunnies can take a long time to settle into a home. And having other rabbits around him when he isn’t fixed won’t help him settle, it will make him more on edge. The only thing that will help is personality “get better” is ,as you are doing, getting him neutered. He will mellow out, as will age mellow him out.

To bond, every bunny needs to be neutered/spayed and given atleast two months after their surgeries. They also need atleast one month of prebonding. You cant just put two rabbits together, especially not two hormonal rabbits, and hope they get along. They will continue to fight. I really suggest you read through some bonding threads on the Bonding forum here to get some ideas.

Edit: His “temper” will not get him put down. Anyone who knows bunnies knows that hormonal bunnies are much more territorial and quicker to act aggressively when nervous, scared, or feel the drive to protect their territory. Anyone who knows rabbits knows that neutering/spaying will calm them; they wouldnt dare put a rabbit down for acting like a normal rabbit.

If he still acts out after two months after being neutered, it means something in the household is wrong. Examples: Being caged for too long. Too small of cage. Improper diet. Harmful diet. Harsh handling. Handling too often. Improper handling. Area not clean enough/area not cleaned properly. Frequent loud noises. Frequent harsh smells. Harmful sounds or smells. Sickness. 

Also note: Even neutered/spayed rabbits will act out hormonally in the presence of another hormonal rabbit. The hormonal rabbit gives off hormonal smells in their waste and fur that will ‘fuel’ the neutered/spayed rabbit’s instinctual hormonal drive. This is why every rabbit needs to be neutered/spayed. Males usually calm down after about two months. Females can take up to six months.

I think what Kristen meant was that he were to go to a shelter, he could be deemed a “dangerous” or “aggressive” animal that isn’t fit for adoption (as per the shelter). She obviously loves him and doesn’t want to give him up, especially if something like that would be his fate. Whether or not that would really happen or not, I don’t know. I suppose it would depend on whether the shelter was knowledgeable about rabbits or not. I know there was a rabbit at my local humane society that was “aggressive”. She had a sign saying only experienced workers could have physical contact with her. No volunteers. They were looking for someone knowledgeable about rabbits to adopt her. My local humane society doesn’t get a lot of rabbits… but I often wonder what would have happened to her if they did get a lot of rabbits. They might have only had room for the “adoptable” ones. Anyway, I don’t think she was suggesting he be euthanized. Only that that is her fear.

As for his aggression, it’s obvious he didn’t mean it. It really sounds like he was worked up because of the other rabbit. Unaltered rabbits can act very territorial toward one another. So it’s no surprise that he lashed out. I would not confine him since that would seem almost like a punishment. Instead, just keep small children and the other rabbit away for now. Get both rabbits neutered and then revisit this after their hormones have settled. They might still dislike each other or they might become friends. You won’t know until you can try bonding them formally.

Here is a link to some articles on aggression. Hopefully they will be helpful. But until Sonic has been neutered, and a month or so has passed after his surgery, you are not going to know his true temperament, and if the aggression stems from hormones or if there is another cause. You didn’t say if Felix is already neutered, but that definitely has to happen too before you can think of starting the bonding process.

https://rabbit.org/category/behavior/aggression/

At what age did you get him? Some bunnies hormones can kick in as early as 7 weeks. So the aggression really could all be just to do with hormones.

It’s also important to note if he’s had any trauma. If something happened to him before you got him, he could be very defensive and distrusting, and the only thing that will help with that is patience and time.

Can you keep the doors to their rooms shut when they’re in their pens so nothing happens again? If Felix isn’t neutered, Sonic can still act hormonal after his neuter because bunnies can feed off of the hormonal energy.

Also you said you ‘painfully kicked with force’ at him, so no wonder he’s scared of your feet and attacking them now.

Is your vet rabbit experienced? Labelling a rabbit dangerous and aggressive doesn’t sound like something that someone who understands rabbits would say.