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The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet.  It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.

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Forum BEHAVIOR Self appointed “Guard Rabbit” lunging at cats/humans

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    • Shadow Of The Dance
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        Hello! I looked around a bit but didn’t see the answer to my question. If it’s been answered please feel free to point me to it!

        I have a lion head mix rabbit my sister adopted from a pet store several years ago. He’s always been aggressive. We fixed him, which helped a lot, but he’s still prone to acting up. He’s an indoor/outdoor rabbit (free range rabbit. Yard is rabbit proofed. Sister just leaves door open.)This past winter he’s been cranky. He’s taken up positioning himself in the entry to the living room and “guarding” his new “burrow” or whatever he thinks it is. He grunts at humans and shoves their legs, but is harmless. But he hates my cats. My cats love the living room. He’s taken up grunting and lunging at them if he can see them. They’re now terrified to be in the living room, which is a main part of their “turf”.

        My mom and sister both think it’s funny and my cats deserve it. They don’t. My mom does give him hay in “his” area. I’ve tried trying to shoot him, but be runs from chair to chair or behind the couch. It just makes him angrier.

        What can I do to train him not to? I’m the one who spends the most time in the room doing homework. so I can stop him. He hates me anyway. Before he was fixed he used to block me in the hall and attack my feet. I just can’t buy any expensive things to correct it because I don’t have any household support. Mom really finds it funny. It makes me very stressed! Please help!


      • Asriel and Bombur
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          Have you taken him to a vet to see if there’s something physically wrong with them? My boy Bombur has chronic EC and whenever he’s having a particularly nasty flareup he can be a grouch. Could he be having tooth issues or in pain at all? How’s his eating/pooping/stance while he’s sitting? How is he aggressive? Is he just lunging? Is he biting or nipping? Is he boxing? Sorry to ask a lot of questions, just trying to get the full picture Some of it could be that he is scared of the cats. Even if they are scared of him, bunnies and cats are naturally prey-predator. So even if the cats aren’t bothering him or aren’t aggressive towards them, he could still be afraid of them and lashing out in fear. My boy Asriel lived with a dog as a baby at the breeder, and our current home has multiple dogs. He’s never had any issue with dogs bullying him or anything, but if you smell like dog he gets very anxious and can thump a bit.


        • Shadow Of The Dance
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            We’re going to take them in for a vet checkup in about a month, I think. They’ve only been to be fixed. (We have two) They do sometimes have stinky bunny poo, but it goes away? The other one is prone to red tinted pee, but that goes away as well. (And he has a literal sugar addiction. He steals candycanes) I don’t THINK he’s having teeth issues. How would I check? He ‘anger pees’ at walls a lot, and kind of goes into a crouch to poo. Not a squat or anything.

            He gets angry and lunges/grunts at people. So far he hasn’t attacked anyone that I know of. He has pulled fur off my cat once, though. When someone walks into the room he gets in a low crouch with his ears back and watches you. If you get too close he’ll lung from HIS spot and grunt at you, then go back. He does it to the cats as well. He’ll chase them clear across the room grunting. Then he goes back flicking his feet. He’s also prone to stomping if we try to catch him. He’s not really active, either. He stays in one spot in my sister’s room – under her jewerly chest – one spot in the yard – under a lawn chair – and rotates between HIS spot in the living room, HIS chair (under a glider chair) and under the couch. if you try to get him active he just grunts, flicks and goes back. if there’s anything on the floor in HIS area he’ll also toss it. Paper, clothes, rabbit treats. He tosses it and licks his lips at it a lot. This morning he was trying to paw my mom’s purse across the room.

            I thought he could be afraid, but he’s doing it to humans as well. And he didn’t do it before we moved to this house two years ago. He more looks really, really angry. My mother is a bit of a hoarder, could it be an unclean area? Maybe he’s bored? He eats Kaytee rabbit food, and gets romaine lettuce once a day. He doesn’t enjoy any other veggies/fruits at all, and will thump at them or toss them in anger. I’ve tried to give him rabbit toys. Same response. After buying many things with him not liking any we just gave up. He now just hangs out around the house. He DOES enjoy eating the wooden bottom of our 1970s couch, though. That’s his favorite.

            I’m working on getting him more active when I can. School doesn’t allow me a TON of time to work with pets that aren’t really mine, though.


          • Asriel and Bombur
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              Is he bonded with the other bunny? Do they fight?

              The reason I ask are territorial poops are usually stinky. Meaning they’re trying to fight out who’s territory is who’s. Also if they fight at all, they aren’t bonded. Could your other bunny be bullying him?


            • Asriel and Bombur
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                Is he bonded with the other bunny? Do they fight?


              • Asriel and Bombur
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                  Also what’s his hay consumption and his diet overall? He shouldn’t be getting more than 2 tbsp of pellets a day. His teeth could honestly be bothering him. Also I’ve seen kaytee pellets, and honestly it’s not very good for bunnies


                • Shadow Of The Dance
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                    I had to google it to be sure, but I think their teeth are fine? Zodiac is the one with the stinky poo most of the time. It gets stuck to his rear sometimes.

                    They’re NOT bonded at all, that I know. We keep them in different rooms. My mom switches them every few hours. Zodiac gets locked in my mom’s room via whiteboard across the door. Then when it’s his turn to come out we move the board to block Brownie. They share the living room and backyard, and have exclusive access to ‘their’ bedroom.

                    Brownie just likes the pellets in his dish. Hay they have unlimited access to. I’m not sure how much he eats since he’s in my sister’s room a lot. I know when he’s in the main room he grazes on it often. I can up the hay I put out for him. My sister is a bit forgetful sometimes. Her rabbit hates my guts, so I just try to stay out of his way.
                    I think they get a small handful of food a day? Maybe like 1/4th a cup? If we don’t give them that much they get cranky. Brownie likes hay more though. It’s Zodiac that freaks out without pellets, and my mom enables him. I can maybe convince her to buy healthier food though? They each get two pieces of lettuce a day at night. My mom likes to give Zodiac bananas, apples, celery, and cilantro. Brownie has no interest in greens much. He prefers hay. They do try to eat my bird’s seed if the bird tosses it. I limit that the best I can with my birds. Zodiac is still hoarding cinnamon bears and candycanes. I know he’s eating them when we’re not looking. I haven’t found them all yet.

                    Their front teeth are supposed to overlap the bottom ones a little, right? Zodiac’s go below his front teeth and kind of file into points, ish. Not like a vampire. But the front of his tooth is longer than the back. Does that make sense?


                  • Asriel and Bombur
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                      Points on teeth aren’t a good sign. That’s an indicator their teeth are hurting. A bunny uses teeth differently for different things, so if he’s eating one thing over another it could be because the teeth that he would need to use are hurting him. But yes, points are bad on bunny teeth.

                      As for diet, I’d definitely switch to a healthier pellet like oxbow. Greens and hay are the most essentials in a diet. Pellets are really just a supplement and fruit should be given in very small quantities a few times a week only. No more than 2 tbsp.


                    • Asriel and Bombur
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                        Points on teeth aren’t a good sign. That’s an indicator their teeth are hurting. A bunny uses teeth differently for different things, so if he’s eating one thing over another it could be because the teeth that he would need to use are hurting him. But yes, points are bad on bunny teeth.

                        As for diet, I’d definitely switch to a healthier pellet like oxbow. Greens and hay are the most essentials in a diet. Pellets are really just a supplement and fruit should be given in very small quantities a few times a week only. No more than 2 tbsp.


                      • Shadow Of The Dance
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                          Okay, I’ll tell my mom to get some better food. Do you think that would also help Brownie? He bit my skirt today and put a small hole in it. He also goes on alert when other people walk through now. I guess he could be nervous? He doesn’t want to hop around the room, just guard his spot and sleep. I thought rabbits were supposed to be more active than he is. Or at least like veggies and toys.

                          He does kind of hate me because I trim his claws and pick the clumps of fur off his back sometimes. I’m very allergic so it’s not often, but still. The cats he may hate because they sometimes fight with each other and it scares him. I rehomed the fighting cat, though.

                          Both rabbits are old too. I think like five years now. Maybe that’s why they sleep so much.


                        • Asriel and Bombur
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                            5 years isn’t old at all. Bunnies can live longer than dogs if properly cared for. Most lifespans are 10-14 years. I understand exotic vets are expensive, but with bunnies its SO important for them to go to the vet at least once a year for a complete physical. Bunnies don’t show pain, so when they finally do something is very wrong. I really do (and can’t enough) recommend a vet visit for both to give them a complete physical. Something really could be bothering him that you don’t know. Along with his front teeth, his back teeth could be having some issues as well. If he’s pain he’s not going to be active and he’s not going to eat veggies or play with toys, especially when it’s his teeth that are the issue.

                            Grooming is also especially important for bunnies, even more during a molt. If they ingest too much fur it can cause a blockage, which can kill them. Bunnies, as you already know, don’t throw up. So it’s extremely important to groom them every so often.

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                        Forum BEHAVIOR Self appointed “Guard Rabbit” lunging at cats/humans