Hi there, Rubylove

Im sorry you had this happen. Ruby sounds like she’s been a great little rabbit up until this incident, so I see why it was a shock. I would 100% attribute this to you having the scent of the new rabbit on you. Rabbits don’t necessarily see us in great detail, we are more outlines to them, but they have keen sense of hearing and smell. Rabbits can be territorial and she would have been reaction to not only new “intruder” but an intact rabbit smell also. I hope the kids will see she is acting like herself when this trigger is not there and they can come to trust her again.  Keeping to her routines will really help in keeping her calm also.

As Ollie starts to sexually mature, be prepared for her to continue some territorial behaviours.  I think it is wise you have set him up basement for now.  You would to wait until he is desexed and at least 1 month has passed before you introduce the them. Waiting 2 months post-neuter would be even better.

Im afraid you probably will need to change out of clothing after you’ve been handling Ollie. I have some aprons or old robes I put over my clothes if Im handling my rabbit pair then going back in with my single rabbit afterward. He’s somewhat used to their scent but he can be a little reactive. I sometimes look after other peoples rabbits also and I put an old robe rather then change out of clothing all the time. Maybe that is something that would work for you and the family?  It’s inconvenient but it’s only until you can work on having a bonded pair.

That in itself is not always smooth sailing, so do consider what outcome will and wont work for your household before you proceed.  I do want to encourage you to let the dust settle for now and just take things one step at a time. You may find Ruby’s reaction to Ollie is completely different a few months after he is desexed.

I wanted to share with you this video of my first rabbit, Jersey. Make sure you have the sound on!  She is about 4 or 5 in this video and had been desexed for years and even had a bond mate. But this was her reaction to the smell on my jacket of a intact male rabbit who was not much older then Ollie. It really surprised me that day too!  She came in the room all keyed up and doing things really out of character.  You’ll noticed I used my foot to move the jacket while I filmed her reaction. It wasnt safe to put my hands under it.  Note the signs of aggression (sometimes fear-based). The ears laying back and the tail raised high.

Apologies in advance for the quality.

Jersey reacting to intact rabbit smell.

Females tend to be more territorial than males from what I can tell.

My little lady is the most gorgeous snuggly bunny in the world. Until she’s not.

She gets the wrong scent and she is a tiny little witch. She is bonded to one of my males, but I have two other males that she is not bonded to and she is very aggressive about that (to the extent if they have any contact she will attack her bond mate in her rage.)  She’s bitten me hard enough to draw blood countless times, but I just need to remember she truly isnt trying to bite me at all. She is just afraid, and I, as the human need to remember why I was bitten and adjust my behaviours to prevent it in future.

Let your little lady settle for a bit. I would look at restricting some of her territory so she has less that she needs to defend from this “imposter” which might make her feel more secure. Like jersey says, different clothes can help.  But she will start getting used to the smell.

Also that sounds really traumatic for everyone, including her. I would take some time to quietly reassure her of her place within the family, giving her some one on one attention and treats , this will help you be calmer near her too.  Dont touch her for the first while, just sit with her, just hand feed her and sit with her again.

A weird thing about rabbits is that when we pet them, we mimick an aggressive behaviour that rabbits  use to assert dominance.  Pressing down on the face can be seen as a big insult to an already on edge rabbit. The ensuing calamity you describe (although 100% understandable and probably a very normal reaction anyone would have had)  would certainly have made her worse.  When a rabbit lunges the best thing you can do (and this is really really hard to do btw) is to not move at all until they let go.

I really really really dont think she is a bad rabbit from what you have said, (or even that bonding wont work.) although that is always a possibility so you may have to consider that what if as well.

Can you imagine if some random dude just appeared in your house one day? Id be pretty freaked out if it was me too!

Rabbits are really complicated creatures, and while they crave companionship they also have a really strong urge to defend their territories.

I know it can be really offputting when a rabbit acts so aggressively out of what seems like nothing, but from my experience, she will calm down, and you will learn what her triggers are.

I’m sorry this happened, I hope you and your children aren’t too traumatized. However, considering the circumstances it was a completely normal bunny reaction so please don’t get rid of her.

You got great advice from everyone, I really have nothing to add except, latching onto someone and not letting go isn’t really something rabbits normally do, I suspect she kept holding on because she was up in the air. If her feet had been on solid ground I think she would have let go quickly. I know that made it look much more vicious, but I don’t think that was what she was going for. 😉