Aggression

[dove]

Hey there! First post, old rabbit owner. I used to raise rabbits, but fell out of it for several years, and now I’m getting my first on-my-own rabbit. He’s coming from someone who says he’s quite aggressive – I haven’t met him yet, though. However, the described behavior is mostly lunging/chasing. Lunging when you put your hands in his cage (which is a bad idea with aggressive/timid rabbits, I know) and chasing when you get too close when he is out. I’ve been doing a lot of research as to how to help him out when he comes to us. He is also not neutered, which will be fixed down the line.

I’ve been reading up, as I said. But I’d like to hear some advice from you all, as well! I know most of his aggression is likely hormone/territory based. I’ve read that you should always respond to aggression with affection, and to reward them when they stand down from it. Any tips would be appreciated!

[HipHopBunny]

Hi @Dove

Unfortunately, this is a common problem that happens before rabbits are neutered. But as you said, neutering should take away the sharp edges. If he gets really bad about his territory (And it sounds like he already is) then I would recommend gardening gloves. After around a month after the neuter has happened, he should start calming down, for hormones are still ‘floating around’.

Yes, definitely reward his behaviour when he is not being aggressive towards you, but I wouldn’t say to be affectionate to him when he is being bad. That could show him he is doing something that pleases you. When he is bad, you could give him just a little squirt of water to show that the behaviour is not good.

Wishing you the best of luck, and calm buns.

[Wick & Fable]

I wouldn’t really try to do any water spraying as a tactic. A previous owner saying he’s aggressive makes me feel that, whether it is a result of environment, hormones, or both (which it’s commonly both), simple behavioral training will not help.

I am biased and weary towards owners who describe their rabbits as aggressive because, being a moderator here, I have read many stories where it’s uncovered the aggression is caused by something the owner is doing, such as invading the rabbit’s space too often, not being respectful and trying to force cuddles/holds. There are many times I have observed a parallel in a frustrated/afraid rabbit to its frustrated/afraid owner whose expectations for what a pet rabbit is is not met… All that being said, I am not going to make any assumptions nor have ill will towards the previous owner! Just wanted to be clear about my mindset in reading your description from that past owner.

A lot of rabbit lunging and aggression comes from fear, and a way to help dissipate that is by fostering a sense of security. For many rabbits, that sometimes means leaving them alone. Lots of suggestions are staying within the general field of view, but just doing your own thing. You want the rabbit to learn that you are not a threatening presence that will try and control him in one way or another. Positive associations are also good, but making sure they are pure positive associations. While dogs and cats may perceive being pet as positive, a fearful, insecure rabbit may not and actually get upset or stressed. Treats and food on the otherhand… pretty much always positive, haha.

The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.

[DanaNM]

Agree with Wick, Cage aggression and defensive-ness often comes from fear (not always though! and sometimes people are well-meaning but just don’t know). I have been fostering a bunny (Bonnie) that was getting cage aggressive after being at the shelter a very long time, so I can tell you what has worked with her.

At the shelter she would box and lunge at your hands if you reached for her or reached into her cage, because she does not like to be picked up, and would have to be moved to exercise daily. So that took a toll on her over the years.

So when I brought her home, I made sure to have her pen all set up and ready for her before she arrived. Then for the first week I basically left her alone, except for to feed her. I’m in a studio apartment though, so she was exposed to us 24/7, we just didn’t try to interact with her. I didn’t open her pen at first, just to let her get settled (and she showed no interest in coming out anyway). I even tried to minimize litter box cleaning that first week (I cleaned it every 3 days instead of every 2), so her only interactions with me were me bringing her food. 🙂

Second week I started opening her pen, but she still didn’t want to come out. Third week I decided to open her pen at night while we were sleeping and things were nice and quiet (she hadn’t shown any destructive tendencies so I felt pretty confident she would be OK free-roaming with minimal supervision). I think that week she finally came out and would start zooming around the room around 3 am lol.

Then she started coming out while we were awake. I would sit on the floor and basically ignore her. Oh, and I hand fed her, A LOT. Especially high-reward things, like pellets and treat. Once she started relaxing near me, I was able to sneak in a few nose rubs.

Since then she has become more and more social, and now loves getting pets, and does not show any aggression at all if you reach for her. She’s been with us a few months now. She honestly seems like an entirely different bunny!

I do pick her up for nail trims and occasional deep grooming, but she is even better with that since she isn’t getting picked up all the time.

So I would say with your new bun, make sure he has a good pen or condo set up that he can feel safe in. When he is in his space, don’t try to pet him, but do offer a treat and feed him. Make sure he can come out to exercise on his own, and that you don’t need to carry him or pick him up except when necessary. When he comes out and is relaxed around you, you can eventually try to pet him, but don’t try to force affection on him. He will come to you when he’s ready. 🙂

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[dove]

Thank you all for your advice! I am somewhat suspicious of the previous owner, but there’s nothing I can do about the past.

[Hazel]

I agree, don’t worry too much about what the owner said. There could be a million reasons why he’s acting the way he is, and if it’s caused by the way the owner is handling him, he likely won’t admit to that.

Oscar was quite cage and food aggressive for a while. I found the best way to deal with it was to not react at all. If he attacked my hand inside his cage, I would leave it where it was, until he stopped. That taught him he wouldn’t get what he wanted by attacking (I tried to only reach into his cage when he wasn’t in it, but he would literally come running whenever he noticed I was messing around in there). If he attacked my hand for food, I would again not move, and keep the food in my fist on the floor. Once he stopped attacking I would open my hand and let him eat. He caught on pretty quickly.

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