Cage guarding agression

[meg1]

I currently have a rescue bunny who was found running around a main street. Passers-by took her to the local vets where an employee took her home. He couldn’t keep her and returned her to the vets where they where going to euthanise her until I stepped in. She is a beautiful rabbit, poss x rex but her problem is that she is really aggressive when you approach her cage. Trying to feed her is virtually impossible and I have to admit that even I am a little afraid of her. I have let her run around the kitchen and she has grown in confidence so much that she will ask for her head to be rubbed. This is only temporary however, and if you do anything she doesn’t like she will attack. She is neutered and vaccinated and all I can deduce is that someone must have treat her terribly in the past. I’m giving her lots of space and time to adjust, but can anyone give any pointers on easy ways to feed an aggressive bunny without scaring her? I am putting her food bowl in her cage from the side so as not to be threatening, but she still attacks me every day! Help!

[wendyzski]

Poor thing!

Female rabbits can be very territorial and combine that with a probable history of abuse and she’s probably frantic.

you could try distracting her with a treat with one hand through the cage while you put the bowl in with the other?

Hang in there – she needs your love and patience.

[MarkBun]

For the record, when she comes forward and puts her head down for pets, she’s not asking – she’s demanding. She’s asserting her dominance over you.

Feral rabbits can be very aggressive and territorial (my Maryann is/was one). It took her 5 years before she ever gave me a kiss – and has only done it 2 other times (easy to count). You need to not be afraid of her. She can sense it and it makes her scared. Put on a glove and when you go to feed her and she lunges at you, put your hand on top of her head and press it down to the cage floor while saying in a stern but not loud tone, “NO!” Hold it there for three seconds or until you put the food bowl down. Everytime she does something wrong or attacks you, you have to repeat it. Although they always are at the top of the food chain in the house, they need to have discipline else they’ll get out of hand.

You can try treats. Although a lot are not good for the bun, try a raisin. I whistle whenever I gave Maryann a raisin and then, when I approached the cage, I would whistle and give her a treat. She’d be busy with the treat so I could feed her. In addition, she’ll get it in her head that a whistle = good things as well as you = yummy things.

I actually got myself a top loading food bin that I integrated into the condo so I can feed them from the outside.

[rabbitsmba]

How long have you had her? It’s not unusual for a rabbit to be cage territorial, especially when they are in a new environment. I would suggest you wait until she is out of her cage and then go in to replenish food, water and clean bins.

Another thing you can do to build trust is to lay on the floor with her. Lay on your stomach and stay perfectly still – let her come up to you and explore you from head to toe. Perhaps have a treat in your hand and offer it to her when she gets to your hand and speak nice and softly to her. This way, she will get to know you on her terms and at her level. Trust won’t happen overnight, but this is a great exercise to help build it.

I have a very aggressive netherland dwarf and when we first got her, we had to use oven mitts to handle her. She’s still a long way away from being a cuddle bunny, but she has improved greatly. Good luck!

[meg1]

Thanks to you all for this very useful advice.

She has been with me for around 3 weeks now and today we had a breakthrough in that she approached me for the first time. Obviously this is a good sign that the trust is coming slowly but surely.

We have been using the technique of holding her head down whilst putting in the food bowl as we do believe this behaviour is partially dominance related. When she is out of her cage now she is a lot less agressive and is at her worst at feeding times.

I’m sure that given plenty of time she will come round. Obviously whatever has happened to her in the past has left its effects.

 

[MarkBun]

With the addition of her new bf Dono, I have found that Maryann is a bit food agressive. She needs to be the first to eat and if Dono is anywhere near the food bowl when I come, she nips him until he runs off. I think the food thing is a little hard wired into a feral’s mind because it is often a competition out there.

Best way to get her to become more interested in you is when she’s out, lay on the floor and read a book. Pay absolutely no attention to her. Within 5 minutes, she’ll come over to see what you’re doing and what all that page flipping is about. When she does, do NOT reach out to pet her – let her explore you and see that you aren’t a threat. If she bumps you with her head or nips you, she wants your attention and then you can say hello.

[Lightchick]

Markus, I wish I’d had that advice when I first got Lizzy!

She was very cage-aggressive, too, and I didn’t know that when she was demanding pets, that she was really asserting her dominance, so I helped make her into a regular tyrant by flinching when she lunged at me, and then petting her when she demanded it! Eventually, I figured out that I was making her worse. I didn’t know about holding her head down…I just kept a spray bottle of water in one hand, and sprayed her while saying “No!” if she lunged at me. I also tried to do what the others are suggesting by making sure that when I reached into her cage, she had something pleasant to associate my hand with, like a raisin. It’s a bizarre balancing act, because you want to reward them, but not let them think that you’re rewarding them because they’re alpha-bunny and they can walk all over you…

The other problem I created was that at first, I would try to lift Lizzy out of her hutch, because I thought she wasn’t getting out to exercise enough. So I’d haul her out, so she associated me with getting picked up, which she hated. Everybody told me to just leave her alone, and she’d come out when she wanted…which ultimately ended up being true. As soon as Lizzy learned that I wasn’t going to grab at her everytime I reach into her hutch, she got much nicer in general, even outside the hutch. I don’t know if any of this applies to you, but sometimes there’s multiple issues going on.

“I’m going to show you I’m boss.” plus “Don’t you even think about grabbing me!” plus “I finally found a burrow where I’m safe…it’s mine! Get out!”. So the answers are, being dominant plus leaving them alone plus teaching them they are safe and letting them learn to trust you. Some of which are conflicting messages, unless you manage to unravel the bunny’s intent at any given moment!

Hang in there. It’s VERY frustrating, I know, but I’m sure if you just keep working on it, eventually you and your bunny will come to an understanding. It’s not instantaneous, unfortunately.

It’s so great that you’ve saved her from homeless wandering, btw!

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