Panko’s aggression

[Helenor]

Lately I’ve noticed that Panko is bullying Lago. He is 8 months old and neutered and they’ve been bonded for 4 months. Sometimes when Lago jumps into their x-pen and Panko will growl at her and chase her around. He also sometimes growls and lunges at my hand while he’s out and about. I don’t think it’s a health related issue…I hope. Panko and Lago just had their first yearly exam last week and the vets said that they’re both healthy. Is he still hormonal at this age? Or is something ailing him?

(Oh, and he still comes up to me for pets and is still very much in love with Lago. He grooms her a ton and flops next to her. I just have no idea what is causing him to growl and lunge at me and Lago.)

[Michelle&Lolli]

He might just be bullying male. lol I think perhaps he’s having some issues maintaining his “dominant” status with all these girls living with him. I could be completely wrong though. I’m sure others will have a better answer for you. But….

Even after I got them bonded, Eddie was SUPER bossy with Lolli. The poor girl couldn’t even pee without him hopping in there and chasing her out. Or away from the water or food or right out of the room if I talked to her. He would also chase her around the living room, doing that not quite nipping they do. I think others have said that the dominant of their bonded pairs can be bossy to the other too. So it’s somewhat normal to a degree.

It is concerning that he’s being aggressive towards you though. Has he always been this way with you or did it start recently?

[Helenor]

I really hope he’s not a bullying male. Lago is not acting as spunky these days and treads lightly around him (besides when she demands grooms). The growling and nipping has only started recently. His behavior towards me and Lago only started within the last 2 weeks or so. When he lunges at me, it when he pokes his head up at me and wants pets, but when I reach to pet him, he growls.

[Michelle&Lolli]

Is he eating, drinking, pooping and peeing like normal? Has anything in his environment changed like your schedule or when they get free time?

I ask about his environment changing because some rabbits react badly to their habits changing. Eddie would get grumpy with me if my schedule changed which affected their free time, feeding time, etc. Or if I changed the furniture around. Some rabbits really do not like change. Obviously, Eddie was one of them. lol

[Helenor]

Panko’s got his same healthy appetite, poos and pees. Well, I know he was mad on sunday because I was feeling sick and fed them pellets later than usual. Panko was upset by that and showed it by picking his ceramic bowl up and dropping on the floor.

[Michelle&Lolli]

Well I am as stumped as you are. I know the others will be on and will be able to help you figure it out. I hope it doesn’t turn out that he has some medical problem especially since you just took them in.

It could be that they had a tiff and he is trying to re-establish his dominance. I think Mocha’s 2 just went through something like that.

Eddie started getting aggressive with me because I cracked down on his carpet chewing, etc. He was pretty good most of the time. But I realized once that every 3-6 months, he’d go through a period where he started doing everything he shouldn’t. So I’d spray him with water and deter him from that stuff and he’d quit. Then, he’d start up again. The last time I started putting him in his pen when he’d do it and that ticked him off to the point where he started the biting, growling and batting at me. It was basically the equivalent of a toddler throwing a fit when they don’t get their way. But that doesn’t sound anything close to what Panko’s doing.

[Helenor]

Okay, thank you. I will see what others have to say as well.

[Michelle&Lolli]

*bump*

[Sarita]

I think it’s an age thing and he will calm down as he gets older. He’s still very young. As long as their bond is strong, I wouldn’t worry about it. He will mellow with age. As for growling and lunging at you – I would put him off by petting him when he does that. Feed fear aggression with love and pets.

[Helenor]

Okay, that’s a relief. I was hoping it might be an age thing. They do have a strong bond, but I was worried that Lago might be scared of him sometimes. She seems a bit hesitant to go for treats when I give them some because Panko tends to chase Lago when he sees her eating a treat, even though I feed him his first. He just drops his own and goes after her. Silly boy. He stopped lunging for my hand when I tried petting him where he likes it and started tooth purring.

Here’s pics of them:

Panko wants a groom from Lago but she’s giving him the butt to groom herself.

Panko looking very cute.

Cuddle time!

Thanks so much, Michelle and Sarita!

[LizzieKnittyBun]

guh… buh… last picture…

/falls over

[Helenor]

Agh, his aggression is getting worse. When I tried to feed him a papaya treat, he lunged at me and bit me very hard. He then boxed my arm, making me bleed. I started using gloves around him that my housemates have used on handling other bitey animals and he kept viciously attacking the glove. I think I need to wash those gloves.

[Helenor]

..and now he’s boxing Lago too sometimes. I want to cry now.

[Helenor]

After calming myself and Panko down, I realized that I probably had some of my housemate’s bunny’s smell on me because I’m taking care of him on weekends. I think the smell might’ve pushed him over the edge. He’s calm now and has stopped boxing everything and everyone. Phew!

[Sarita]

He sounds like a very sensitive rabbit so you may just have to use caution around him and make sure your routine and everything else stays the same. Always remember aggression is fear – rabbits do not have the capacity to be mean or nasty.

[Helenor]

Yeah, I can understand he’s probably scared. I was overreacting when he was boxing and nipping everything. Panko is a sweet bunny so I was worried about the change. I am also worried about next year though. I will be living with the same housemate with her bunny and we’ll be living on the same floor, unlike this year. She currently lives downstairs and her bunny is there also. Next year, they’ll be on the same floor. Panko has a tendency to try to sneak out when I open the door. He doesn’t go where the other bunny is now because he doesn’t want to walk on wood flooring.

I have to take care of the other bunny every weekend too since my housemate is never here during weekends. I don’t know what I’m going to do.

[Author]

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