Rabbit’s intense aggression towards my brother is becoming a big problem

[TheVelveteenRabbit]

I’m a grad school student and my brother is finishing up college, so we’re both living at home while we study. 

For reasons no one in my family understands, my rabbit has taken a REALLY intense dislike to my brother. He (the rabbit) will raise his tail like a flag, poop everywhere, and bite/lunge at/attack my brother whenever he’s very near.

When the bunny first arrived my brother would pet him through his hutch door (very rarely). I thought maybe this set off the bunny (territorial?), but my dad would also do it, much more frequently, while also picking up the bunny like a puppy to kiss him (my dad loves animals but knows nothing about rabbits, and he only just stopped doing this, due to my protests). So it’d make sense if he disliked my dad, but he’s A-OK with him.

My bunny doesn’t act this way towards ANYONE else. He’s been calm with every guest we’ve had (more than a dozen at this point, all kinds – my dad runs his business out of our house and frequently has clients over for tea). However, if my brother is very nearby, he can be provoked enough to attack people he’s ordinarily fine with. Due to this, he has bitten me, my brother’s girlfriend, and my dog (I’m guessing he smells my brother and can’t see well enough to direct his attack??? He will never, ever bite any of us otherwise!). Today, my dog and bunny (who get along very well) were sitting on the couch. My brother pet the dog, and the rabbit bit my dog REALLY hard. She yelped and there’s a red mark on her belly from his bite. I’m really upset about this.

My brother likes the rabbit and seems sad that the bunny dislikes him. But he’s also clearly afraid of the rabbit and will make an excuse not to be near the bunny when I tell him the bunny needs to get used to him. He only feeds the rabbit treats now (through the hutch bars only). I had my brother sit down on the floor with the rabbit recently but the rabbit lunged at him and bit him and drew blood. So he’s not very willing to do that, and I don’t blame him. But I’m not sure how else to get the bunny to perceive my brother isn’t a threat, or what to do in general. I would really appreciate some advice.

Notes: my bunny has been fixed for about 2 months – excluding possibly this issue, he shows no hormonal behavior anymore. He’s also deaf/very hard of hearing, so he doesn’t react to any of us yelping loudly if he bites us.

[Wick & Fable]

This is gonna be really bizarre, but can you get your brother to wear, like, your pajamas and use your showering soaps? While it’s impossible to mitigate 100% of someone’s scent, if he calms down around him with this get-up, it better confirms your brother’s scent flags him off, versus general presence. Rabbit noses are quite sensitive, so whether or not this works, I’m unsure, but it may be worth a try… for science.

One way or another, whether at the fault of your brother or a result of weird rabbit-logic, a very bad association seems to have been made. An “all praise” route may be beneficial. This means your brother gears up in oven mits, rain boots, and thick pants, and basically does not express negative reactions to your rabbit’s lunges and bites. They say this works because over time, the rabbit may come to realize the individual is not a threat. I show people to this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxV0j7SwBbk&t=1s

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.

[Nutmeg]

Along with Wick suggestion above, is there also any other strange smells your brother could have on him as well that others dont? For example; is he the only smoker? or does he work with anything that has a smell….

[Author]

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