Sudden Bad Behavior (Chewing, Aggressiveness)

[Carly]

I am a first-time rabbit owner. In mid-October I took in a rescue rabbit that was neglected and let into the wild by his previous owner. He has been a pretty good companion so far… until now. Obviously since he is newly introduced into my home (and I am not an expert on rabbits whatsoever) he does not trust me. He won’t let me pick him up or pet him for more than a few seconds, but I expected this. From mid-October to mid-November, he was very quiet, religiously used his litter box, got along with my two small dogs, and even gained enough confidence to jump up on the couch. Then, due to some remodeling of my house, I had to move him downstairs to my room (away from the dogs and rest of my family.) I think this pissed him off because he started chewing his litter box and now he’s eaten most of it (and therefore, doesn’t use it… he now goes wherever he pleases.) Now, he’s moved on to chewing his wire cage (which is definitely big enough) so roughly that he moves the whole thing. At first I just assumed he wanted to come out and run around a little more (usually I let him out for about 1~2 hours a day) and I allowed it. But now, he does it ALL NIGHT LONG. When I clap at him and sternly say no, he just bites it more aggressively. I am running out of sleep, ibuprofen, and patience. How can I get this to stop? I’m currently in the process of getting him and x-pen and moving him to a bigger room so he can have more freedom but until then, is there anything I can do to shut him up?

~Carly

[TheInsaneHyena]

Unfortunately, That is probably what you are stuck with, Either he has entered adolescents or he has become comfortable enough to be himself… I would recommend neutering him so the behavior is at least lowered by intensity… And about the holding, No rabbit “likes” to be held, They are ground creatures that thrive on freedom, I think the best you will get to holding him is to petting him… He has become used to all the attention that he wants more(sorry i’m addressing your problems out of order) I would recommend neutering him, And if you think he will get VERY lonely, Just purchase a friend, Make sure they are both neutered! don’t want 5 million babies do you?and if you do want to pair him up, Bunnies of different genders work best, Only if spayed and neutered This is Brian, Signing Out!~~~~~~

[Bam]

How old is the bunny?
Many rabbits mellow with neutering + age.
They also need stuff to do, which could include having cardboard-boxes and twigs/branches of safe trees (apple, willow, hazel + many more) to chew on. Bored rabbits tend to chew their wire cages, esp if the cage is small and offers few other possibilities for activity. It’s extremely common and one of the reasons why rabbits shouldn’t be kept in small cages.

Some rabbits like to be held. F ex my mother has my Bam in her lap just now and Bam is just sitting there, apparently enjoying the cuddling. It did take like 1,5 years before he accepted proximity of this type though, bunnies can be extremely “slow learners” – as Brian says, they are prey animals and trust is not their first instinct so to speak. Maybe your bunny just recently has come out of extreme fear of his new environment. For a bunny, a little less than 2 months is a very short time, that’s my experience at least. Be patient, he may very well become cuddly if you keep treating him well!

[ChesnutKC]

Bunnies chew on things to grind their teeth which are constantly growing. I give my bunnies big wood sticks or blocks for them to chew on which they enjoy, but nothing, and I mean nothing can take their mind away from chewing on cardboard. If the litter box is cardboard then your bun may be chewing on that thing forever. I recently updated my bunnies from cardboard litter box, to the big plastic ones with a roof that you give to cats and they absolutely love jumping in and out of that thing. They poop all over the place still, but they only pee in the litter box which is a plus. So You can always consider that.
With the wire cage, perhaps your bunny gets bored at night seeing as this is when bunnies are most active. maybe give her some toilet paper tubes or a box or a pillow that he can tear up and see if that works.
As for being held, most bunnies don’t like being taken off the ground. My white bunny, Treasure loves to be pet, but hates being held, and my brown bunny, March, loves to cuddle when I hold her, but doesn’t have the patience for me to pet her when she’s on the ground and would rather run. So it’s all in the personality.

[Author]

Messages