Would I rabbit be right for me? Behavioral questions

[UndecidedBunny]

Hi rabbit owners,

I am new to the site and first and foremost, wanted to introduce myself to the community My name is Liz and I’m currently a senior in college. I’ve been lingering around this site and The House Rabbit Society for years now. Recently, I’ve been interested in a rabbit. I should mention, I’ve worked for years now and I make more than enough money to be the sole provider of my rabbit (and have thousands in savings throughout the years from my own jobs). 

Like I said, I’ve been on this site for years and I’ve learned pretty much everything there is for a rabbit’s basic care. I know about their diet, housing needs, playtime/exercise needs, spaying/neutering, illnesses, vet bills, toys, costs, etc. However, there are some major things I am concerned about and I hope you can all help me answer these concerns.

1) How intense is their destructive behavior? I’ve read multiple articles on rabbit proofing and I know about the electrical cords, walls, furniture, etc. However, I want to know how bad is this behavior? How bad is their digging and chewing? I’ve read horror stories on this site where people literally said they were at their wits ends. They provided them with the right diet with unlimited hay, tons of chewing toys and digging options, and they were spayed/neutered but their rabbit was still a disaster. What is the ugly reality of this behavior? I can’t have them destroying the house. Please be as honest as possible. I’d rather know now that this might not be the best fit for me and not get a rabbit, rather than being forced to re-home it because of its natural destructive behavior. 

2) How temperamental can rabbits be? How about aggression? Once again, I’ve read horror stories about rabbits biting and being aggressive towards their owners. I am naturally a skittish person and would probably be scared if the rabbit bit me. Also, my parents themselves, won’t tolerate an aggressive pet. I understand that rabbits are prey animals and are naturally skittish and don’t like being picked up. I can obviously, work with that when bonding and taming my rabbit. However, I don’t know how I would feel if the rabbit lunged at me or tried to harm me or anyone else in my household. 

3) What are rabbits really like? I’ve been around rabbits in pet stores and shelters and they seem so different. At one pet store, the bunnies all ran away from people (understandably). There were adults and children picking them up and they’re obviously scared. At another pet store, the bunnies all seemed so friendly. They were not skittish. However, I was mainly observing and not trying to pick them up or anything. I know better since they are prey animals. At the shelter, the one rabbit they had was bigger and was all over the place. He was moving his litterbox all over his cage. While the majority of the poops were in the litterbox, there were still some poops outside the box. Plus, the rabbit kept flinging the litterbox around (shows how they are truly not caged animals the way people think they are). I was scared of this behavior, however. If this is how the rabbit will act outside his playpen/enclosure, I don’t know how bad it will really be. That’s why I was against adopting this rabbit (Snowflake, a New Zealand White). However, the rabbit was very friendly. Which brings me to my last point.

4) How friendly/human interactive are rabbits? Are they more like cats in terms of limited human interaction? I know they are absolutely nothing like cats outside of being able to use a litterbox, being adorable, and constant grooming. However, are they completely aloof to their owners? (I don’t mind this at all, by the way). 

I know that I seem to be bringing a lot of bad things about rabbits, but I just want to be well prepared for what I’m looking for. Of course, the research on rabbit care and the pros are crucial for getting rabbits, but I also need to know all the ugly things too. I’d rather know now than end up with a surprise. Thank you for all the help!

[Puffbaby]

Every rabbit is different. Know that first. Each one has their own personalities just as people do. Rabbits also go thru “phases” one week they could be the most well behaved bunny with no behavior issues at all, then the next they are chewing all the base boards and furniture, then a day after that back to being well behaved, and the next day they are back to “beavering” as I call it. Lol I have a flemish giant male who is still young. About 11/12 weeks or so but I have had him since he was 5 weeks and I had a lion head rabb it before him. Now my lionhead was pretty laid back, binkI’d all over, hoped around, played with tons of toys and liked to be kept busy. She wasn’t a chewer thankfully and was freeroam in my bedroom and went to her cage to potty. She was awesome and it still saddens me after over 10 years that she was killed by my sister on accident. (A big bouncy ball was tossed in my room by my sister with her not thinking and it landed on her and wedged beneath the bed and her and she broke her back and died) now stitch my flemish giant is WAY laid back. He just lounges around my apartment all day. He is free roam of my 2 bedroom apartment as well as the enclosed porch that’s attached to it . He rarely plays with toys, tho he does LOVE digging and pulling up carpet. Which was easily fixed by providing him his own sisial carpet that he can chew and dig his heart out with. He also goes in phases of chewing my baseboards which I covered with clear packing tape and he hasn’t touched them since. I haven’t had any behavioral or agrees I’ve problems yet hut he is still young. Althought he does poop on my couch every chance he gets and on my bed. But that’s a work in progress lol he will sometimes steal things like a dog and bring the items to his bed for him to lay on and nibble at. But he never plays with toys, he wants everything he can’t have. Including food he can’t have. He is worse than a puppy when it comes to food. Especially if it is sweet and sugary. He will jump on you and follow you and not leave you alone until it is gone. He is more cuddly than my lion head was though and will lay with me for hours. Loud noises never scare him and I can pick him up and do whatever I want with him. My lion head HATED being picked up at all so I only did it when it was absolutely necessary.
So I guess my point is each bunny is different and you have to love the bun regardless of their personalities and love them for who they are as an individual. I fostered a french lop who was aggressive as they come. He would grunt, and attack, like bite your pants and leg and even tackled my 1.5yo son down and bit him when he was just walking by. He bit him so hard he needed stitches. But we still loved him and gave him the best care. We named him Richard bc he reminded us of my husbands father and I’m sure you can guess his nick name lol he had a rough start in life tho and because of some heath problems was still intact. But never sprayed so we got lucky considering he was a free roam house rabbit that was the boss in our house. If he sat somewhere, you sat somewhere else. Lol
If your worried about a bun destroying your jouse, use an xpen to confine him/her uNess supervised for playtime or convert a large closet or room or den into a bunny room. There are a lot of options.

[Sirius&Luna]

Hi

You’ve come to the right place for advice! Personally, I’ve always been a bunny person, and I can’t imagine having any other animal as a pet. The problem with your questions is that all bunnies are pretty unique, and most behaviours will depend on the bunny itself. I’ll try and answer your questions though.

1. It totally depends on the bunny. When I had Sirius, he was pretty much perfectly behaved, so Iet him free range around my flat. He didn’t really chew on things, and I would come home and find him sat on the windowsill looking out like a cat. After I got him a bonded friend, Luna, she was just too destructive to be left free range. I couldn’t possibly bunny proof all the things she tried to eat. The sofa, the table legs, the wires attached to a wall, the bunny proof wire casings…. So they both ended up being penned when we weren’t in, and let out when we’re home to supervise. Sadly Sirius died, and my new bunny Atlas is also a bit of a chewer, so him and Luna are penned when we’re not at home. When we’re there, they know I’m watching so seem to behave better, and will stop when I clap or say no because they know they’re being naughty. Luna finds it hilarious when I tell her no, and runs off binkying.

2. Generally, if you don’t give rabbits reason to be scared of you, they won’t lunge or bite. Luna has bitten me hard once, and that was when I was trying to introduce her to Atlas, and she was actually lunging for him. Of course, I’m glad she got me not him! When they reach maturity before being spayed, there might be a period of extra bad behaviour, but once they’re settled adults, hopefully it won’t happen at all, except in exceptional circumstances.

3. Rabbits are the best pets! I always make sure that I pick the bunny that’s confident and comes towards you. If you pick one that’s cowering in the corner, then it will be more shy, although I’m sure you can work through that with them with time. Friendliness/skittishness is an inherited trait, and good breeders will breed friendly rabbits. If you’re rescuing, then you have an even better chance of getting a friendly/confident rabbit as you’ll be able to see how they behave as an adult. If a rabbit comes up to you and sniffs you, I would take that as a good sign (confidence is what I look for in a rabbit… of course other people may have other preferences).

4. It depends. My bunnies will normally jump up onto the sofa and sit with me for a bit in the evenings. Sometimes they’ll climb all over me, especially if there’s treats. We’ve noticed that if only one of us (me & my boyfriend) are home, they’re much more interested, and will come and chill out on the sofa for longer, but when we’re both home they’re less interested for some reason. Maybe it’s just that there’s more space on the sofa when only one of us is in! If i’m doing anything on the floor they’ll come over and investigate. But, also they spend a lot of time lounging together, and generally being cute away from me. It brings me so much joy to watch them just being bunnies though.

[Dface]

1) How intense is their destructive behavior?

It ranges, but in general prepare for VERY. I quickly learned there is no rabbit proofing agaisnt a determined bunny. I have covers on all the electrical cords, but my rabbits will get through those in a few minutes, so wires still need to be kept away.
Carpet digging and chewing is very difficult to fix in bad cases, I ended up buying a large carpet rug that they could wreck instead.
Couches cushions clothes and furniture are all things that have been destroyed, along with skirting boards and the wall.
My rabbits have toys and treats and are bonded, they certainly arent bored, they just enjoy mischief.

2) How temperamental can rabbits be

They are tempermental and sassy, but rabbits are the ultimate diplomats. They would rather not fight with you, so if you respect them they’ll respect you. Neutering can help fix any hormonal driven territorial behaviour. But in general, rabbits are not vicious creatures when they feel they dont have to be

3) What are rabbits really like?

They are gorgeous and entertaining. The behavior you describe sounds like he was just re-organizing his home. What about this was scary? If a rabbit playing makes you uncomfortable perhaps a rabbit isnt for you

4) How friendly/human interactive are rabbits?

Depends. Some rabbits ADORE humans, others arent that bothered and are happy to do their own thing, and would rather you not cramp their style.
However they are shy, and like most cats dotn like strangers so new people are often difficult for them to accept

[sarahthegemini]

It’s going to be difficult to get a solid answer because every bun is different, having said that – I’ll answer with my experience

1) In terms of destructive behaviour, it depends what your definition of destructive is. Bunnies love digging and chewing and can sometimes be really good at digging and chewing only at rabbit suitable things. Others are not so good lol. My bunnies mostly chew at their chew toys but they do like table legs and have recently started on the door  They dig at the carpet a little before a flop but not intently. I had a digging corner set up which was just a bunch of fleece blankets and that worked well but Peanut decided to pee on them all so I had to get rid. I’d recommend providing blankets or even a sand pit/soil box to help fulfill a bunny’s desire to dig.

2) I’ve had my rabbits for a year and I can honestly say they have never shown aggression towards me or others. The most aggressive thing I can think of is when Buttercup grunted at the broom  Even throughout puberty and whatnot – not a hint of aggression. 

3) Rabbits – in my opinion – are very unique little animals. They have the independence commonly associated with cats and they generally do what they want,  when they want but they have such wonderful little quirks. Every rabbit has his own personality, just like with other animals. A lot of people (that don’t ‘get’ rabbits) say they are boring. But they are far from it. My brother in fact said it a few days ago because they were just resting. It was the middle of the day so prime sleep time! When given the opportunity, I. E. When given freedom and not just shoved in a cage or hutch all day /night, you really see their personality shine. My Buttercup is a sassy, confident girl who isn’t really scared of noises. She’s cheeky and doesn’t care if you catch her doing something naughty. She likes exploring. She likes to get in to places she shouldn’t. She likes to push me out the way  Peanut on the other hand is timid and not very confident at first. He’s a very curious little boy but he likes to really take time to feel comfortable before exploring. He is just as mischievous as Buttercup but he’s more discreet  He is such a sweetheart tho, but he honks when he’s feeling frisky which reminds me that he’s not a little boy anymore  He’s a very noise sensitive bun but he’s okay with my mum’s two German shepherds barking. Go figure! 

4) I’ve kind of addressed this point a bit but I’ll expand – Buttercup loves human attention (from me anyway) Peanut does too but it took him months to feel comfortable being pet. It feels wonderful when he runs up to greet me Both like to chill and snuggle together but they also like to bun loaf and flop right by me, climb on me, nose bop me, put their paws on me etc.

Tbh, and I’m not saying this to be mean but I don’t think a rabbit is suited for you. You can’t guarantee what type of personality your rabbit will develop and it sounds like you don’t want to deal with the potential issues described. Chewing and digging for example. 

At the shelter, the one rabbit they had was bigger and was all over the place. He was moving his litterbox all over his cage. While the majority of the poops were in the litterbox, there were still some poops outside the box. Plus, the rabbit kept flinging the litterbox around (shows how they are truly not caged animals the way people think they are) I was scared of this behaviour…”

This concerns me a bit. I don’t understand what part of his behaviour scared you? Rabbits will often throw things around. In fact, pretty much all the toys I buy for my rabbits are for throwing around. Or is it the poops? My rabbits are litter trained but still flick poops out accidently when they jump out. There are solutions to this of course but you might get a bun that just isn’t 100% perfect with his toileting. 

I think it’s great that you are doing all this research but it seems you aren’t prepared to deal with the ‘bad’ side. Unfortunately, looking after rabbits isn’t always fun as you do have to tackle the issues. You need to be prepared for them initially. The amount of issues varies from bun to bun. I think I got pretty lucky with mine. But again, it’s not something you can guarantee. 

[joea64]

These are my general observations, based on two months of living cheek by jowl in a small apartment with two bonded Polish bunnies, mother and son.

First off, I’ll strongly say that in most circumstances, two or more is better than one. Rabbits are deeply social animals, and one has to pay especial attention to socializing and interacting with a single bun in order to prevent them from getting lonely or bored. In fact, I’ve read in many authorities that a great deal of house rabbit misbehavior has to do with being bored or lonesome. My two bonded buns are, to my observation, rarely bored and never lonely because they always have one another to keep company with even when I’m out of the apartment.

Rabbits are strikingly individualistic animals within the context of their social groups, and daily living with them as house pets allows you to see the strength of their personalities. My two bunnies, Panda and Fernando, are very different bun-people. Panda, a 1 1/2 (approximately) – year-old doe, had bad experiences in her early life which required a lot of TLC after she was rescued to get her to where she could relax around humans, and she’s still a very reserved, sometimes standoffish type. She very rarely likes getting physical attention such as pets, and will generally move away unless she’s been given a treat, at which time she’ll deign to allow you to pet her on the forehead. That being said, she likes getting nonphysical attention such as being talked to, and can be quite demanding of same to the point of nipping you if she feels she’s being ignored! She has a very strong opinion of what she likes and doesn’t like, and an equally strong sense of her dignity to the point that I like to call her a grande dame, and can be counted on to display “bunny butt” as a sign of her displeasure at least once per day!

Fernando (about 10 months old), her son, by contrast, is a relaxed, friendly, outgoing and affectionate bunny, who’s spent pretty much his entire life in caring, nurturing environments so that he’s cool with humans. He likes getting forehead rubs and never has a problem with being petted when he gets a treat, in fact, he’ll often come up to the condo grid or X-pen fence and poke his nose through to greet you and hopefully get a rub in return. He’s very curious and active and every so often likes to try to give me the slip and get out of the X-pen to go exploring. He very rarely nips, but will, like his mother, do so if he feels he’s not being paid attention or wants you to move out of the way right now. Both buns, being bonded and having lived with one another their whole lives (Fernando is one of Panda’s 4 kits; the other three were adopted out to another bunny parent), are deeply loving toward one another and frequently groom one another, though Panda occasionally likes to reinforce her status as the dominant one of the pair by mounting Fernando from both front and back, which is pretty startling the first time you see it.

The two buns are moderately active chewers but have plenty of suitable things to chew on, chiefly hay and cardboard (I’vevrecently had to replace one of their in-condo hidey boxes because Fernando chewed it pretty thoroughly) along with willow sticks and several toys. Generally, by bunny standards they’re very good and well-behaved thus far. They live in a large, two-level “bunny condo” with daily time out to play and exercise in a large X-pen; at the outset, I would give them 3 hours or so per day out in the evening until I went to bed, but more recently I’ve concluded that they should have as much time out as possible so I now leave the X-pen up for Panda and Fernando from the time I come home in the evenings until when I leave for work in the early morning (at least 10 hours straight per evening/night), not counting weekends. I think the greatly increased time out of their habitat pleases them and they’ve behaved themselves very well, which is an especially good thing since I’m in bed asleep much of the time during their overnight play sessions!! (It helps to make sure that the X-pen is securely attached to their condo and that the pen is positioned so that they can’t reach anything they’re not supposed to mess with.)

[Luna]

Hi! Destructive behavior, biting, and tolerance of human interaction all depends on the individual bun. Generally, the frequency of destructive behavior and biting decrease after neutering/spaying. Also, most buns don’t “bite” rather they “nip.” A bite (I’ve heard though never experienced) is likely to draw blood and hurts. A nip feels like a pinch and doesn’t draw blood; it is how a bun might tell you “Pay attention to me!” or “Move please” or “Stop that.”

If you are looking for a certain personality in a bun, some rabbit rescues/shelters will help match you with a bun that exhibits the personality you are looking for and will let you do a trial run to see how you and the bun get along. However, the bun may act one way at the rescue and another way at your home. This may or may not change once the bun is settled in/bonded to you.

Maybe you could foster a bun? That way, you not only would be helping a bun but you would also be able to interact with the bun long term. Then if you and the bun get along, you could adopt him/her .

[Mikey]

How intense is their destructive behavior?
It depends from bunny to bunny. My Bombur loves to dig, chew, and rip up carpet; he has also chewed threw a few (well protected) cords. My Blue will chew on things hes not supposed to if he is bored or wants attention. My Badger only chews on wood, which is easy to curb with wood based toys. On repairs from destruction, I have possibly paid around 100$ in the last two years. On bunny proofing, I have probly paid around 200$ in the last two years. Bunny proofing always needs to be kept up, repaired, and upgraded every few months.

After my lease is up at my apartment at the end of the month, I am likely losing my security deposit due to Bombur plucking holes out of the carpet; technically rising my ‘repair’ price to 1200$ over the last two years. Ive lost internet for about a week due to Bombur chewing through cords and cord protectors. My wooden tables all have chew marks. Anything that can be chewed on (rugs, tables, chairs, cord protectors, ect) all have teeth marks on them from Blue trying to get attention. Adding this as destruction: hormonal pee and marking stains and can sometimes be impossible to get out without (sometimes harsh) chemicals. Note, that rabbits can launch their mark up walls.

How temperamental can rabbits be? How about aggression?
Badger is not aggressive towards people or animals. Blue is only aggressive if he is terrified. Bombur is highly aggressive. Blue and Badger are allowed to meet new people, and new people are allowed to pet them if the rabbits allow it (read: if the bunnies walk up to them and dont flinch or run away). Bombur, on the otherhand, is not allowed to be pet. When anyone comes over, whether Bombur knows them or not, they are not allowed to reach out for Bombur. I have scars up my arms from Bomburs aggression. My partner has a few as well. Bombur is easily terrified, and reacts with aggression. He bites, he latches on, and he kicks. He will kick, scratch, and bite so powerfully, he will be gasping for air afterwards. He is no longer like this with me and my partner (lots of trust bonding sessions done between us all; took several months) unless we accidentally scare him, but I cannot promise he wont do that to other people as he is naturally afraid of people he does not see daily. Hes afraid of other animals too. Bombur has caused a lot of bloodshed.

What are rabbits really like?
This heavily depends. Like any living creature, each rabbit has their own personalities.

Blue is lazy, and seeks out attention by lightly damaging things, or by pretending to go into areas he is not allowed. He is incredibly needy and becomes depressed if he is not given enough attention. Hes curious and prefers to explore instead of play. He has a few minute long session of Bunnt 500ing around the room about once a day. He otherwise prefers to walk around, climb onto things, try to see what he can dig into, ect. He also loves to be spoiled with large soft dog beds. Hes also very affectionate and loves to give kissies (nose boops) to my partner and I. Hes nervous at first when meeting people, but warms up quickly with some treats and pets. He doesnt like to cuddle, but he loves to be held. He finds toys boring and needs human stimulation or needs to have the room changed around often so it feels “new” for him to explore. He has nightmares a few times a week and wakes everyone up by thumping as a result. Some pets, soft talks, and reassurance calms him down and back to sleep within a few minutes. He becomes mad if you take Bombur away from him. He sulks for hours when he is embarrassed. He sheds all year around.

Bombur, as mentioned before, is easily terrified. He is always on edge if things around him have changed and does not like to meet new people. When he is nervous, he will hide in my or my partners lap, or he will hide under Blue. He has attacked both animals and people before, and because of that, people have a strict list to follow when meeting him, and if that list is violated, they will be kicked out. Otherwise, when hes comfortable, he has such high energy. He loves to run. Bunny 500ing all over the room as often as possible. He marks (poo and pee) things he likes, even though he has been neutered for over a year. He likes to fling things, so toys like baby keys or sticks are great for him. He becomes heavily depressed and lethargic if he cannot see Blue. Although he can jump over 3+ feet, he is terrified of heights. If he has to jump more than a few inches, he freaks out midair and crashes the landing. If hes overly excited about something, he starts running and often cant control his speed until he crashes into the wall. He sheds like hell; you can make multiple bunnies with the fur he sheds every winter and summer season. He likes to cuddle, but only when he asks to cuddle. He likes to be held, only when he asks to be held.

Badger is a care free bun. He loves new people, loves new animals, and was only aggressive when he was hormonal. He is, however, disabled. He cannot gain weight easily and cannot keep the weight he does gain. He has to have more pellets than more bunnies because of this. He also cannot gain muscle easily, and cannot easily keep the muscle he does gain. He has splay leg. He likes to run and explore, but his disabilities limit that. He can only be out for about an hour a day, without risking physical damage to his body. He also has horrible allergies and nearly died from choking on mucus because of it, before. He likes toys, but prefers to explore, run, or sleep. He only plays with toys if he is really bored or wants to chew on something. He loves to be held and loves to be cuddled. His absolute favorite thing is sitting by the window and looking outside. Hes always pretty calm, and will beg for pets, especially if he is tired. 

How friendly/human interactive are rabbits? 
Again, really depends on the rabbit. 

Blue took a few days to warm up to my partner and I when we took him home. Hes needy as hell when it comes to attention. I would estimate that he needs atleast 2 hours a day of direct human physical attention (petting, grooming, cuddling, playing) and atleast 3 hours of human verbal attention per day (talking to him, singing to him, giggling at him, ect). Overall, I would estimate Blue needs about 5 hours of human interaction per day. Likely more, especially on days he is feeling embarrassed about something. 

Bombur doesnt need any human interaction, but he needs Blue. Bombur does enjoy being called “cutie”, though. If Bombur is having a bad day or is just angry for no reason, calling him “cutie” instead of calling him by his name makes him really happy. I would estimate that he needs about 1 hour total per day of human verbal interaction. He doesnt need any physical human interaction, but will tolerate about 1 hour per day, but not all at once. During shedding season, he needs to be brushed atleast 2 hours a day for about two weeks straight.

Badger is like Blue in the sense that he can be pretty needy. I would estimate that he needs about 1 hour or 2 hours worth of physical attention per day (usually in the form of pets, sometimes in the form of light play), and about 2 to 3 hours of verbal attention. He loves to be sung to, so often while I am cleaning, I will single about the bunnies. Like, remix songs and replace names with the bunnies names. Badger really enjoys this.

(edit) Oh, on rabbits flinging litter boxes, all three of mine do that. They fling their litter boxes and bowls. I have to have the litter boxes zip tied to the cage siding and have weighted/ceramic bowls. On occasion, theyll also dig inside of their litter box flinging poop and pee all over the place. Mine do it because they think its funny; theyll binky around the room as I clean their mess. Although gross, I too think it is funny so I cant blame them :p

Overall, if you plan to get a rabbit, I suggest you adopt one from a shelter. You can never really know a rabbits personality until its home, but they usually show better at a shelter after youve met with them several times.

[Author]

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