Aggresive Bun Bun

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Hello
I have a 4 month old New Zealand Bunny named Snowflake. I have had her for just over a month. She is not calming down. She is still very aggresive. She tries to grab our hands and bite us when we try to feed her, change her litter pan, or anything in her hutch. I have sat on the floor for hours talking to her coaxing her, soothing her, petting her, and everything I read to do. I feed her treats from my hand even. I am not aggressively picking her up. What else should I do?
 
No she isn't yet. I plan on having her fixed soon. She has an appointment at the end of the month for her nails to be trimmed. Can she be hormonal this young?? It sounds reasonable though. I will make her appointment to be spayed when I take her in at the end of the month. It is crazy because she completely despises my husband.
 
Hello
I have a 4 month old New Zealand Bunny named Snowflake. I have had her for just over a month. She is not calming down. She is still very aggresive. She tries to grab our hands and bite us when we try to feed her, change her litter pan, or anything in her hutch. I have sat on the floor for hours talking to her coaxing her, soothing her, petting her, and everything I read to do. I feed her treats from my hand even. I am not aggressively picking her up. What else should I do?
For a cage-aggressive rabbit (part of what you describe) it's best to reserve any hutch cleanings or even feedings to times when she is not inside the hutch -- usually when she's out for her exercise. She is viewing her hutch as her sole territory and she is defending it. Some rabbits just get wonky about their cage so rather than us trying to fight it, it's easier to work around it.

I am curious about " I am not aggressively picking her up." Are you picking her up at all? If so, why and how often?

With a hormonal rabbit, it is like battling on 2 fronts. Not only are you trying to get to learn her personality and bond with her, but you're also dealing with the inconsistent and sometimes non-sensical behavior induced by hormones. It can be frustrating because the hormonal behavior can alter what would be her usual reaction.

Until she's spayed, try not to poke the bear. Watch for warning signs they typically show. A grunt or growl may come before a lunge which may come before a "boxing" (or a warning nip) which may come before an actual aggressive bite.
 
Sounds like an attempt to be an "Alpha". Need to get her neutered and if you PM me I can tell you how to make yourself the "Alpha" --I have told all my friends that if they don't train their bunny, the bunny will train them--bunnies are excellent human trainers--the last 4 we rescued were from "death row" at shelters and had been returned several times because of biting, no nipping, but actually making the people bleed--took me 2 days or less to make them good citizens and we all get along very well--no more attack rabbits and I really don't like bleeding all that much either. Our 2 dogs regard me as the "Alpha" and they aren't small either--our littlest one weighs 178 pounds--King Danes--they are really sweet and loving--not like having to deal with a rabbit that has learned to control humans with "bad" behavior--you train them or they will train you!
 
Sounds like an attempt to be an "Alpha". Need to get her neutered and if you PM me I can tell you how to make yourself the "Alpha" --I have told all my friends that if they don't train their bunny, the bunny will train them--bunnies are excellent human trainers--the last 4 we rescued were from "death row" at shelters and had been returned several times because of biting, no nipping, but actually making the people bleed--took me 2 days or less to make them good citizens and we all get along very well--no more attack rabbits and I really don't like bleeding all that much either. Our 2 dogs regard me as the "Alpha" and they aren't small either--our littlest one weighs 178 pounds--King Danes--they are really sweet and loving--not like having to deal with a rabbit that has learned to control humans with "bad" behavior--you train them or they will

For a cage-aggressive rabbit (part of what you describe) it's best to reserve any hutch cleanings or even feedings to times when she is not inside the hutch -- usually when she's out for her exercise. She is viewing her hutch as her sole territory and she is defending it. Some rabbits just get wonky about their cage so rather than us trying to fight it, it's easier to work around it.

I am curious about " I am not aggressively picking her up." Are you picking her up at all? If so, why and how often?

With a hormonal rabbit, it is like battling on 2 fronts. Not only are you trying to get to learn her personality and bond with her, but you're also dealing with the inconsistent and sometimes non-sensical behavior induced by hormones. It can be frustrating because the hormonal behavior can alter what would be her usual reaction.

Until she's spayed, try not to poke the bear. Watch for warning signs they typically show. A grunt or growl may come before a lunge which may come before a "boxing" (or a warning nip) which may come before an actual aggressive bite.
I only pick her up occasionally when I have to move her. Not all of the time. I do it from ground level.
 
Sounds like an attempt to be an "Alpha". Need to get her neutered and if you PM me I can tell you how to make yourself the "Alpha" --I have told all my friends that if they don't train their bunny, the bunny will train them--bunnies are excellent human trainers--the last 4 we rescued were from "death row" at shelters and had been returned several times because of biting, no nipping, but actually making the people bleed--took me 2 days or less to make them good citizens and we all get along very well--no more attack rabbits and I really don't like bleeding all that much either. Our 2 dogs regard me as the "Alpha" and they aren't small either--our littlest one weighs 178 pounds--King Danes--they are really sweet and loving--not like having to deal with a rabbit that has learned to control humans with "bad" behavior--you train them or they will train you!
I will tomorrow. I have two Aussies and have no issues with them. To them I am Mommy. These rabbits were raised as food previously, not pets. So this is all new to them. They had no real human interaction. I am thinking this may be part of the problem. Her parents were 4H show rabbits, however, so they were around some people. They still didn't have too much inside human interaction. They were kept outside in cages. Mine is inside in a large hutch and room. We take her outside to roam in a fenced area as well, when we can pick her up.
 
Innate personality plays a larger part than any (lack of) human interaction-- especially at her young age. Rabbits are unlike many other pets in that early handling doesn't play much of a role in their adult personality.
Founder of Bunny Bunch rescue, Caroline Charland, states, "People often think a rabbit must be held a lot as a baby in order to like being held as an adult. I don't find this true at all. Over the years, the Bunny Bunch rescue I founded has saved many mother and baby rabbits from shelters. All the babies were treated the same. When they became adults their personalities varied-- some liked to be held, some hated to be held and some tolerated being held."

I would urge you to use a carrier or even a cardboard box when transporting her either from one room to another or from indoors to outdoors. Carrying a rabbit in your arms is an accident waiting to happen. It's almost inevitable that there will come a moment when bun decides to squirm and either falls out of the human's grasp or gets squeezed too tightly to prevent a fall. Either one can result in serious injury.

Check here on taking a rabbit outdoors. Might want to check the status of your location with RHVD2.
https://rabbitsindoors.weebly.com/bringing-outside.html
 
Innate personality plays a larger part than any (lack of) human interaction-- especially at her young age. Rabbits are unlike many other pets in that early handling doesn't play much of a role in their adult personality.
Founder of Bunny Bunch rescue, Caroline Charland, states, "People often think a rabbit must be held a lot as a baby in order to like being held as an adult. I don't find this true at all. Over the years, the Bunny Bunch rescue I founded has saved many mother and baby rabbits from shelters. All the babies were treated the same. When they became adults their personalities varied-- some liked to be held, some hated to be held and some tolerated being held."

I would urge you to use a carrier or even a cardboard box when transporting her either from one room to another or from indoors to outdoors. Carrying a rabbit in your arms is an accident waiting to happen. It's almost inevitable that there will come a moment when bun decides to squirm and either falls out of the human's grasp or gets squeezed too tightly to prevent a fall. Either one can result in serious injury.

Check here on taking a rabbit outdoors. Might want to check the status of your location with RHVD2.
https://rabbitsindoors.weebly.com/bringing-outside.html
Thank you, we use a small carrier to take her from place to place. It has also been unseasonably warm here so we thought she might like the warm weather while we had it since she lived outside for so long. Otherwise, she is not handled. She is free to wander alone in her own little area. It is when we try to get her from point A to point B as gently as can be, that she struggles. I had to take her to the Vet last week for her check up. I always am diligent with my animals Veterinary needs. I sit on the floor and let her come to me. I put my hand behind her bottom and gently pick her up. Then I transfer her to her carrier. The space is limited, so it is manuvering to do it all in that space. She had scratched her eye as well, so she needed ointment for awhile. I had no issues doing that, she let me. I wanted her nails trimmed that day, but the vet said that would cause her too much trauma and to bring her back in a couple of weeks after her eye healed. She is a wild acting little one!! She does binky's when I come in to her room. She does love me. She just wants to be the boss is what I get from some of her actions. I do not let her out around my Australian Shepherds, they are out separately. But she knows they are here. I wonder if she is trying to show dominance as well? She came from a place where they had 4 Huskies.
I have not had a pet rabbit since I was a little girl. That bunny was the sweetest little black domestic bun bun. She free roamed all over our house. She was litter box trained. She was a very smart bunny! Dad never had her spayed either. He did have a hutch built in the back of our house for her though. I know why now-spraying! She was never mean or aggressive. Unfortunately, a neighbor kid did something to her while she was outside in her hutch, one day. Momma found her. It broke my mom's heart. We even chased that rabbit where she had gone, across the main road once, as she escaped into the woods over there. She went on an adventure. I think that same neighbor kid had let her out! We never got another one. Lot's of Guinea Pigs, but no bunnies. My husband has had many, but this is my first one since. We don't agree on how to raise them. I am way more compassionate.
 
Last edited:
I read the attach
Thank you, we use a small carrier to take her from place to place. It has also been unseasonably warm here so we thought she might like the warm weather while we had it since she lived outside for so long. Otherwise, she is not handled. She is free to wander alone in her own little area. It is when we try to get her from point A to point B as gently as can be, that she struggles. I had to take her to the Vet last week for her check up. I always am diligent with my animals Veterinary needs. I sit on the floor and let her come to me. I put my hand behind her bottom and gently pick her up. Then I transfer her to her carrier. The space is limited, so it is manuvering to do it all in that space. She had scratched her eye as well, so she needed ointment for awhile. I had no issues doing that, she let me. I wanted her nails trimmed that day, but the vet said that would cause her too much trauma and to bring her back in a couple of weeks after her eye healed. She is a wild acting little one!! She does binky's when I come in to her room. She does love me. She just wants to be the boss is what I get from some of her actions. I do not let her out around my Australian Shepherds, they are out separately. But she knows they are here. I wonder if she is trying to show dominance as well? She came from a place where they had 4 Huskies.
I have not had a pet rabbit since I was a little girl. That bunny was the sweetest little black domestic bun bun. She free roamed all over our house. She was litter box trained. She was a very smart bunny! Dad never had her spayed either. He did have a hutch built in the back of our house for her though. I know why now-spraying! She was never mean or aggressive. Unfortunately, a neighbor kid did something to her while she was outside in her hutch, one day. Momma found her. It broke my mom's heart. We even chased that rabbit where she had gone, across the main road once, as she escaped into the woods over there. She went on an adventure. I think that same neighbor kid had let her out! We never got another one. Lot's of Guinea Pigs, but no bunnies. My husband has had many, but this is my first one since. We don't agree on how to raise them. I am way more compassionate. I also read the attachment. We have an enclosed area on a hard surface that we put her in. I am always there with her too. We watched an owl come swooping down and take the little wild baby rabbit that apparently it's mother had been taken, right in front of us! So we are extremely careful with her! The space gives her room to run.
 
Rabbits can get very aggressive if they are not fixed, they are very hormonal espcailly at that age. From my experience its normally the males that are aggressive un-neutered. Aggression can happen with both sexes but I find females are less aggressive. I can cuddle my un-spayed female bunnies but I can't do the same with my male bunny because he would rip my face off or have my eye out.
 
Rabbits can get very aggressive if they are not fixed, they are very hormonal espcailly at that age. From my experience its normally the males that are aggressive un-neutered. Aggression can happen with both sexes but I find females are less aggressive. I can cuddle my un-spayed female bunnies but I can't do the same with my male bunny because he would rip my face off or have my eye out.
Hi
This is a female bunny. She has a very strong personality!! I am not sure why? I have never been around one quite like her. By next month she will be fixed.
 

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