Aggressive Rabbit

[Mommy-of-Tenoch]

My family has rescued a rabbit my husbands friend found him near an industrial area. My husband thinks he is about 8 months old. He is not neutered.

When I clean up his messes outside his hutch he gets aggressive. He attacks the broom or my hand when I am wiping up his pee. I try to clean when he is not around, but once he see me with the broom he follows me.

He is not the first male rabbit we have had. We had one other male rabbit, he was not neutered and he did not act this way. We went through the marking of territory with him, but when I cleaned he would watch me.

We are not sure if he had a human family before or what his situation was.

Any ideas how to fix this or why he would be so violent about this?

Thank you

 

[Azerane]

It could partly be hormonal, but obviously hormones do affect some bunnies differently to others. Since he is new, he may not be quite used to you yet, and simply doesn't like you being around his space and messing with things. It may decrease with time once he settles more, but it may also get worse if you let him take advantage of the situation every time. Is it possible to shut the door to his cage while he's in there and then clean? That way he can't follow you and attack.

Neutering may help the situation, while it likely won't completely eliminate the behaviours, it usually goes a long way towards helping, especially at 8 months, it's unlikely the behaviours are going to be ingrained. I would think it's worth at least looking into the cost of neuter.

 

[Mommy-of-Tenoch]

The last few days he has started where he does a little leap and spray all over.

I have started when he does this or pee's any where else I put him in his hutch for about 15 minutes. I know this how males rabbits mark territory. Our other male rabbit never jumped and sprayed.

Any other ideas on how to stop him from doing this? I do not want him to be a hutch rabbit, that is mean.

 

[ladysown]

cut those little hormone makers off! OR give him and area that his alone and that he stays in. Some bucks just spray like the dickens and you can't break them of that. Most likely a big reason why he was let go.

 

[JBun]

The aggression and spraying likely all has to do with being a hormonal buck. Neutering will almost always get rid of the spraying, and may also get rid of the aggression, or at least calm him down quite a bit so he is easier to work with.