SnowyShiloh
Well-Known Member
I don't cry very easily, but I spent the past five minutes crying onto my boyfriend's chest. Rory attacked me out of nowhere. I suppose "attack" may be a strong word, but I have combined bunny experience of 7 1/2 years and have never had a bunny do what he did. Rory is usually the SWEETEST rabbit, in the 6 months we've had him, he's bitten twice- once randomly on Paul's side (not hard enough to leave a mark), and once on my hand when I was petting him and he was licking the couch instead of me so I put my hand near his face (also not hard enough to leave a mark). Rory is a very loving and gentle bunny. He was neutered in November and is approximately 13 months old.
So, on to what happened. Rory had been out playing in the living room for the past few hours, and I was sitting on the couch holding our new bunny, Mylo. I decided it was time to put all the bunnies to bed and walked past Rory to put Mylo in his temporary pen in the kitchen. After Mylo was in his pen, I turned around and kneeled next to Rory, talking sweetly to him, and reached out to pet him because if I pet him a few times, he always lets me pick him up. Paul had been sitting on the floor petting him about a couple minutes earlier in the same spot, and Rory was fine. But when I reached out to pet Rory, he growled and lunged and grabbed ahold of my finger on the palm side right where the finger meets the palm. He bit hard and wouldn't let go, but I was able to tear my hand away. Then he growled again and lunged for my arm, grabbing ahold of my sleeve. He wouldn't let go until I stood up and had to shake my arm. He kept growling and lunged for my leg, but I backed into the kitchen (he hates linoleum and won't go on it). He kept growling at me and had his tail straight up in the air and was kind of "charging" me but wouldn't come onto the linoleum. Of course, the whole "attack" took place in about 5 seconds. Paul came over to Rory and Rory didn't try to bite him, by this time his tail was back down. Paul pushed Rory's head to the floor gently with his foot (he was unwilling to put his hands near the bunny's head!) and we told him "NO!". He didn't seem phased by it and Paul shooed Rory back into his cage.
What the heck happened? What made my darling bunny bite me so viciously out of nowhere? I wasn't even trying to do something he doesn't like, he LOVES being petted and melts into the floor. He'd just done the melting thing with Paul a minute before. I'm sure he would have continued trying to bite me if I hadn't backed into the kitchen. I'm suspecting the attack has to do with the new bunny, who we brought home last night. He met Mylo shortly last night through the cage bars, and was clearly not happy with the idea of another (unneutered male) bunny in the house and he spent a good part of the day staring at Mylo in his cage. And maybe Rory saw that I had just been holding Mylo and giving him attention? Come to think of it, a couple months ago when I was trying to introduce Rory and Tallulah, he attacked Tallulah and when I gently pushed him away, he tried to attack me next but stopped when I told him "NO!" and pushed him again gently. He didn't bite me that time.
Does anyone have an idea of what Rory was thinking? Why would he feel the need to attack me? I'm most definitely his favorite person, I was actually surprised when he "melted" for Paul during pets. Do I need to look out for Rory randomly going after me again? Even though he's just a bunny, it was a pretty scary and surprising experience. I love Rory like crazy and the idea of being nervous around him makes me sad.
The bite from him is the worst rabbit bite I've had- Tallulah bit me for the first time last week (I stopped petting her and she disapproved), and left behind a swollen purple bruise, and Cinny bit sometimes and made me bleed a little, but this bite is something else. The skin is all torn up and it took a while to stop bleeding. Pretty darn impressive!
Sorry this is so long
This sounds dumb, but my feelings were really hurt (which is why I was crying). I know he's an animal and I certainly won't hold this against him, but my gosh. I don't want it to happen again!
So, on to what happened. Rory had been out playing in the living room for the past few hours, and I was sitting on the couch holding our new bunny, Mylo. I decided it was time to put all the bunnies to bed and walked past Rory to put Mylo in his temporary pen in the kitchen. After Mylo was in his pen, I turned around and kneeled next to Rory, talking sweetly to him, and reached out to pet him because if I pet him a few times, he always lets me pick him up. Paul had been sitting on the floor petting him about a couple minutes earlier in the same spot, and Rory was fine. But when I reached out to pet Rory, he growled and lunged and grabbed ahold of my finger on the palm side right where the finger meets the palm. He bit hard and wouldn't let go, but I was able to tear my hand away. Then he growled again and lunged for my arm, grabbing ahold of my sleeve. He wouldn't let go until I stood up and had to shake my arm. He kept growling and lunged for my leg, but I backed into the kitchen (he hates linoleum and won't go on it). He kept growling at me and had his tail straight up in the air and was kind of "charging" me but wouldn't come onto the linoleum. Of course, the whole "attack" took place in about 5 seconds. Paul came over to Rory and Rory didn't try to bite him, by this time his tail was back down. Paul pushed Rory's head to the floor gently with his foot (he was unwilling to put his hands near the bunny's head!) and we told him "NO!". He didn't seem phased by it and Paul shooed Rory back into his cage.
What the heck happened? What made my darling bunny bite me so viciously out of nowhere? I wasn't even trying to do something he doesn't like, he LOVES being petted and melts into the floor. He'd just done the melting thing with Paul a minute before. I'm sure he would have continued trying to bite me if I hadn't backed into the kitchen. I'm suspecting the attack has to do with the new bunny, who we brought home last night. He met Mylo shortly last night through the cage bars, and was clearly not happy with the idea of another (unneutered male) bunny in the house and he spent a good part of the day staring at Mylo in his cage. And maybe Rory saw that I had just been holding Mylo and giving him attention? Come to think of it, a couple months ago when I was trying to introduce Rory and Tallulah, he attacked Tallulah and when I gently pushed him away, he tried to attack me next but stopped when I told him "NO!" and pushed him again gently. He didn't bite me that time.
Does anyone have an idea of what Rory was thinking? Why would he feel the need to attack me? I'm most definitely his favorite person, I was actually surprised when he "melted" for Paul during pets. Do I need to look out for Rory randomly going after me again? Even though he's just a bunny, it was a pretty scary and surprising experience. I love Rory like crazy and the idea of being nervous around him makes me sad.
The bite from him is the worst rabbit bite I've had- Tallulah bit me for the first time last week (I stopped petting her and she disapproved), and left behind a swollen purple bruise, and Cinny bit sometimes and made me bleed a little, but this bite is something else. The skin is all torn up and it took a while to stop bleeding. Pretty darn impressive!
Sorry this is so long
This sounds dumb, but my feelings were really hurt (which is why I was crying). I know he's an animal and I certainly won't hold this against him, but my gosh. I don't want it to happen again!
